Mitsubishi gunning for flat sales in 2026

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. is counting on a year-end sales recovery to at least match its 2025 performance, as the broader Philippine automotive market prepares to face its first annual contraction in six years.

Mitsubishi sold 86,808 units in the Philippines last year, down slightly from 89,124 in 2024.

Mitsubishi Philippines president Ritsu Imaeda acknowledged that surpassing last year’s sales would be “difficult,” as persistent economic headwinds continue to dampen consumers’ appetite for big-ticket purchases such as vehicles.

“We are aiming for equal at this moment,” Imaeda told reporters recently. “What we don’t know is how October, November and December are going to climb up. It’s really unpredictable at the moment.”

Such a cautious outlook marks a departure from earlier expectations that Mitsubishi, the Philippines’ second-largest automotive brand by sales, could post growth of 5 percent to 6 percent this year under “normal market conditions.”

While the company has not formally abandoned that target, Imaeda acknowledged that the anticipated economic recovery has yet to materialize, leaving little indication of a meaningful rebound in vehicle demand.

“The automotive sector is, of course, very [much] influenced by the economy,” he said. “Right now, compared to the expectation, the growth or the recovery of the economy is still not there.”

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From January to August, Mitsubishi’s Philippine sales fell by 20.3 percent to 46,162 units from 57,908 units in the same period last year.

Despite the decline, Mitsubishi retained its position as the country’s second bestselling automotive brand, behind only Toyota Motor Philippines Corp., whose eight-month sales dropped by 8.9 percent to 133,300 units.

Overall, Philippine automotive sales contracted by 11.1 percent in the first eight months of 2026.