Kingdom car sales up in 2011

[PHNOM PENH POST]

Many of the Kingdom’s authorised car dealers surpassed their sales targets for 2011, with some also reporting difficulty in meeting demand as natural disasters impacted supply chains.

RMA Asia Co, which imports Ford Motor vehicles, last year exceeded its sales target of 400 units by 10 per cent, resulting in a 30 per cent year-on-year increase, according to General Manager Seng Voeung.

“We noticed that after we recovered from the global financial crisis, which forced people to cut their expenses, they started to spend more on new modern goods like new cars,” he said.

Toyota Cambodia also saw an increase in demand, according to President Kong Nuon. However, the company was unable to meet many customer orders because Japan’s earthquake and tsunami in March and floods in Thailand late last year hit supply chains.

As a result, Toyota Cambodia sold only 450 to 500 units in 2011, far below its target of between 1,300 and 1,500 units, but a small increase over 2010, he said.

Long Narith, managing director of Narita Motorcare Cambodia, which imports the Nissan brand, noted a 15 per cent year-on-year increase in sales last year.

But Narita also was unable to meet demand as its factory in Thailand was impacted by the floods, he said.

Chinese brand Great Wall Motor saw higher sales early in the year but a decline in later months, although for a different reason: a change in loan requirements by the country’s banks.

“The banks started requiring collateral in July, and sales dropped since then,” Peang Mann, chairman and CEO of Great Wall seller Worldwide Garage, said.

He estimated that Worldwide Garage sold about 70 per cent of its 2011 target, though he would not disclose exact figures.