BANGKOK, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's auto production increased for the first time in 21 months in May, driven by higher output for pure and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, data from the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) showed on Tuesday.
Thai auto manufacturers produced 139,186 vehicles last month, up 10.32 percent from a year earlier and reversing from a slight 0.4 percent decline in April, according to the FTI.
Despite an ongoing drop in output for fuel-powered passenger cars, that of battery electric vehicles saw significant growth as manufacturers ramped up domestic production to offset earlier imports due to the government's tax reduction and subsidy, said FTI Automotive Industry Club spokesperson Surapong Paisitpattanapong.
For the first five months of 2025, auto production fell 7.82 percent over the previous year to 594,492 units, with output of passenger cars powered by internal combustion engines falling 37.79 percent owing to the discontinuation of certain models, Surapong told a news conference.
Domestic auto sales climbed 4.73 percent year-on-year to 52,229 units in May, accelerating from a 0.97 percent rise in the previous month, boosted by a surge in sales of plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles, Surapong said.
The Southeast Asian country's finished car exports contracted 9.20 percent from a year earlier to 81,071 units in May as certain passenger car models were no longer shipped out following stricter regulations on driver assistance equipment, he said. ■
