Imported car sales up 5.3 pct in March

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Imported vehicles sold in the Philippines rose by 5.3 percent on year to 3,189 units in March, local distributors said today.

The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, Inc. ( AVID) said in a report that sales of light commercial vehicles boosted distributors' performance last month.

Sales of light commercial vehicles grew by nearly 13 percent on year to 1,621 units during the period.

AVID said passenger car sales reached 1,568 units last month, slightly lower than the 1,592 units sold in the same period last year.

For the January to March period, sales of imported cars rose by 13 percent on year to 9,055 units, including 4,558 units of passenger cars and 4,497 units of light commercial vehicles.

AVID said aggressive marketing campaigns, brisk demand and improving purchasing power of consumers will allow the local automotive sector to post a double-digit increase in car sales this year.