Car wars rage, but are motorcycles counted?

When it comes to manufacturers of motor vehicles in the country, who's really number one?

A dispute over which company really sold the most number of motor vehicles last year is now raging as Honda Cars Philippines insisted that motorcycles should be counted.

In a letter to the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (Campi), Honda's corporate communications chief Arnel Doria said that some industry members had misled the public into believing that the automotive industry did not include two-wheeled vehicles.

Doria's letter apparently was referring to Toytota Motor Philippines which emerged as the industry's top seller of four-wheeled vehicles last year.

In the data released by Campi recently, Toyota was the leader as its modified all-utility vehicle, the Revo, peaked in popularity.

The company sold 21,613 units of motor vehicles last year, 15,674 of which were Revos. Its total output was nearly 38 percent higher than its closest competitor, Mitsubishi Motors, which sold only 15,696.

Toyota's passenger cars, however, lagged behind Honda's. Honda cars remained the most popular in the country as data revealed that a total of 10,040 of them were sold last year.

Honda registered a sales total of 12,987 which included its sport utility vehicle, the CRV.

Without mentioning names, Doria noted that "some companies" had declared their industry leadership based only on the government's Car Development Program as well as the Commercial Vehicle Development Program when there is a third program which involves motorcycles.

He explained that without motorcycles, the motor industry is not complete.

"By acknowledging the manufacture of four-wheeled vehicles as the total industry, they (certain companies) do not reflect the total effort of government and private agencies toward the development of viable automotive manufacturing industry," he said.

Doria stressed that if motorcycles are to be counted, Honda will undoubtedly be the industry's leader as it sold the most number of motorcycles last year.

A total of 41,510 units of Honda motorcycles were sold nationwide in 1999, most of them now being used as tricycles.

Doria added that in 1998, 164,036 motorcycles were sold in the country, accounting for 67 percent of the total output of the entire industry.

"With the industry going through the aftermath of the regional crisis, it would be favorable for the industry to get support from other vehicle manufacturers to project a more positive outlook," he said.

What Doria did not mention in his letter, though, was the fact that the maker of motorcycles -- Honda Philippines -- is a separate company and not even a subsidiary of Honda Cars Philippines (HCP), the firm he represents.

When employees of Honda Philippines went on strike, HCP officials even went public to disown any corporate relations with the company. --