SALES of Chevrolet vehicles in Cambodia surged by 47 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared with Q1 2009, a representative from car dealer Auto Sale said Monday.

Chanchal Singh, facility manager of Auto Sale, wrote in an email to the Post that the increase in sales was due in part to ongoing economic recovery in Cambodia.

He also cited marketing initiatives as a reason for growth.

“We have launched many activities to increase our brand. More and more people are getting to know and would like to drive Chevrolet models,” he wrote, though he declined to give the exact number of cars sold.

In January, the company launched a credit-financing system in cooperation with ACLEDA, Campu Bank and ABA.Aimed at middle-class customers, it enabled consumers to put down a 40 percent payment on a new car, with the rest due in installments.

“Operations have been much better compared to what it was [like] before we offered [the loans],” he wrote.

Auto Sale, which has been in operation since September 2008, said it hopes to earn a greater share of the vehicle market this year. The company has increased its sales target by 30 percent for 2010.

President of Toyota Cambodia, Kong Nguon, estimated last year that demand for new car models in Cambodia was about 2,800 per year. The market for secondhand cars was about 20,000, he said.