Taiwan’s August New-Car Registrations Dip 0.8%, With September Demand Expected to Return

Taiwan’s new-car market barely contracted in August, despite entering a traditional seasonal lull. Registrations reached 29,222 vehicles, down 0.8% from the same month last year, as changing consumer attitudes and summer promotions helped support demand.

Imported cars performed better than the overall market. They accounted for 15,359 registrations, an annual increase of 6.7%, and held 52.6% of the market. Luxury vehicles recorded 7,402 registrations, down 0.9%.

For the first eight months of the year, Taiwan recorded 270,156 new-vehicle registrations, up 2.4% from a year earlier. Imported vehicles accounted for 133,172 registrations, an increase of 4.5%, while luxury-car registrations fell 1.9% to 64,904.

Toyota and Lexus, operated by market leader Hotai Motor, recorded 10,570 registrations in August, down 11.3%, giving the two brands a 36.2% share. Honda posted 1,500 registrations, up 7.3%, while Nissan and Infiniti rose 2.2% to 825. Mitsubishi, CMC and MG fell 10.3% to 2,677, and Hyundai declined 1.8% to 1,098.

Dealers expect buying interest to return in September as the traditional seasonal month ends. They forecast total new-car registrations of 34,000, up 5.5% year on year, citing continued global artificial-intelligence demand and what they described as strong momentum in Taiwan’s economic growth.