BYD posts record-breaking sales amid modest 2025 industry growth
Despite economic setbacks in the second half of 2025 (partly as a result of the still-unresolved flood-control-project scandal), BYD Cars Philippines emerged the biggest winner of 2025.
The Chinese new-energy vehicle manufacturer, which had officially been taken over by Ayala Corporation subsidiary ACMobility last August 2023, announced on Thursday that it sold a record-breaking 26,122 units last year. This is a 446-percent leap from 2024, making BYD Cars Philippines the fastest-growing automotive brand in the country.
The carmaker said its key sales drivers included the Seagull battery-electric vehicle (EV), which was the top seller among the 4,608 EVs that it sold last year. Meanwhile, the highly popular Sealion 6 compact crossover was the leading model in the brand’s plug-in DM-i lineup.
“2025 marked a significant milestone in the advancement and broader adoption of New Energy Vehicles in the country,” said BYD Cars Philippines managing director Bob Palanca.
“BYD’s strong growth underscores our sustained commitment to democratizing electrified mobility,” he added. “It demonstrates that when innovation is paired with accessibility, the market responds positively. We remain firmly focused on making electric vehicles attainable for Filipino households nationwide.”
BYD Cars Philippines also said it achieved its goal of opening 79 dealerships nationwide by the end of last year, which is more than triple the 25 showrooms that it had by end-2024.
“These milestones are a clear signal of our unwavering, long-term commitment to the Philippine market,” said BYD Philippines country head Adam Hu.
“Together with ACMobility, we are committed to fueling this momentum and making new energy vehicles the standard, not the exception, for Filipino drivers.” he added.
Below target
BYD Cars Philippines’ meteoric rise in less than three years is the brightest spot in the entire Philippine car industry, which fell just short of its 500,000-unit sales target for 2025.
In a Friday press statement, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) said all local carmakers sold 491,395 units last year, which is around 3.7 percent higher than in 2024 – this goes down to 463,646 units when the sales of non-CAMPI members like BYD Cars Philippines are removed.
The group said the modest increase was because of unfavorable market conditions during the second half of last year caused by the reimposition of excise tax on pick-up trucks on July 1, 2025, along with several natural calamities experienced across the country.
Republic Act 12214 or the “Capital Market Efficiency Promotion Act” (CMEPA), which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law on May 29, 2025, repealed the tax exemptions under Republic Act No. 10963 or the “Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law” that had been given to pick-ups for their role in helping small businesses.
Business-oriented models under P1 million were given an additional 10-percent tax, while lifestyle-oriented pick-ups priced from P1 million to under P4 million are in the 20-percent tax bracket. However, CMEPA maintains the temporary tax exemptions granted to battery and hybrid EVs under Executive Order 12 that the President Marcos Jr. signed last February 2023.
Strongest in 9 years
Nonetheless, CAMPI said the 47,371 units sold in December 2025 (inclusive of non-CAMPI members) marked the industry’s strongest monthly-sales performance since 2017.
“We attribute last year’s achievement to the aggressive promotional campaigns and the new product introductions from the various car brands, which expanded consumer options especially in electrified and commercial vehicle segments,” said recently appointed CAMPI president and Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) executive vice president Jose Maria Atienza in the press statement.
CAMPI said electrified vehicles (which covers battery, hybrid and plug-in hybrid EVs) made a significant impact with 58,905 units sold or around 12 percent of the entire 2025 Philippine automotive market – this is more than double the 5.5-percent market share that the segment had in 2024.
The group added that light commercial vehicles like the Toyota Tamaraw, Isuzu Travis and Mitsubishi L300 (all exempt from Metro Manila’s truck ban regulations) marked a 76.6-percent increase in sales from 2024.
Toyota still tops
Among CAMPI members, TMP retained its number-one spot with 229,447 units sold in 2025.
This was followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation with 86,808 units and Suzuki Philippines Corporation with 21,984 units. The top five is rounded out by Ford Philippines at 21,784 units and Nissan Philippines Inc. at 20,571 units.
Taking up the sixth to 10th spots are Isuzu Philippines Corporation with 17,237 units, Honda Cars Philippines Inc. with 16,257 units, Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc. with 10,475 units, MG Philippines with 8,715 units and Kia Philippines with 7,810 units.
