Mr. Surapong Paisitpatanapong, Vice President and Spokesperson of the Automotive Industry Group, Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) stated that in April 2023, domestic car sales totaled 59,530 units, a decrease of 25.53% compared to March 2023. Motorcycle sales also dropped to 123,959 units, down 32.80%, but saw a slight increase of 1.73% compared to April 2022. The main factor contributing to this decline is the tightening of loan approvals by financial institutions due to high household debt levels and rising interest rates, leading to more loan rejections for customers.

Regarding the export of finished vehicles in April 2023, 79,940 units were exported, a decrease of 18.74% from the previous month, but an increase of 43.53% compared to April 2022. This increase is attributed to a 21.06% rise in passenger car production and a 6.06% increase in pickup trucks for export, following a low base last year due to chip shortages from the Ukraine war and COVID-19 outbreaks in China. In April, exports increased in markets across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, with an export value of 50,164.31 million baht, up 49.83% from April 2022. For the period from January to April 2023, a total of 353,632 finished vehicles were exported, an increase of 18.38%, with an export value of 218,286.06 million baht, up 22.88% from the same period last year.

On the electric vehicle front, in April 2023, 5,181 new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered, an increase of 320.88% compared to the same period last year. Most of these were passenger cars and various types of vehicles, totaling 3,820 units, which is an increase of 869.54% from the same period last year. From January to April 2023, a total of 26,233 new BEVs were registered, marking a 534.41% increase.

However, the registration of passenger electric vehicles with a capacity of up to 7 people in April 2023 was 3,820 units, an increase of 882% compared to the same month in 2022, accounting for 7.73% of total registrations.

As for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, there were 782 units registered, a decrease of 6.57% compared to the same month last year, representing 1.58% of total registrations. Meanwhile, hybrid electric vehicles numbered 6,160 units, an increase of 31.57% from the same month last year, making up 12.47% of total registrations. This indicates that the registration of electric vehicles in Thailand is relatively high compared to other countries.