Car sales up almost 20 pct year-on-year in April

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Car sales rose by 19.9 percent year-on-year to 18,094 units in April, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) said today.

On a monthly basis, however, CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez said sales in April were lower by 5.6 percent, compared to the 19, 173 units sold in March.

"The overall outlook for April was lower because historically, the Holy Week month registers lower sales due to few selling days, " said Gutierrez in a statement.

Despite this, CAMPI said the volume of vehicles sold in April was still "notable" and beyond what the industry has anticipated.

Last month, sales of passenger cars jumped by 41 percent year- on-year to 6,732 units. Commercial vehicle sales, meanwhile, went up by 10.1 percent year on year to 11,362 units.

The total number of vehicles sold in January to April reached 69,737 units, 22.1 percent higher than the level posted in the same period last year.

Last month, Japanese car maker Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. led the industry with a market share of 44.78 percent, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 23.47 percent, and Ford Motor Co. Phils., Inc. with a 9.75-percent share.