BANGKOK, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's auto production continued to grow in March, fueled by higher output of export-oriented passenger cars and pickup trucks, data from the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) showed on Monday.
Automakers produced 133,413 vehicles in Thailand last month, up 2.69 percent from a year earlier, according to the FTI.
The uptrend was primarily attributed to increased truck and hybrid electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing despite a notable decline in combustion-engine passenger cars, said FTI Automotive Industry Club spokesperson Surapong Paisitpattanapong.
For the first quarter of 2026, auto production climbed 5.32 percent over the previous year to 369,751 units, thanks to a strong expansion of battery EVs, Surapong told a news conference.
As for domestic sales, it surged 7.29 percent year-on-year to 59,865 units in March, reflecting record-breaking bookings at the Bangkok International Motor Show, which saw pure EVs account for over half of the total, Surapong said.
The Southeast Asian country's finished car exports ticked down 0.64 percent from the year before to 80,394 units in March as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz dragged shipments to the Middle East down 15.96 percent, he noted. ■
