Taiwan vehicle sales rise 15% in September
Taiwan’s new vehicle market expanded by 15% year-on-year to 37,054 units in September 2026, up from 32,227 units in the same month last year, according to registration data compiled by Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation.
The market’s strong growth resumed last month after a slight decline in August, driven by strong economic growth in the country this year. The latest government data show the economy expanded by almost 13% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, and by 13.7% in the first half of the year, reflecting strong global demand for IT products such as semiconductors. Household spending growth accelerated to 5.9% year-on-year in the second quarter, up from 4.7% in the previous quarter, while gross capital formation accelerated to 15.4% from 5.9%.
Vehicle sales in the first nine months of 2026 increased by 3.7% year-on-year to 307,210 units, after declining by 14% to 296,137 units in the same period last year. Sales of imported vehicles rose by 7% to 153,735 units, while domestic sales increased slightly to 153,475 units. Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) surged by 44% to 31,924 units in this period, from 22,102 units a year earlier, led by Tesla with a 77% surge to 18,632 units (+77%), followed by Foxtron with 3,138 units (+23%).
Toyota continued to lead the overall market with sales rising by 4.5% to 94,102 units year-to-date; while its Lexus division saw its sales fall by 3.6% to 21.436 units. Honda sales increased by 17% to 17,619 units in this period; followed by China Motor with 15,678 units (-16%); Mercedes-Benz 15,051 units (-12%); Mitsubishi 12,382 units (+26%); Hyundai units 11,859 (-12%); BMW 11,541 units (-9%); and Ford 11,303 units (+27%).
GlobalData is forecasting a 6% rebound in light vehicle sales to 419,000 units, following a 9% decline to 395,000 units in 2025.