D-Max drives up Isuzu Sept sales

MANILA, Philippines - Sales of Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) went up in September  amid positive market reception of the all-new D-MAX pickup.

In a statement, IPC said the new D-MAX pickup unveiled last month has allowed the firm to outpace the local commercial vehicle segment’s total growth.

IPC said its D-MAX sales more than doubled to 179 units in September compared to the previous month’s 84 units.

The new D-MAX helped IPC grow its commercial vehicle sales by 15.9 percent to 953 units in September compared to the previous month’s 822 units.

Sales of the local industry’s commercial vehicle segment, on the otherhand, climbed by 12.3 percent in September from a month ago level.

“The favorable market reception of the All-New Isuzu D-MAX can only lead to a positive outlook for IPC’s overall performance for the rest of the year, keeping us on track of reaching our sales target of 13,000 units,” IPC president Nobuo Izumina said.

He said IPC is optimistic as the Asian Development Bank cited in a report released earlier this year the “booming investment and consumption continue to underpin an economic renaissance in the Philippines.”

The strong economic growth seen in the first half of the year, he added, is seen to drive continued economic activity in the next months, which should translate to stronger consumer confidence in the automotive sector.

As of end-September, IPC sold 8,626 units, up slightly from the 8,562 units in the comparable period last year.

The new D-MAX being sold in the country is imported from Thailand.

In the next few months though, IPC is set to assemble the vehicle model at its plant in Binan, Laguna.

IPC is investing P60 million up to P100 million to enhance its assembly line in preparation for the production of the D-MAX.

With the new D-MAX, IPC intends to secure at least 20 percent of the local pickup market in a year.