Isuzu sales up 5.9% in Jan-April

MANILA, Philippines - Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) said its sales rose 5.9 percent in the January to April period from a year ago largely due to the strong demand for the Crosswind Asian utility vehicle (AUV).

In a statement released yesterday, the company said total vehicle sales in four months reached 3,793 units, up from 3,582 units in the same period last year.

IPC noted that the higher sales for the period came amid strong demand for the Crosswind model.

As of end-April, IPC sold 2,146 Crosswind units, 16.3 percent higher than the 1,846 units sold in the same period the previous year.

“Once again, figures clearly show that the Isuzu Crosswind is well received in the market, and this is due to its numerous traits that perfectly respond to Filipinos’ family and business requirements,” IPC president Nobuo Izumina said.

“The periodic upgrades that this vehicle continuously receives ensure it remains the ideal AUV choice in the country,” he added.

Apart from the Crosswind, trucks likewise helped drive higher sales in the January to April period.

Sales of Isuzu’s Category III light-duty trucks climbed 18.5 percent to 487 units as of end-April from 411 units the previous year.

Medium and heavy-duty truck sales reached 210 units, posting a 50 percent increase from 140 units last year.

The strong performance of IPC during the first four months of the year reflects the sales growth of local car assemblers which during the period posted sales of 56,590 vehicles, 27.4 percent more than the 44,428 units sold in 2012.

“Both the domestic vehicle sector’s and IPC’s gains in 2013 can be attributed to the strength of the Philippine economy, which is recently evidenced by—among other factors—record highs in the stock market and the numerous credit rating upgrades from international financial institutions,” Izumina said.

For the month of April alone, IPC sold 1,059 units, an increase of  24 percent from 854 units last year.

IPC is aiming to hit record-high sales of 13,000 vehicles this year.

In 2012, the company sold 11,759 units.