MANILA, Philippines - Sales of the country’s group of vehicle importers rose 13 percent in 2014 from a year ago due to the strong performance of both the passenger car (PC) and light commercial vehicle (LCV) segments.
The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, Inc. (AVID) said in a statement yesterday it sold a total of 35,565 vehicles last year, higher than the 31,399 units sold in 2013.
Boosting the AVID’s sales performance in 2014 was the PC segment with sales reaching 18,467 units last year, up 14 percent from the previous year’s sales of 16,143 units.
The LCV segment also contributed to the group’s positive sales performance, having sold 17,098 units last year, a 12 percent uptick compared to the 15,256 units sold in 2013.
For the month of December alone, AVID’s total sales, however, declined 23 percent to 2,687 units in 2014 from the previous year’s sale of 3,491 units.
This as both PC and LCV segments posted year-on-year decreases in sales. The group’s PC sales fell 23 percent to 1,386 units in December last year from 1,795 units sold in 2013.
The LCV segment also slid 23 percent with sales reaching 1,301 units in December 2014 from 1,696 units sold a year ago.
Last week, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) said its combined sales with the Truck Manufacturers Association Inc. reached 234,747 units in 2014, a 30 percent increase from 181,283 units in 2013.
As the country is seen to sustain its positive economic performance and global oil prices continue to decline, the CAMPI is upbeat total vehicle sales, including those of non-CAMPI members for 2015, would exceed 300,000 units this year.
The AVID also expects the industry to benefit from the country’s favorable economic conditions.
“AVID is confident the industry will continue its bullish stance for 2015 with another significant growth on the back of strong macro fundamentals and brisk vehicle demand,” AVID president Ma. Fe Perez- Agudo said.