Bangkok Post - General Motors (GM) enjoyed encouraging automobile sales growth across Southeast Asia last year, with Thailand again proving its biggest regional market.
GM Thailand gained the biggest sales and market share among the regional big four.
About 30,000 GM vehicles were sold in Southeast Asia last year, up by 34% from 2009, with the flagship Chevrolet Captiva contributing 25% to the total.
Overall automobile sales in Asean last year reached 2.35 million units, with GM accounting for 1.3%.
Martin Apfel (see picture), president of Bangkok-based GM Southeast Asia, earlier said GM had planned to raise its regional market share to 10% by 2013 with the introduction of many new products.
"I am confident that we have the right foundation to drive the next stage of growth for GM's business across Southeast Asia and beyond - a great brand, products and people," said Mr Apfel, who is also president of GM Thailand and Chevrolet Sales (Thailand).
GM Thailand sold 20,026 vehicles last year, increasing by 32% year-on-year but lagging the 46% industry growth orate to just over 800,000 units.
Based on the figure, GM Thailand commands a 2.5% share in the Thai automotive market, its biggest in the regional market.
GM sales in Indonesia grew significantly by 65% over 2009 numbers, outpacing the industry's growth of 57% in the same period.
Automobile sales in Indonesia were 755,000 units, the region's second-largest market, and GM had a share of just 0.6%. In the Philippines, where the industry grew by 12% or 145,000 units in 2010, GM recorded a 56% growth rate over 2009, bringing its market share up to 1.4%.
Malaysia, the third largest automobile market in Southeast Asia, sold 580,000 units in total in 2010, with growth remaining unchanged from 2009. GM's share in this market was only 0.1%.
December was the strongest month for GM Thailand, with retail sales increasing by 34% over the same period in 2009. This coincided with the successful launch of the Chevrolet Cruze during the year-end Thailand International Motor Expo 2010.
"Our December sales were the strongest month since March 2006, and in just over one month since its launch, the Chevrolet Cruze registered total bookings of more than 1,000 units while the new Aveo CNG recorded more than 800 units," said Mr Apfel.
GM Thailand is confident it can achieve the sales target of 11,000 Cruze units by the end of 2011 thanks to strong interest in this model and an aggressive after-sales campaign called Chevy Promise.
The Cruze was the most popular Chevrolet model at the Motor Expo, with the 1.8-litre version receiving the highest number of bookings, followed by the Aveo CNG.
To further expand the brand footprint and accommodate after-sales initiatives, Chevrolet Sales is looking at adding 20 more dealer next year.
