Tonga vehicles market is one of the smaller in the World with few units sold each year. Indeed the Kingdom is a Pacific Ocean archipelago comprising 169 islands of which 36 are inhabited. Vehicles are sold in the main island, Tongatapu and are 90% Toyota.
Kingdom of Tonga is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited. The total surface area is about 750 square kilometres scattered over 700,000 square kilometres of the southern Pacific Ocean. It has a population of 107,122 people of whom 70% reside on the main island of Tongatapu.
Tonga became known in the West as the “Friendly Islands” because of the congenial reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit in 1773. He arrived at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the First Fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga (the islands’ paramount chief) and so received an invitation to the festivities. According to the writer William Mariner, the chiefs wanted to kill Cook during the gathering but could not agree on a plan.
The automotive sector is very little, competing to be the smaller in the World, with annual sales around 50 units.
| Sales 2012 | Sales 2013 | Sales 2014 | Sales 2015 | Sales 2016 | Sales 2017 | Sales 2018 e | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car+LCV | 73 | 67 | 51 | 53 | 56 | 61 | 64 |
| 2012 Var | 2013 Var | 2014 Var | 2015 Var | 2016 Var | 2017 Var | 2018 var e | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car+LCV | 30,4% | -8,2% | -23,9% | 3,9% | 5,7% | 8,9% | 5,0% |
Toyota dominates with near 90% of market share.
