Rainy August cast gloom on PH vehicle sales
Weather disruptions in August put the Philippine car industry back in a bleak spot, as sales fell below the 30,000 mark, upending the short-lived recovery seen in June and July.
Domestic vehicle sales reached just 29,611 units in August, down from the 36,174 units sold in the same month last year, according to data released Monday by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA).
That was also sharply lower than the 37,231 units sold in June, when the industry posted a surprise 11-percent growth, and the 37,319 units sold in July as the recovery gained further ground.
Can still bounce back
August’s decline was driven primarily by an across-the-board slide in sales of internal combustion engine vehicles, which have struggled to gain ground in the Philippines since the start of the Middle East war in February.
Sales of commercial vehicles, the largest segment of the local car industry, fell 20 percent year-on-year to 22,827 units in August. Passenger car sales, meanwhile, declined 10.6 percent to 6,784 units.
Even with the bleak August performance, Campi, the leading group of automotive brands in the Philippines, said it remained optimistic that the industry could recover in the remaining four months of 2026.
“We’re still optimistic that vehicle sales will bounce back over the next few months through year-end,” Campi president Jose Maria Atienza said. “The August dip appears to be a short-term disruption rather than a reversal of market momentum.”
Philippine car sales are down 11.1 percent to 271,336 units from 305,381 units sold from January to August last year.
The industry’s lone bright spot this year has been electrified vehicles, which continue to defy the broader downturn as elevated fuel prices push price-pinched Filipinos to look for alternatives.
Sales surge
In August, sales of electrified vehicles surged 214.9 percent to 7,066 units. That marked the second-largest share of electrified vehicles in total monthly car sales at 34.5 percent, next only to April, when their share peaked at 37.2 percent.
From January to August, electrified vehicle sales jumped 146.2 percent to 45,403 units.
Hybrid electric vehicles (EVs) remained Filipinos’ top choice, with 23,764 units sold so far this year, followed by battery EVs with 12,883 units and plug-in hybrid EVs with 8,756 units.
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. remained the country’s top electrified vehicle brand, selling 14,819 hybrid EVs and 204 battery EVs from January to August. Jetour Auto Phil Inc. led the plug-in hybrid EV segment with 2,857 units, while VinFast Auto Philippines Corp. topped the battery EV segment with 4,552 units sold.
Campi and TMA’s counts do not include sales by BYD Philippines, which had said it sold 28,399 units from January to August.
Overall, Toyota remained firmly in the driver’s seat of the Philippine car industry with 133,300 units sold year to date, accounting for 49.13 percent of sales. It was followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 46,162 units and Suzuki Phils Inc. with 12,301 units.
When including vehicle sales from nonmember brands, Campi and TMA said overall industry sales reached 34,390 units in August.
From January to August, total industry sales are estimated to have reached 300,550 units.
