Vehicle sales tumble in August

MANILA, Philippines — Sales of the local automotive industry declined for the second straight month in August amid weather disturbances.

Data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed that their combined sales went down by 7.6 percent to 36,174 units in August from 39,155 units in the same month last year.

Vehicle sales in August also dipped by 5.5 percent from 38,295 units in the previous month.

Passenger car sales dropped by more than a fifth to 7,591 units in August from 9,529 units in the same month in 2024.

The number of commercial vehicles sold also slid by 3.5 percent to 28,583 units from the previous year’s 29,626 units.

Sales of electrified vehicles reached 2,244 units in August.

Of the electrified vehicles sold in August, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) accounted for the bulk with 1,295 units, followed by battery electric vehicles (BEV) with 661 units and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) with 288 units.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort attributed the weaker vehicle sales largely to typhoons and floods that hit the country.

Ricafort said these “resulted in lower number of business days that fundamentally reduced sales since July 2025, especially in hard-hit areas around the country as the major risk factor.”

“Despite a modest dip in month-on-month figures, the industry remains optimistic, driven by evolving consumer preferences and a growing shift toward sustainable mobility,” CAMPI said.

From January to August, CAMPI and TMA’s total vehicles sales went up slightly by 0.2 percent to 305,381 units from 304,765 units in the same period a year ago.

The passenger car segment’s sales dropped by 23.6 percent to 61,358 units in the January to August period from 80,327 units in the previous year.

Commercial vehicle sales, on the other hand, rose by 8.7 percent to 244,023 units in the January to August period from 224,438 units in the same period a year ago.

CAMPI and TMA’s sales of electrified vehicles from January to August reached 18,439 units.

Of the total electrified vehicle sales from January to August, 14,585 units are HEVs, 3,278 units are BEVs and 576 units are PHEVs.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. remained the market leader during the review period with its 47.93 percent share.

This was followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 18.96 percent, Nissan Philippines Inc. with 4.96 percent, Ford Motor Co. Philippines Inc. with 4.89 percent and Suzuki Philippines Inc. with 4.75 percent.

“For the coming months, better weather conditions would help improve vehicle sales data especially towards the Christmas holiday season and amid lower interest rates that help increase demand for vehicles and auto loans to finance vehicle purchases,” Ricafort said.