General Motors Co. boosted vehicle sales in Thailand 62 percent in April as political unrest failed to dent rising demand fueled by the nation's growing economy.
The carmaker sold 1,879 vehicles in Thailand last month, compared with 1,162 a year earlier, Sasinan Allmand, a spokeswoman for the Detroit-based company, said today. GM will lift output at its Thai factory to 76,000 vehicles and go ahead with plans to invest $467 million to upgrade facilities and build a new diesel-engine plant, she said.
GM, Toyota Motor Corp. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. all raised sales in Thailand in the first four months of this year, while the nation's auto production doubled in March to a record as the global economic recovery boosted domestic and overseas demand. The Thai economy is forecast to grow this year even as clashes between the government and protesters may slow the pace, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said today.
"Demand is very strong in Thailand right now," said John Bonnell, the Bangkok-based director of Asia-Pacific forecasting for J.D. Power & Associates. "The economy is growing well, and despite the political commotion, things are making progress."
Thailand's auto output in March climbed 129 percent from a year earlier to 150,119 vehicles, the Automotive Industry Club, a trade group, said last month.
GM's Thai sales through April rose 42 percent from a year earlier to 5,614 vehicles, based on data compiled by Bloomberg. Toyota, the biggest seller of vehicles in the Southeast Asian nation, raised deliveries 43 percent to about 92,000, the Toyota City, Japan-based company said today. Tokyo-based Isuzu's sales jumped 44 percent to 46,071.
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