Mitsubishi sales accelerate to all-time high in May

MANILA, Philippines - Sales of the local unit of Japanese car maker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. hit an all-time high in May, driven by strong demand for its vehicle models.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) it recorded its best monthly sales of 4,063 units in May.

The May sales performance rose 35.2 percent compared to the 3,005 units sold in the same month last year.

Compared to the 3,658 units sold in April, the May sales result went up by 11.1 percent.

The combined reports of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and Truck Manufacturers Association, Inc. showed that MMPC accounted for a 24.3 market share in May, making it a strong No. 2 automotive brand in the country.

MMPC achieved its highest monthly sales in May due to the strong demand for its vehicles.

The firm said the Montero Sport was its best-selling model for the month, having sold 1,511 units in May, the highest monthly sales reached since the sports utility vehicle’s introduction in 2008.

Other vehicle models which supported the automaker’s record-high sales in May were the Adventure, Strada, Pajero, Mirage and Lancer EX.

The firm said the country’s healthy financial condition and progressing economy, as well as the exciting promos are making it more affordable for customers to purchase brand new vehicles.

“With our constant growth and improvement on our performance, we at MMPC are very optimistic that we will be able to reach or even surpass our business targets for the year,” MMPC president and chief executive officer Hikosaburo Shibata said.

MMPC officials said earlier they aim to sell at least 40,000 units this year, the highest goal ever set by the firm.

 Sales of the automaker hit an all-time high in 1996, when it sold 36,500 units.

 In 2012, MMPC sold 34,915 units.

 â€œAside from keeping our models exciting through introducing upgrades and recently releasing Limited Edition to some of our bestselling models like the Montero Sport GTV, Strada GLX and Pajero, we will maintain the market’s enthusiasm on the Mitsubishi brand by bringing in more world-class models in the country,” Shibata said.