ASEAN Set To Become 6th Biggest Automotive Market in the World by 2018, Predicts Frost & Sullivan

ASEAN Set To Become 6th Biggest Automotive Market in the World by 2018, Predicts Frost & Sullivan PR Newswire HONG KONG, Aug. 15, 2012 - Indonesia and Thailand to lead growth HONG KONG, Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ASEAN is set to become the 6th biggest automotive market globally by 2018 with vehicle sales almost doubling to nearly 4.7 million units as compared to 2.4 million in 2011, predicts Frost & Sullivan. Mr. Vijayendra Rao, Research Manager, Asia Pacific Automotive Practice at Frost & Sullivan, said that individually, none of the ASEAN countries has featured in the top ten markets globally, but as a region, it has assumed greater importance in the last few years due to the implementation of ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in 2010 and healthy rivalry among ASEAN member countries to attract foreign investments. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.automotive.frost.com) CEO 360 Degree Perspective of the Automotive Industry in ASEAN (covering 4 key automotive markets in ASEAN – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam) finds that the market is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1 per cent (2011-2018), mainly driven by growth in Thailand and Indonesia. Mr. Rao said that Thailand and Indonesia vehicle sales are likely to hit 1 million units by 2013 driven by local demand, increased buying power and significant investments from Japanese OEMs. He added that Indian and Chinese automotive companies are also looking at expanding to ASEAN.