Industrial confidence sinks lower

FTI chairman Santi Vilassak-danont said manufacturers found it hard to control their production and logistics costs as the price of diesel was raised about 10 times last month.

"The government should find a long-term energy solution for the industrial sector. Moreover, it should accelerate mega-projects to stimulate the country's economy as well as control product prices based on real production cost," he said.

Both domestic and export orders fell from March, partly due to the long Songkran holiday.

The electronics and electrical industry, one of the country's largest export segments, got fewer overseas orders following a global slowdown.

The survey cited most operators were positive in building up confidence for the economy in the next three months since interest rates and foreign exchange rates tend to move relatively slow.

 Meanwhile, the Automotive Industry Club under the FTI reported a jump in sales of passenger cars in the first four months.

Some 215,265 units were sold, up 14.5 per cent from the same period last year.

Motorcycle sales also rose 3.3 per cent to 565,719 units.

Wallop Tiesiri, director of Thailand Automotive Institute, said domestic sales rose as consumers shifted to use alternative-fuel for cars to counter high petrol prices.

"Local sales grew slightly in the past two years because local consumers waited for E20 vehicles to arrive. It was not surprising to see the pick up this year, but that may slow in the long run," he said.

Total production of passenger cars from January to April was 128,833 units, up 47.65 per cent from the same period last year.

Exports of automobiles in that period rose 25 per cent year-on-year to 247,051 units