BYD astounds auto industry with 446.5 % leap In sales
The term “leapfrogging” has just been redefined by BYD, the world leader in electric vehicle sales.
BYD (Build Your Dreams) leapfrogged over Suzuki, Ford and Nissan – numbers 3, 4 and 5 in the Top 10 Sales Performers list – by selling 26,122 vehicles in 2025, a whopping 445.5 percent increase over the 4,780 units it sold in 2024 (see chart.)
BYD thus earned the coveted No. 3 slot in the Top 10 honor roll of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Philippine Automotive Dealers Association (PADA), although it is not a CAMPI member and its dealerships are not monitored by PADA.
In short (no pun intended), BYD has electrified the Philippine auto industry. Its best-selling model in 2025 was the BYD Seagull, while in 2024, the BYD Atto 3 was the top-selling EV model in the country.
BYD is now the only Chinese brand in the Top 10 Sales Performers list, unless MG (Morris Garages), originally a British brand, is considered Chinese as it was acquired by SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) Motor in 2007 and production is now primarily in China.
EV SALES SURGE
Meanwhile, CAMPI noted that in 2025, the sales of electric vehicles – Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) — surged 142.5 percent vs 2024 with 58,906 EVs sold. It isn’t clear whether the sales of BYD vehicles were included in CAMPI’s 2025 tally of EVs.
Consumer demand for electrified vehicles, or xEVs is well-met by Toyota Motor PH, the industry’s undisputed market leader, with 22 xEVs under its Toyota and Lexus brands, but mostly HEVs. In December 2025, TMP launched in Manila the bZ4X compact SUV, Toyota’s first global fully electric vehicle.
At present, a total of 101 xEVs are available in the Philippines, with more expected to enter the local market this year. Many of the 20 Chinese car brands doing business here offer electrified models, led by BYD. China, after all, leads the world in producing and exporting new energy vehicles.
ONLY 8,605 UNITS SHORT
According to CAMPI, the Philippine auto industry gained a modest 3.7 percent growth in sales in 2025 with 491,395 units sold compared to 473,842 in 2024. Total vehicle sales fell only 8,605 units short of the industry’s target of 500,000 units, boosting optimism that the half-million target will be surpassed this year.
The list of the top 3 best-selling models of the top 10 brands year-to-date December 2025 reveals a big surprise: the Toyota Vios, for many years the number one best-selling motor vehicle in the Philippines, was surpassed by the Mitsubishi Expander last year. Per CAMPI and PADA, 28,081 units of the Xpander were sold compared to 27,811 of the Vios (See chart.)
The other compact MPVs available locally, like the Toyota Avanza (24,704 units sold) and the Hyundai Stargazer (4,625 units sold) have yet to catch up with the Xpander.
Midsize MPVs that contribute to their respective brands’ sales digits are the Hyundai Staria (1,141 units sold) and the MG G50 (1,459 units sold.)
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
In the pickup truck category, the Toyota Hilux is still king with 23,735 units sold versus 9,658 units of the Ford Ranger, 8,057 units of the Nissan Navara and 4,355 units of the Isuzu D-Max. Starting this year, an excise tax was imposed on the sales of pickups, which means higher retail prices.
Light-duty commercial vehicles of various sizes have also made it to their respective brands’ best-selling models list, such as the Mitsubishi L300 (14,938 units sold), Isuzu Traviz (6,159 units sold), Suzuki Carry (3,752 units sold), Nissan Urvan (2,971 units sold), and Hyundai H100 (1,876 units sold.)
In the midsize SUV segment, among the top 10 brands, the Ford Everest leads with 7,317 units sold in 2025, followed by the Nissan Terra with 4,536 units sold. The Toyota Fortuner wasn’t one of Toyota’s top 3 best-selling models last year.
As for compact SUVs, the Honda BR-V (6,803 units sold) and Ford Territory (4,275 units sold) stand out, ditto the Honda HR-V hybrid (1,518 units sold.)
Mention subcompact SUVs and the MG ZS (2,642 units sold) and Suzuki Jimny come. to mind (2,305 units sold).
Finally, there is the subcompact sedan segment, led by the Toyota Vios (27,811 units sold), Mirage G4 (17,757 units sold), Honda City (3,991 units sold) and MG 5 (3,569 units sold.)
