Car sales up 32.6 pct in October

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Vehicles sold by local assemblers in the Philippines rose by 32.6 percent on year to a record 22,278 units in October, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) said today.

CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez said the local automotive industry again set an "all-time high" sales record last month.

"The (increase in October) is mainly due to new model introductions, aggressive promotional activities and increasing consumer demand," Gutierrez said in a statement.

Both passenger car and commercial vehicle segments posted double-digit hikes in sales during the period. Passenger car sales grew 46.5 percent on year to 8,975 units while commercial vehicles sold in October rose by 24.7 percent on year to 13,303 units.

Japanese car maker Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. again dominated the market in October with a share of 45.62 percent, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with nearly 20 percent, and Ford Motor Company Phils., Inc. with 8.75 percent.

Total sales in the January to October period reached 192,005 units, surpassing the 181,283 units of vehicles sold for the entire 2013. Vehicle sales in the ten-month period were also 29.6 percent higher than the 148,181 units sold in January to October 2013.