New vehicle sales last month grew 16.4 percent month-on-month to 46,332 units, the biggest number of units sold for November thanks to strong demand for new models ahead of the expiration of government tax incentives, the Chinese-language auto information Web site U-Car.com reported yesterday.
On an annual basis, new vehicle sales rose 13.8 percent, with the increase bringing sales in the first 11 months of this year to 411,030 units, up 4.6 percent from last year, U-Car said.
The Toyota Corolla Cross, launched in mid-October, outsold other recreational vehicle (RV) models at 5,319 units, U-Car data showed.
Photo: Amy Yang, Taipei Times
The Corolla Cross has overtaken its peer, the Toyota RAV4, to become the best-selling RV in the local market, U-Car said.
Sales last month showed strong consumer demand for the Corolla Cross and the RAV4, as well as the Ford Kuga and the Toyota Corolla Altis, it said, adding that sales were boosted by the Jan. 7 expiration of a tax incentive.
The incentive offers a NT$50,000 reduction in commodity taxes and automakers are calling for the government to extend the program, which was launched in January 2016.
Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車), which distributes Toyota and Lexus vehicles locally, sold 13,331 vehicles, down 9.3 percent from last year, but enough to maintain its top market share at 28.8 percent, U-Car data showed.
Yulon Nissan Motor Co (裕隆日產), which distributes Nissan vehicles, had the second-largest market share with 3,681 units sold, up 4.8 percent from last year.
Ford Lio Ho Motor Co (福特六和) had the third-largest market share — after ranking No. 6 in October — with 3,468 units sold, up 38.2 percent from last year.
New vehicle sales for the year are expected to increase 1 percent to 431,000 units from last year, Yulon Nissan said last month, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic means that people are less likely to take public transport.
To meet demand, local automakers — including Yulong Motor Co (裕隆汽車), Kuozui Motor Ltd (國瑞汽車) and Ford Lio Ho — have asked employees to work overtime, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News said yesterday.
Orders have surpassed production capacity, necessitating deliveries to be delayed until next year, the newspaper reported.
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