2008 Thai Motor Expo Sales Numbers

Sales at this years Thai Motor Expo were actually pretty reasonable considering the current political and economic difficulties that Thailand is facing. Approximately 14,000 cars were ordered at the Expo which was attended by around 1.5 million visitors.

There are no surprises at the top of the sales table, with Toyota and Honda leading the pack with 4,193 and 2,552 bookings respectively. Business as usual really! Third place went to Isuzu with 1,760, which might seem like a big gap until you remember that they only sell trucks and truck derived SUVs.

Chevrolet continue to win friends with their clever financing with 1,194 bookings, followed by Nissan with 1,008.

So far nothing is all that interesting right? But now we reach the big surprise of the show: Sixth place went to newcomer Proton with an impressive 863 bookings. Considering that Proton have sold under 3,000 units so far this year, this is a massive week and a half's work from the Malaysian company. Proton's bookings at the show represent about 6 percent of the total orders, which might not sound like much. But when you look at the names that are below them on the list, it is all the more interesting.

Mazda with 767, Mitsubishi with 756 and Ford with 301! All of these are established players in the Thai market, but continue to struggle to make a solid impact.

Proton's success would suggest that there is a need for cheap honest transportation. And there is! Proton's combination of low pricing and reasonable specification is attracting attention. Particularly with models like the new Persona CNG. But only time will tell if Proton can build a lasting presence here in Thailand.

Source : Bernama.com.my