Yulon Nissan Motor Co (裕隆日產), which distributes Nissan and Infiniti vehicles in Taiwan, saw car sales rise 22.1 percent last month from a month ago after launching the upgraded models of its Big TiiDA family car, industrial data showed.
As the nation’s second-largest car distributor last month, it sold 4,962 cars, up from 4,063 units a month earlier, according to the statistics compiled by the data communication branch of Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信).
The figure was 35 percent higher than a year ago, the data showed.
Because of rising sales, Yulon Nissan’s market share increased to 12.3 percent last month, up from 11.1 percent the previous month.
On June 3, Yulon Nissan launched a limited edition of the Big TiiDA with upgraded in-car equipment.
The company sold nearly 400 of the 500 units of the car it had in stock last month, vice president Leman Lee (李振成) said.
Overall, the company sold 1,370 TiiDA-series models last month, up 44 percent from 950 units a month ago, Lee said.
Sales of Yulon Nissan’s smaller TiiDA compact car also surged, rising 248.9 percent to 433 units last month, from 174 units the previous month, while sales of its flagship Super Sentra passenger car increased 22.8 percent to 1,318 units, from 1,073 units a month ago.
The period from May to July is a peak season for the local car industry as customers purchase new cars for travelling in the summer, prompting almost all car vendors to offer as many perks and promotions in this period to attract customers, Lee said.
As a result, total car sales in Taiwan reached 40,189 units last month, up 9.4 percent from May and 23.4 percent from a year ago, data showed.
Cumulative car sales from January through last month totaled 210,554 units, an increase of 15.5 percent from the previous year, according to the latest data.
Lee said he expects total car sales this month to be the same as last month, and Yulon Nissan would try to maintain its market share of 12.3 percent this month.
“Normally total car sales would be higher in July than June because July is the last month of the peak season, but this year ghost month starts on July 27, which is earlier than before,” Lee said.
Taiwanese tend to refrain from buying cars during ghost month, which will fall between July 27 and Aug. 24 this year, he added.
The latest data also showed Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車), which distributes Toyota and Lexus models, continued to be the top car vendor in Taiwan last month by selling 13,321 cars, accounting for 33.1 percent market share.
Hotai’s number was up 6.4 percent from the previous month and 21.2 percent from a year ago, data showed.
“The robust car market indicates a recovery in consumer confidence and the general economy,” Hotai Motor said in a statement, predicting that the momentum could last throughout the year.
The nation’s car market “is very likely to see sizzling annual sales of 400,000 units this year,” the company said.
In related news, Japanese car maker Mazda Motor Corp has set up a branch in Taiwan in a move to increase its presence in the local market.
“We would like the new branch to both enhance the brand image and boost the strong ties with our customers here,” Mazda Motor Taiwan said in a statement.
The company added that it will keep its partnership with Ford Lio Ho Motor Co (福特六和) and allow it to assemble Mazda 3 and Mazda 5 models domestically in the future.
Additional reporting by CNA
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