Car sales in Indonesia up 44%

Car sales in Indonesia rose by 43.94% to 569,000 units in the first 11 months of 2008, compared with the same period in 2007. However, month-on-month sales in November slid 14.24% to 47,000 units though still higher 2.5% year-on-year. Car sales, which have been dominated by Toyota, have been declining since August after a peak of 60,830 units in July 2008, according to a report. Meanwhile, distributors of commercial cars reported a sharp decline in sales, with market leader Mitsubishi posting an 8.1% decline to 6,830 units in November from the previous month. (December 5, 2008)