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Astra car sales signal industry recovery
JAKARTA: The country's largest car producer, PT Astra International, booked a 9
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JAKARTA: The country's largest car producer, PT Astra International, booked a 9.5 percent increase in car sales in May compared to April, indicating demand has begin to pick up in line with economic recovery.
Astra sold 20.891 cars in May, up from 19,080 in April, a release from Astra on Monday states.
Astra increased its market share to 58 percent in May from 51 percent in April, maintaining position as automobile sales market leader .
The figures show that the industry has begun to improve after previously being hit by reduced demand during the economic crisis.
This was reflected by an increase in overall car sales in May rising to 35, 818 from 34,604 in April
This was lower than last year, when car sales reached 50,718 and 51,642 in April and May 2008.
The country's automotive industry posted a new record last year, selling 607,000 new cars, or up nearly 40 percent from a year earlier with Astra then taking a 59 percent market share.
Analysts and business players predicted vehicle sales might drop by as much as 30 percent this year due to the economic slowdown , but there are signs of recovery now. - JP
