Mitsubishi sales zoom 27%

MANILA, Philippines - The local unit of Japanese car maker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. saw its sales rise in the January to October period from a year ago amid strong demand for its passenger cars (PC), particularly the new Mirage G4 and the Mirage hatchback.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) said in a statement yesterday its total vehicle sales in the 10-month period reached 35,236 units, up 27.2 percent compared to the same period last year.

The higher sales for the period was achieved due to the growth in the firm’s PC sales.

MMPC noted that as of end-October, its PC sales surged 574.8 percent to reach 7,754 units compared to the 1,149 units sold in the same period a year ago.

“This significant increase is attributable to the sales of MMPC’s newest model, the Mirage G4 sedan which complemented sales of the Mirage hatchback and Lancer EX,” MMPC said.

The Mirage G4, launched last month,  was received well by the market as sales reached 762 units on its debut month.

“The Mirage G4 sedan also captured the second bestselling passenger car, while the Mirage hatchback is the fourth bestseller in the PC category,” MMPC said.

The firm’s commercial vehicle (CV) sales also contributed to the year-on-year increase in its total vehicle sales for the 10-month period.

As of end-October, MMPC’s CV sales rose 3.5 percent to 27,482 units from the 26,562 units sold in the comparable period in the previous year.

MMPC said it credits its remarkable performance to the country’s healthy financial condition as well as the firm’s aggressive marketing and bank promotions.

“With this constant growth, MMPC is optimistic that it will be able to achieve its cumulative sales of more than 45,000 at the end of 2013,” the firm said.

The projected sales this year, if achieved, would be the highest for MMPC.

The automaker’s sales hit an all-time high in 1996, when it sold 36,500 units.

In 2012, it sold a total of 34,915 units.