Strong appetite for Asian and sport-utility vehicles (SUV) fueled the surge of car sales in the Philippine market in the first half of the year.
Data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers in the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers' Association showed first semester sales reached 82,147 units, 37.1 percent higher than the sales recorded in the same period last year. Last month alone, the industry sold a total of 15,189 units, 39.2 percent higher than the number of vehicles sold in June 2009.
Commercial vehicle sales rose by almost 40 percent in the first half, with 53,925 units sold during the six-month period.
CAMPI president Elizabeth H. Lee attributed the growth on the "continuous demand on SUV, introduction of new models and deliveries of backorders."
"Commercial vehicles continue to dominate sales with a 65.6 percent share of vehicles sold nationwide," Lee said.
Passenger cars also registered a strong growth, with 28,222 units sold in the first half reflecting a 32.2 percent increase over January to June 2009 figures.
Toyota Motor Philippines remained as the market leader with 26,493 units sold from January to June. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines stood at a far second with 15,653 units while Hyundai Asia Resources ranked third with 9,834.
CAMPI expects to sell 147,000 units this year, 11 percent higher than the number of vehicles sold in 2009.
| Philippine car sales as of June 2010 | |||||
| YTD Ranking | Car company | January to June 2010 | January to June 2009 | June 2010 | June 2009 |
| 1 | Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. | 26,493 | 20,768 | 5,096 | 3,688 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. | 15,653 | 10,654 | 2,762 | 1,904 |
| 3 | Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. | 9,834 | 4,902 | 2,031 | 901 |
| 4 | Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. | 8,940 | 8,683 | 1,567 | 1,519 |
| 5 | Isuzu Philippines Corp. | 5,003 | 3,928 | 907 | 678 |
| 6 | Ford Motor Philippines, Inc. (+Mazda) | 4,562 | 3,382 | 869 | 772 |
| 7 | Universal Motors Corp. | 3,192 | 2,358 | 502 | 422 |
| 8 | Columbian Autocar Corp. | 2,794 | 1,596 | 463 | 326 |
| 9 | Suzuki Philippines, Inc. | 1,875 | 1,129 | 313 | 214 |
| 10 | Nissan Motor Philippines, Inc. | 1,296 | 913 | 217 | 194 |
| 11 | The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (Chevrolet) | 900 | 779 | 170 | 131 |
| 12 | CATS Motors (Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep) | 439 | Data unavailable | 104 | Data unavailable |
| 13 | Asian Carmakers Corp. (BMW) | 277 | 244 | 53 | 43 |
| 14 | Pilipinas Hino, Inc. | 261 | 117 | 44 | 15 |
| 15 | PGA Cars, Inc. (Porsche and Audi) | 228 | 144 | 38 | 23 |
| 16 | Scandinavian Motors Corp. (Volvo) | 150 | 132 | 29 | 27 |
| 17 | Focus Ventures, Inc. (Chana) | 142 | Data unavailable | 14 | Data unavailable |
| 18 | Dreamco | 70 | 48 | 10 | 25 |
| 19 | MAN Automotive Concessionaires Corp. | 36 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Columbian Motors Corp. | 2 | 127 | 0 | 25 |
