PH sustains car sales, production momentum
Sales of automotive vehicles in the Philippines sustained growth for the sixth straight month in July in line with the momentum seen in local car production.
A joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and the Truck Manufacturers Association on Thursday showed that 39,331 new vehicles were sold in July, increasing by 6.1 percent from the 37,086 units sold in the same month in 2023.
“New product launches, improved product offerings, good sales momentum, as well as supply availability helped neutralize the impact of Typhoon ‘Carina,’ especially towards the latter part of July,” Campi president Rommel Gutierrez said in a statement.
The July data brought the overall vehicle sales from January to date to 265,610 units, marking a 10.9-percent growth compared with the 239,501 units sold in the same seven-month period in 2023.
Data from the two automotive industry groups also showed that the commercial vehicles segment continued to drive the industry’s performance, accounting for 72.23 percent of total in July, equivalent to 28,408 units. Passenger cars accounted for the remaining 10,923 units, or 27.77 percent.
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. remained the dominant player in July with a 43.38-percent market share. It was followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 19.23 percent, Ford Group Philippines with 18.16 percent, Nissan Philippines with 4.99 percent and Isuzu Philippines with 5.3 percent.
Vehicle production
Meanwhile, local vehicle manufacturing output also improved in June, albeit at a pace slower than in the preceding month.
Data released on Thursday by the Asean Automotive Federation, an umbrella group of industry associations from member economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, showed an output expansion of nearly 15 percent in the Philippines even as most of its peers experienced varying degrees of decline.
