Auto sales up 20% in March

Auto sales climbed for the second straight month in March, rising by 20.4 percent due to a favorable market response to promotions.

In a joint report issued by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), total industry sales reached 10,206 units in March as both passenger cars and commercial vehicle segments posted strong sales performance.

"Total auto industry is doing well for the first quarter relative to the same period last year. Pre- Holy Week purchases with better market response to promotions also helped boost sales for the month,"  CAMPI president Elizabeth Lee said.

According to CAMPI and TMA, they are expecting a strong 2007 given new model introductions.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. had the biggest market share with sales accounting for 39.17 percent of total. Honda Cars Philippines Inc. was a far second with 15.26 percent while Mitsubishi Motors Philippines was third with 12.27 percent. Number four was Isuzu Philippines Corp. with 9.01 percent. Completing the top five was Ford Motor Company Phils. Inc. with 7.56 percent.

As in the previous months, there were more commercial vehicles sold than passenger cars. A total of 4,024 passenger cars were sold for the month, up 42.7 percent from the February figure of 2,819.

CAMPI said the increase was due to new models, dealer incentives and existing promos.

CAMPI and TMA predicted passenger car sales will increase in the coming months.

Toyota beat Honda in passenger car sales by selling 1,490 cars getting 37.03 percent of the market while Honda sold 1,433 cars representing 35.61 percent market share. Ford trailed at 7.21 percent or 290 car sales. Number four was General Motors Automobiles Phils. at 5.04 percent and 203 cars sold while Hyundai Asia Resources Inc was fifth at 4.20 percent or 169 cars.

Meanwhile, commercial vehicle sales for March was 6,182 up 9.3 percent from February’s 5,655. Strong sales of Asian Utility Vehicle (AUV) and Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment that include vans, pickups, compact SUVs contributed to the positive performance. With more new models in the offing this year, sales for the commercial vehicle category is expected to remain strong.

Toyota was the leader in commercial vehicle sales, accounting for 39.70 percent of the market share with sales of 2,454 vehicles. Second was Mitsubishi with 16.27 percent translating to 1,006 units sold. Third was Isuzu Philippines Corp getting 14.88 percent at 920 units followed by Hyundai at 7.02 percent. Ford was fifth at 6.28 percent.