BANGKOK: Car production in Thailand fell 11.02% in April from a year earlier to 104,667 units, the Federation of Thai Industries said on Thursday.

The figure compared with March’s 23.08% year-on-year drop. There were long holidays in April, the FTI said.

In the January-April period, car production contracted 17.05% from a year earlier to 518,790 units, it said.

The federation has said car production has been down because of lower pick-up truck output following weaker demand due to tighter auto loans from financial institutions.

Domestic car sales dropped 21.49% in April from a year earlier, after a drop of 29.83% year-on-year in the previous month, the federation said.

‘Auto parts manufacturing industry going through toughest phase’

Thailand is Southeast Asia’s biggest autos production centre and an export base for some of the world’s top carmakers, including Toyota and Honda, with pickup trucks among the key vehicles manufactured.

The federation has predicted car production at 1.9 million vehicles this year after 1.84 million made in 2023.