Auto Sales Rising in Asia Pacific

Vehicle demand in the Asia-Pacific region is growing despite sinking volume in China, WardsAuto.com reports.

Combined sales in the 12 countries in the region that WardsAuto tracks were 5.5 million vehicles in the first two months of 2012, up 3% from a year earlier. The total includes China, where volume fell 6% to 3 million units during that period.

China accounted for nearly 54% of the Asia-Pacific market in the January-February period compared with almost 59% a year earlier, according to WardsAuto. It says sales also declined in Malaysia (14%), Philippines (8%), South Korea (6%) and Taiwan (6%).

Sales in grew 36% in January and 30% in February in Japan and 10% and 17% for those months in India. Other countries reporting higher demand in the combined two-month period include Australia (5%), Indonesia (13%), New Zealand (14%), Pakistan (7%) and Thailand (15%).