Thailand Passenger Car Sales: 2024

Figures from Thailand often cover all vehicles but here I kept it to passenger cars only which took some time to extract. It's also a bit late for 2024 but I've been spending some time trying to catch up with this sort of time consuming data collation

With the total market down 22% for the year, few managed to increase their volume. As the Diff column here is measuring market share, there is some green colour to reflect that. Improving your share in a depressed market is an important achievement.

There is import duty to limit imports, which is almost the default setting in Asia when car  manufacturing takes places. That means those that manufacture here dominate the market. Toyota has over a third of the market with Honda and Isuzu the other two main brands. The advantage of a Toyota is that it completes your life...apparently.

The figures include pick up trucks, many of which are sold as passenger cars and they are popular. So brands that have pick ups in their range do well. Chinese brands are arriving but I assume to have a strong presence here, they will need to set up assembly plants to avoid the import duty.  

Data: DLT Thailand. Photos: Toyota & Ford Thailand.

Hong Kong Passenger Car Sales : 2024

It's been a while since Hong Kong has graced these blog pages. My first attempt included used imports which have now been weeded out. That reduced the total by 6,000 and hit mainly Japanese brands as they drive on the same side of the road and is presumably the source of most used imports. So let's see how things went in 2024. 

First up, some background. HK doesn't limit car ownership like Singapore, with its certificate system that caps the number of cars on the road. Instead, high registration taxes, parking fees and tolls are used to discourage both car ownership and their use. This is backed up with a quality public transportation system that offers an affordable alternative.  

As for vehicle type, electric cars have become very popular. This has given Chinese brand sales real impetus, as we can see below. Tesla is on top despite sales volume remaining the same. Holding a over 20% share is impressive but with so many electric brands arriving, surely that is an untenable level of success.

Premium marques certainly didn't have a good year. Maxus has seemingly come out of nowhere and smart (picture above) came from years of obscurity to a top ten position with its new electric car range. Brands that sell fossil fuel cars will increasingly be marginalised. 

Data source: HK Transport Department.

RSA Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Sales in South Africa were about the same as the previous year. One notable difference is that premium marques didn't do so well. Another point of interest is Chinese brands moving in with two of them looking settled in the top ten. 

Toyota achieved its highest market share since 2003 and has been the best passenger car brand for the last three years. Adding light commercial vehicles would paint a very different picture, with Toyota well on top. 

VW has been the leading passenger or second best car brand going back into last century. This is the lowest market share I can find for the brand. The arrival of more brands has upped the competition so maintaining one's share of the pie is a challenge. Suzuki is also on a roll.  

The fact that Toyota has thus far been able to succeed is in its model range. VW relies heavily on the Polo Vivo, an previous generation model as a value proposition. Toyota has worked with Suzuki in securing fresh metal and it's working (see above the Urban Cruiser).  

To clarify regarding the Great Wall listing below, the two brands under it are Tank and Ora. The Haval brand that is also from GWM is listed separately. 

Picture source: Toyota SA & Suzuki SA. 

Colombia Passenger Car/Taxi Sales : 2024

Total sales were 165,000 for 2024, a 14% increase. That is some way down on recent averages but at least it was a healthy rise in volume. The average for the last ten years (including 2024) is 197,000)

It may seem odd to include taxis in the title but they are counted as a segment, with 5,300 new cars added to the taxi fleet around the country. Kia accounted for just over half of them. 

Taxis enabled Kia to become number one for the year, ending Renault's seven year reign at the top. BYD is yet again moving up the rankings. Chinese brands have been here for some time and are yet to crack the top ten but that may be about to change. 

Data source: ANDEMOS. Picture source: Renault Colombia.

Albania Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Registrations are booming in Albania. It seems most of the sales are not through official channels, although they are new cars according to the source. The data was time consuming to assemble and I believe accurate. It's a unique opportunity to see what's happening in a market that is rapidly emerging. 

Registrations were up 74% in 2023 and 47% in 2024. The 'Diff' column shows the change in market share so they virtually all enjoyed an increase in volume. Those shaded green had extra ordinary increases.

Hyundai was the leading brand in 2021 but VW put an end to that in 2022 while Škoda and Fiat have also since pushed past. As usual, BYD has come from nowhere to be a serious threat to those above. Citroën too enjoyed a good twelve months. MG roared up the chart but then slipped back. 

Data source: DPSHTRR. Photograph: VW Albania.

Latvia Car/LCV Sales : 2024

Latvia car and light commercial sales are as below. Toyota has led since 2020 and is still well clear although it did suffer slightly in 2024. Škoda has moved into second but parent company VW is coming back. It was the leader until 2019. Renault had a strong increase but has some distance to make up on third place. 

Data source: Auto Asociacija. 

BMW Group Regional Global Sales : 2023-24

While the Group maintained sales in most regions, Asia was the fly in the ointment. China in particular is economically struggling so a 10% fall was registered. It's still the largest region for the company but now it's only just. It was in 2020 that Asia overtook Europe but maybe in 2025 that will switch back.

