Taiwan auto sales hit 17-month high in June

Shanghai, July 3 (Gasgoo.com) There were 26,200 new cars were sold in Taiwan last month, up 25.8% from a year earlier and up 43.5% from May. The car sales figure for June was the island's highest monthly record since January of 2008 or a 17-month high, The China Post reported. 

From January to June, over 120,000 new cars were sold in the Taiwanese market, with the annual decline rate slowing to below 10%. Market observers expected the annual car sales in Taiwan to top 250,000 units this year.

The observers attributed the sharp growth partly to the bullish stock performance prompting consumers to purchase cars and partly to strong marketing campaigns launched by major car suppliers in Taiwan.

Of the major suppliers, Hotai Motor, the sole agent of Toyota and Lexus car models, took the lead with sales of over 10,000 units in June, with a market share of over 40%.

China Motor came second with sales of 4,332 units of cars, particularly the Outlander model.

To boost the output and meet the growing market demand, major automakers such as Yulon Motor, China Motor and Kuozui Motor started on July 1 to extend their working hours and cancel regular Saturday leave.