Thailand May 2018: Toyota Hilux reclaims – now rare – top spot

July 12, 2018
Matt Gasnier

The Toyota Hilux is the best-seller in Thailand for only the 2nd time in 15 months.

* See the Top 30 All-brands and Top 70 models by clicking on the title *

The Thai new light vehicle market brilliantly posts a 9th consecutive month of double-digit year-on-year gains in May at a stunning +27.9% to 84.965 registrations, lifting the year-to-date volume up 18% to 401.264, now solidly on track to top the annual million sales milestone for the first time since 2013. Toyota is the main architect of this month’s market surge with deliveries up 49% to 31.3% share, its first time above 30% this year and highest since December 2016. Both Isuzu (+18%) and Honda (+4%) trail the market on the other two spots of the podium, whereas Mazda (+48%) and Mitsubishi (+33%) gallop much faster, closing up the Top 5, as does Suzuki (+32%) at #8. Chinese carmaker and local producer MG breaks its market share record at 2.7% (pb 2.5% from February to April) thanks to deliveries soaring 136% on May 2017, its largest year-on-year gain in Thailand since August 2016. MG therefore consolidates the 9th place it now holds year-to-date. Kia (+68%) and Subaru (+45%) also shine further down.

Mitsubishi Attrage sales in Thailand are up 12% in May.

Model-wise, if the Toyota Hilux used to be the uncontested leader in its 2nd home (Thailand is where it’s built), dominating the sales charts for 11 consecutive years from 2006 to 2016, it was convincingly toppled by the Isuzu D-Max in 2017, winner by 24.000 sales, so much so that a monthly win by the Hilux has become a rarity. It is the case in May and for only the second time in the past 15 months alongside last December, albeit with a tiny 131 sale-margin. The D-Max solidly holds onto the YTD leadership, over 11.000 units above the Hilux which is in line with last year’s gap.The Ford Ranger (+36%) rounds up the podium as it does YTD, but this time the Mazda2 (+57%) is the best-selling passenger car above the Toyota Yaris (+17%) at #6, the Honda City (+6%) at #7 and the Toyota Yaris Ativ at #8. The Mitsubishi Triton (+42%) makes it four pickups in the Top 5. Notice also the Mitsubishi Attrage (+123%), Suzuki Swift (+71%), Honda Jazz (+65%), Toyota Fortuner (+41%) and Toyota Corolla (+38%) impressive in the Top 20. The Toyota C-HR is down one spot on April to #13 and the MG ZS breaks all its records this month: ranking (#16), volume (1.585) and share (1.9%).

The MG ZS breaks ranking, volume and share records in Thailand this month.