I would have liked to have published BMW sales by model but the detail has been compromised sufficiently that it would be pointless in my opinion. Up until 2024, the detail was amazing, then acceptable until 2020 but since then poor.

One detail that I think that is worth noting is the XM SUV flagship (pictured above). That model sold 6,750 in 2023 and 7,800 this year. Surely that is a flop of major proportion. Price, looks and competition elsewhere within the BMW range have all had an impact. Other marques offer some compelling alternatives as well. 

Data source: BMW Group.

South Africa Top Car/LCV Models : 2023-24

Toyota, Volkswagen and Suzuki are the three most popular passenger car brands in the RSA. For light commercials its Toyota, Ford and Isuzu. Those brands are well represented in the list below.

Toyota and Suzuki benefit from a model collaboration. Suzuki cars made in India are sometimes badged as Toyota models. Here is a list of such models: Toyota Rumion – Suzuki Ertiga, Starlet – Baleno, Starlet Cross – Fronx, Urban Cruiser – Grand Vitara and the Vitz – Celerio.

It's cost effective and done well as it seems in this case, benefits both companies. These models can be seen in the list below and are very successful. 

Chinese models are making quite an impact, with Chery in the top 10 with the Tiggo 4 and the Haval Jolion a few places below. Brands from Asia generally are the most common. 

Data source: Naamsa.

VW Group Heavy Commercial Vehicle Sales: 2023-24

Volkswagen has a range of heavy commercials that are known as the Traton Group. 

Scania, MAN, International (formerly Navistar) and VW Truck & Bus are the brands involved. Sales were down 1% in 2024 to 334,000. 

Regions: 48% of the volume is Europe (and Other Regions). The Americas are about the same at 49% and Asia / Pacific very little. Profit for the Traton Group was up 15%.

Brands: Scania (picture on right) is now the largest division with a 6% improvement in volume. It passed MAN that had a very good 2023 but was down 17% in 2024. International (picture below) was solid and VW branded heavy vehicle were up 24%. 

Data source: VW Group.

VW Group Car/Light Commercial Sales: 2023-24

VW Group sales were nearly 8.7 million units in 2024, down 2% from 8.9 million. We can break down the figures to see what happened.

Regions: The Asia / Pacific region is the largest for the company and has been since 2012. That could be about to change with Western Europe holding its sales at about the same number while the A/P region in contrast was down 10%. The Americas and Other markets fared best.

Brands: VW car sales were at 4.8 million, down 1% on a year before. Audi was -12% and Bentley -22%. Both are already showing signs of a better 2025. Porsche was down 3% due to China's tighter economic situation. SEAT / Cupra had another good year with Škoda much the same.

Overall not a bad performance considering decreased sales in China. The chart below has the critical data. 

Data source: VW Group.

Russia Brand Sales : 2024

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Western car brands were withdrawn from the market. Russian brands benefited but couldn't fully compensate. With haste Chinese brands took advantage of the situation.

I have some data here of which I cannot be certain of its accuracy but it does look plausible. Most of the top spots are Chinese and the sales volumes are sizable. Haval got close to 200,000 and four in total exceeded 100,000.

Sales for brands from elsewhere dwindled as stock ran dry. Or did it? Data coming from Russia suggested alternative ways to get some cars were being established.

The problem is getting accurate information about it. Russian data has always been variable depending on the source for various reasons. Deciding the best one to use is a bit of a lottery. Here is one.

What does it show about Western brands? Toyota, Kia and Hyundai lead with BMW not too far behind. After that most are quite small in comparison. 

Summary: How accurate it is cannot be proved one way or another. The Russian and Chinese figures are more likely to be correct. 

As for cars from elsewhere, if the numbers are correct, then some entrepreneurs are skilled operators. 

Whether the embargo works or is circumvented, it won't affect the chances of peace and people will continue to die as the war rages on. When will they ever learn?

Picture sources:

Haval Pоссии above

Chery Pоссии below

PS. If anyone can add more or clarify the situation, please leave a comment. 

 

Aston Martin Global Deliveries : 2023/24

Aston Martin deliveries are a mixed bag in 2024. The sports cars increased but the SUV took a volume hit, albeit reduced toward the end of the year. That has seen 2024 deliveries drop by 9% YTD, again much improved in the last quarter. SUVs sell well but every premium marque bar McLaren has them as part of their range so there is plenty of competition. 

Where I've listed the Valkyrie is in fact the Specials division, which is mainly that model but also now the Valour and in future the Valiant models. Next year I'll rename it to reflect that shift. 

Regionally, there is little to learn except they all took a similar path to each other. The evenness of it confirms the reduction in units delivered was managed. Which of course leads to the question of what the reason was for that?

