Philippine car sales surged more than 30 percent in February on the back of strong demand for sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers in the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) said.
Carmakers sold a total of 12,573 units in February alone, 39.3 percent higher than the cars sold in February 2009. Total sales from January to February has reached 24,336, 36.6 percent more than the number of units sold in the same period last year.
"We are thankful and are hopeful that the strong sales will continue in the coming months. Strong car sales reflect a stronger economy with the bulk of the volume coming from commercial vehicles, particularly the AUVs (Asian utility vehicles) and LCVs (light commercial vehicles)--most of which have dual purpose utility that functions as both for family and business use," said CAMPI president Elizabeth H. Lee. CAMPI is an industry group which tracks the sales performance of 20 carmakers in the country.
Passenger car sales jumped 42.8 percent in February while commercial vehicle (CV) sales rose 37.4. percent.
"Confidence is geeting stronger with entrepreneurs' increased aggressiveness in expanding their business. Increased business activity comes with it the increase in vehicle sales," Lee said.
Toyota Motor Philippines continued to dominate the market despite all the negative publicity it got with a spate of recalls last month. Toyota Philippines sold 4,170 units--1,617 passenger cars and 2,553 CVs--in February, 36.4 percent higher than its sales in the same month last year.
Mitsubishi Motors Philippines remained in a far second with 2,205 units sold--188 passenger cars and 2,017 CV--with a 17.5 percent market share.
The third, fourth and fifth spots were held by Hyundai Asia Resources (1,533), Honda Cars Philippines (1,505 units sold) and Isuzu Philippines (684). Honda, however, still leads Hyundai in the year-to-date sales (January to February). The ranking below is based on January-February 2010 sales.
| Philippine Car Sales as of February 2010 | |||||
| YTD Ranking | Car Company | Feb-10 | Feb-09 | Percentage Change | Market Share (Jan to Feb) |
| 13 | Asian Carmakers Corp. (BMW) | 30 | 56 | -46.4% | 0.3% |
| 12 | CATS Motors (Mercedes-Benz) | 51 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | 0.5% |
| 7 | Columbian Autocar Corp. (Kia) | 458 | 245 | 86.9% | 4.0% |
| 19 | Columbian Motors Corp. | 0 | 15 | -100.0% | 0.0% |
| 18 | Dreamco | 13 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | 0.1% |
| 16 | Focus Ventures Inc. | 44 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | 0.3% |
| 6 | Ford Motor Company Phils. Inc. (+Mazda) | 623 | 539 | 15.6% | 4.7% |
| 11 | The Covenant Car Company (Chevrolet) | 123 | 138 | -10.9% | 0.9% |
| 3 | Honda Cars Philippines Inc. | 1,505 | 1,470 | 2.4% | 11.6% |
| 4 | Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. | 1,533 | 632 | 142.6% | 11.2% |
| 5 | Isuzu Philippines Corp. | 684 | 667 | 2.5% | 5.4% |
| 19 | MAN Automotive Concessionaires Corp. | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. | 2,205 | 1,448 | 52.3% | 19.0% |
| 10 | Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. | 236 | 132 | 78.8% | 1.8% |
| 15 | PGA Cars, Inc. (Porsche/Audi) | 37 | 21 | 76.2% | 0.3% |
| 14 | Pilipinas Hino Inc | 43 | 14 | 207.1% | 0.3% |
| 17 | Scandinavian Motors Corp. (Volvo) | 32 | 20 | 60.0% | 0.2% |
| 9 | Suzuki Phils., Inc. | 311 | 161 | 93.2% | 2.4% |
| 1 | Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. | 4,170 | 3,057 | 36.4% | 33.0% |
| 8 | Universal Motors Corp. | 475 | 412 | 15.3% | 3.9% |
| | Total cars sold | 12,573 | 9,027 | 39.3% | 100.0% |
| Data source: Joint CAMPI and Truck Manufacturers Association sales report | |||||
