New vehicle sales rose 8.8 percent month-on-month to 33,528 last month as consumers were more willing to visit showrooms as the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan steadily improved, Web site U-car reported yesterday.
Compared with the spread of the disease elsewhere, the situation in Taiwan has been relatively under control and the nation has not recorded any locally transmitted cases since April 12, Central Epidemic Command Center data showed.
However, the local market was inevitably affected by the pandemic as new vehicle sales declined 11.4 percent last month from a year earlier, and cumulative sales in the first five months fell 0.2 percent year-on-year to 168,396, U-car said, citing data compiled by the Directorate-General of Highways.
Major brands, such as Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co, posted sales declines of more than 10 percent from a year earlier.
Sales at Mercedes-Benz fell 23.6 percent year-on-year last month, while those at Lexus increased 43.4 percent, the data showed.
Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車), which distributes Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Taiwan, reported sales of 11,119 vehicles last month. The dealer led the local market with a market share of 33.2 percent.
China Motor Corp (中華汽車), which distributes Mitsubishi sedans and its own CMC commercial vehicles, came in second with sales of 3,841 vehicles, while Yulon Nissan Motor Co (裕隆日產), which sells Nissan and Infiniti vehicles, ranked third with sales of 2,592 vehicles, the data showed.
Combined sales of imported vehicles — such as those of Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Audi, BMW AG, Volkswagen AG and Mazda Motor Corp — last month decreased 7.4 percent year-on-year to 16,639 vehicles, accounting for 49.63 percent of the overall market, the data showed.
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