BANGKOK: Car production in Thailand rose 2.75% in December from a year earlier to 158,606 units, after a 15% rise in the previous month, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
In 2022, car production increased 11.73% to 1.88 million vehicles, Surapong Paisitpattanapong, a spokesperson for FTI’s automotive industry division, told a news conference.
In December, car exports rose 10.17% from a year earlier to 111,605 vehicles, he said.
However, domestic car sales dropped 9.02% from a year earlier to 82,799 units due to a lack of semiconductors in some car models and flooding in parts of the country, he said.
In 2022, domestic car sales increased 11.89%, while exports increased 4.28%, Surapong said.
Thailand is a regional vehicle production and export base for some of the world’s top carmakers including Toyota and Honda.
The industry accounts for about 10% of South-East Asia’s second-largest economy and its manufacturing jobs. — Reuters