•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

Sales of Toyota cars in Indonesia this year are expected to exceed those in Thailand following the worst flooding disaster in 50 years for that country.

“It is likely that the sales in Indonesia will exceed those in Thailand because that country is being hit by disastrous floods,” Johnny Darmawan, president director of Toyota Astra Motor, the sole distributor of Toyota cars in Indonesia, said on Saturday.

Data from the Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries (Gaikindo) shows that Toyota car sales from January to November reached 285,034.

“We expect by the end of the year, Toyota sales to hit around 310,000 units,” Johnny said. He didn’t offer a comparative figure as to how many vehicles would be sold in Thailand this year.

Dow Jones reported in July that Toyota was expected to sell 360,000 units in Thailand in 2011, with exports at 328,000 units, according to Kyichi Tanada, president of Toyota Motor Thailand.

However, the Associated Press reported that because of flooding in Thailand, which began in October, Toyota would produce 230,000 fewer vehicles this year.

AP provided no details on sales in Thailand. Johnny said that the impact of the Thailand floods was “bigger” than the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Johnny had earlier predicted that car sales from all manufacturers in Indonesia would be 880,000 units this year. Astra would control around 35 percent of the market based on those figures, he said.

Johnny was optimistic that Indonesia’s car market will grow next year. He forecast sales reaching 925,000, even if the government plans to implement a ban on buying subsidized fuel by private car. He added that the country’s relative resilience from the euro zone crisis would protect the industry.

Antara, JG