Well, since you've asked Aston Martin explained why. It's been due to what is called product transformation as volume lowered as the new Vantage, upgraded DBX707 and V12 Vanquish were intoduced. Volume improved in Q4 which would confirm that. I've already noticed stronger sales in 2025. They also mentioned some supply chain disruptions. 

So in Q4, the UK and Americas increased while the rest wasn't so bouyant as they await the arrival of new models. Overall Q4 wholesale volume increase 8% as production increases. 

UK Truck Registrations : 2024

Truck registrations in the UK have been going well and 2024 was also a good year, despite a 3% dip in the total. There aren't many brands involved - ten in all - with most being European. 

The leader is DAF Trucks (picture above) which is how the SMMT names it but I've gone with its UK name, Leyland DAF. The vehicles are sourced from the UK plant in Leyland, Lancashire, and from Europe. It's the third consecutive year market share has fallen, albeit only slightly on each occasion. It has maintained five digit sales volume every year since 2014.

Then comes some heavy hitters from Europe before the first of two Japanese brands in the form of Isuzu and Fuso, the latter owned by Mercedes-Benz. In between them is Dennis Eagle (pic below), a UK based maker of waste management trucks. The 956 registrations was the best result since 2013 and the second best this century. 

Data source: SMMT.

UK Bus Registrations : 2024

By the term bus, it surely includes vans with seats with the vans over a certain size. Hence, we see Ford and Peugeot leading the way in 2024. I'm interested in the full sized bus but that is how the data is supplied. 

Registrations were up an impressive 70% but still only the best year since 2016. The 'Diff' figure below is for market share change so any brand in yellow would have increased volume but not kept up with the surging market. Overall, the best result since 2017 when nearly 8,800 were registered. I'm not sure why there was a dramatic fall after that. At least it's returning to better numbers.  

Of the local companies, Alexander Dennis (picture above) managed an increase in share and the highest sales figure since 2019. Northern Ireland based Wrightbus (picture below)- which are leaders in hydrogen buses - reached 850 units registered, 2017 the last time that figure was bettered. BYD are not a UK brand but the bodies on their buses may be provided by Alexander Dennis.

For imports, diesel buses have a 16% duty and electric 10%. The latter seems too low to protect local manufacturing and imports from China could prove disrupters for local manufacturers. That probably needs a review to provide some help to protect domestic electric bus manufacturing - which use Chinese made chassis' anyway - but unlikely to happen. The 2025 figures may have some different brand names included, assuming they will be reported. 

Data source: SMMT.

Kia Korea Model Production : 2024

Kia made 1.46 million cars in Korea last year. That was down 3% on 2023. The top three all improved but most of the rest didn't. The Tasman pickup and EV4 will add their presence to the lineup so they should give things an uplift. 

I believe the K3/Cerato may be on the way out as to the Mohave due to slow sales and to make way for the new models on the production line. 

Data source: Kia.

Kia also made some commercial vehicles and the absence of any import competition due to tariff protection probably makes it viable despite modest numbers.

Kia Plant Sales By Nation : 2024

Kia made 3 million passenger cars and SUVs in 2024. It manufactures in six countries with close to half made at home. If the CKD kits* are also originating from Korea (and I assume they do), then just over half. The rest is fairly evenly spread between plants. 250,000 to 350,000 covers all of them. 

China was the first overseas production facility back in 2002 but in recent years the volume has dropped substantially as is the case with other manufacturers. In the last two years production in China has made improved. 

The USA (since 2010) and Slovakia (2006) are both around 350,000 cars per annum. India (2019) was down this year and Mexico (2016) was steady. The latter has started making a model for Hyundai but is not counted here. 

*The 'CKD' I believe are cars made from knocked down kits but due to the content being split between facilities, not attributed to either. The model(s) involved are not given either. That's how I've read the data provided but it doesn't clearly specify if that is so.

Data source: Kia.

Toyota Global Sales : 2022-24

Toyota's global sales were down slightly, 1.4% to be precise. The two reasons for the reduction are China and Japan. The former has been the case for foreign makes as they are out under pressure from local manufacturers. The second was self inflicted. Otherwise, the total was in positive territory. 

Asia went from 48.7% to 45.8% of sales which is a large fall. North America is up to 26.9% of total global sales for the Toyota Group with the USA contributing 85% of that for the region. Europe is up to 11.5% with France now the largest market. 

What is the rest accounted for 11%, the Gulf States (GCC) made up 40.5% of that total. Finally Latin America at 4.8%, with Brazil and Argentina being the two main countries. 

Data & picture source: Toyota Group.

Tunisia Passenger Car Sales : 2024

Registrations were down 1% for the year which is a reasonably good performance. The top four all lost ground although Hyundai's was marginal. Hyundai took the lead off Kia three years ago and has retained its place at the top since then. MG and Chery pushed hard and were rewarded.

Renault doubled its sales but Peugeot was down 29%. Citroën all but disappeared in 2020 and fell from 12th to 42nd but suddenly reemerged this year and in 2024 finished up at 14th.