PH car, truck makers get sales figures going

MANILA: After the Philippines vehicle sales slowdown that caused a shakedown in the industry, things are on a roll again. 

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), just announced a step up in the unit sales.

Based on their joint report, sales for January-September posted a 2.38 percent rise, from 261,161 units for the same period last year, the group delivered out 267,364 units.

The rise in sales was attributed mainly to commercial vehicle sales after the segment sold 187,407 units, gaining 3.9 percent increase from 179,979 units posted last year.

However, the story for passenger car sales is a bit different. The segment only sold 80,317 units, a 1.1 percent short from 81,182 for the same period in 2018.

Leading the sales rally is Toyota Motor Philippines, with 114,117 units sold, which is up 4.3 percent from 2018's 109,402 units.

On the second and third spot are Mitsubishi Motors Philippines, that rolled out 46,007 and suffering a 9.1 percent decline and Nissan Philippines with 32,980 units delivered and gaining 34.6 percent.

Placing fourth and fifth spot are Suzuki Philippines and Ford Philippines, with 17,442 and 16,380 units sales respectively.

The group is looking to continuous growth as they have entered the last quarter of the year.

The positive sales growth, CAMPI president Atty. Rommel Gutierrez said, was expected as the sales usually bounces back after August, a lean sales month for the Philippines.

“September is traditionally the start of an upward trend in sales as the public begin to spend for the upcoming holiday season," he said.

“Indeed, we welcome this positive growth as this is a good indicator of the increasing and widening demand for vehicles that has been the trademark of our industry. We are optimistic that the industry is well-positioned and prepared to progressively get back on track towards strong positive growth in the coming months," Gutierrez added.

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