TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan saw 32,631 new cars registered in June, an increase of 16.8% from the same month last year, indicating a recovery after COVID-19, reports said Friday (July 1).

Forecasts for July saw the recovery continuing, with sales likely to reach 40,000 cars, CNA reported. The June figure also amounted to a 5.5% rise from May.

As previously, Toyota and its luxury brand Lexus accounted for the largest market share, registering 10,208 new cars in June, or 31.3% of the market. The Toyota Corolla Cross SUV remained Taiwan’s bestselling car, with 3,066 being registered, or 21.4% more than the previous month, per the Liberty Times. The distributor blamed a slight drop in the number of Lexus luxury cars sold on the global shortage of semiconductors for the automotive industry.

The main surprise on the car market in June was the strong performance of imported German luxury brand BMW, which sold 2,191 cars to finish ahead of Ford with 2,131 cars and Honda with 2,082 cars registered during the month. Ford saw sales of its Focus model surge by 37.4% from May, the Liberty Times reported.

Toyota, Honda, and Ford occupied the three top places for car sales during the first half of 2022. Distributors expect sales to improve further in July as the COVID outbreak stabilizes and the summer season arrives.