Car sales up 41.7 pct in September

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Car sales in the Philippines expanded by 41.7 percent on year to 20,924 units in September, according to a report released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) today.

CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez said the September monthly sales figure is another record for the local automotive sector.

"Increase in sales is mainly due to the introduction of new models and equally aggressive promotional support," said Gutierrez in a statement.

Both the passenger car and commercial vehicle categories posted double-digit increases in September. Passenger car sales jumped by 65.1 percent on year to 8,477 units while sales of commercial vehicles rose by 29.3 percent on year to 12,447 units.

Toyota Motors Philippines, Corp. led the industry in September with a market share of 45.75 percent, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines, Corp. with nearly 20 percent, and Ford Motor Company Philippines, Inc. with a market share of 9.61 percent.

In the January to September period, total car sales rose 29.2 percent on year to 169,727 units.

The CAMPI said earlier that sustained demand for automobiles in the country would allow importers and local assemblers to sell 250, 000 units of vehicles this year.