Toyota to end production of Vios model in Thailand
Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) will stop manufacturing its Vios 1.5L model to make way for the all-new Yaris Ativ to be launched next Tuesday (August 9).
Sales of Vios cars totalled 1,829 in the first six months of the year, compared to 10,648 of the Yaris Ativ sedan and 14,715 of the Yaris hatchback, the company said on Thursday.
The hybrid version of Yaris Ativ is expected to be launched next year.
Toyota vehicle sales in Thailand totalled 142,032 in the first six months of the year, up 21.2 per cent from the same period last year. It sold 38,894 passenger cars in the first six months, a 30.9 per cent increase.
TMT aims to sell 290,000 cars this year, representing a 33 per cent share of the Thai market and up 21 per cent from last year, according to the company’s president, Noriaki Yamashita.
Toyota is expected to manufacture a total of 659,400 cars this year, a 28.3 per cent increase from last year, Yamashita said.
“Due to the government’s economic stimulus measures, the Thai economy is expected to recover in the latter half of the year,” he said.
The TMT president predicted a total output of 880,000 from all car manufacturers in Thailand this year, up 16 per cent over last year.
