Phl still lags in Asean vehicle production

MANILA, Philippines - Motor vehicle production in the Philippines rose in the first two months of the year from a year ago but the country is still behind many of its Southeast Asian neighbors.

Data from the ASEAN Automotive Federation (AAF) showed that the Philippines produced 11,551 motor vehicles in the January to February period, up 4.4 percent from the 11,064 units in the same period last year.

The number of motor vehicles produced by the Philippines was lower compared to many other countries in the region.

Thailand, which accounted for the bulk of motor vehicles produced in the region, assembled 465,229 units for the two-month period, a 50.7 percent increase from last year.

Indonesia which came in second, manufactured 198,146 units, a 21.2 percent growth from the comparable period in 2012.

Malaysia, which had the third biggest share, produced 97,017 units, up slightly from the 95,352 units made in the previous year.

The number of motor vehicles produced in the Philippines however, was higher compared to Vietnam’s 11,053 units, which went down slightly from 11,132 units last year.

The region produced a total of 782,996 units as of end-February, which climbed 32.8 percent from a year ago.

In terms of motor vehicle sales, the Philippines was in the middle of the pack, having sold 26,588 units in the first two months of the year, which grew by 40.1 percent from last year.

The Philippines’ motor vehicle sales were lower than Thailand’s 255,727 units, which jumped 51.9 percent year-on-year.

Philippine sales figures were also behind  Indonesia’s 199,974 units and Malaysia’s 100,042 units, which posted a growth of 22.7 percent and 17.8 percent from last year, respectively.

Compared to Vietnam, Singapore and Brunei, the Philippines had better sales performance.

Vietnam saw its sales rise by 25.2 percent to 13,005 units from last year, while Singapore sold 5,275 units, down 14.7 percent from last year.

Brunei’s sales of 2,872 units, declined by 4.5 percent year-on-year.

Total sales of the seven countries reached 603,483 units, increasing 32.7 percent from a year ago.

The AAF seeks to promote automotive market integration and growth, cooperation, as well as investments in the Southeast Asian region.

Local vehicle assemblers in the country have been waiting for the release of the road map for the automotive industry, which is expected to provide fiscal and non-fiscal measures to support the growth of the sector.

Board of Investments executive director Lucita Reyes said earlier the release of the automotive road map has been delayed as they still need to consult with other government agencies for the measures to be introduced to help the industry.

“We are hoping (we can release it in) within a few months. The industry is aware of it already...It’s just a matter of putting the measures, how to implement it,” she said.