Toyota sees further growth this year

MANILA, Philippines -  Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) expects to grow further this year following a record performance in 2009 with sales hitting 46,000 units.

“We forecast that the market will further grow if the positive trend continues. As far as Toyota is concerned, we will target to break another record next year and hopefully surpass this year’s sales,” Yuji Goto, TMP executive vice president said.

The 46,000 units year end sales is the highest the company has ever sold in its 21-year history in the local market.

According to the report of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI), combined Toyota and Lexus sales reached 4,900 units for the month of December alone, the highest monthly sales for the year.

“This is a good conclusion for 2009 for us. We have recently surpassed our 600,000-unit cumulative sales mark in mid December, and our dealer network’s consistent strong performance pushed another milestone, setting a new sales record of over 46,000 units,” Goto said.

“As the leader in the local automotive industry, we are also happy that we remain consistent in achieving the Triple Crown, now for the 8th consecutive year. Despite numerous challenges the past year, including the global economic crisis, a couple of devastating calamities, and aggressive competitor efforts, we were still able to achieve these milestones,” he added.

Toyota dominated both passenger cars with 17,237 units and commercial vehicles with 28,956 units for the year. This includes 11,990 units of Vios and 10,328 units of Innova, two of the country’s best-selling vehicles.