Contrasting growth reports by Mitsubishi, Hyundai

Two of the biggest automotive brands in the country have just reported their recent sales performance with Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) announcing it ended the first half of 2015 on a high note.

Recording its highest monthly sales volume in June—with 4,607 units—the company registered a growth of 1.6 percent compared to 4,535 units sold during the same period in 2014.

The June sales further improved the company’s performance for the first six months: With 25,198 units sold, MMPC grew by 0.5 percent, enabling it to capture 19.2-percent share of the market, the second biggest in the local automotive industry.

For the first six months, sales of Mitsubishi passenger cars significantly grew by 28.9 percent, having sold 8,002 units (4,673 units of Mirage G4 sedan, 2,834 units of Mirage hatchback and 495 units of Lancer EX sedan).

With this significant performance, MMPC managed to capture the second position as the country’s bestselling brand in the passenger car category in the first half of 2015.

MMPC also attributed its laudable sales performance to its recently launched all-new Strada, which sold a total of 2,495 units and in the process captured 18 percent of the total pickup segment.

Optimistic

“We are optimistic that sales will still accelerate for the remaining months the given upgrades to our core models such as the Mirage, Mirage G4, Montero Sport and Strada,” said Froilan Dytianquin, MMPC marketing division first vice president.

“In addition, we will introduce attractive promotions and financing payment schemes making it more affordable for buyers to purchase the Mitsubishi vehicle they’ve always wanted. With MMPC’s aggressive marketing efforts, and expected higher sales trend in the second semester, MMPC will be able to sustain its sales growth and keep abreast with the industry’s growth,” Dytianquin added.

“For 2015, MMPC is aiming to sell a total of 62,000 units accounting for 20 percent market share,” Dytianquin said.

MMPC’s passenger cars sales in June increased by 32.3 percent with 1,499 units sold compared to 1,133 units sold during the same month last year. Sales for Fuso Trucks improved by 28.9 percent with 98 units sold, while Rosa Bus sales grew by 25 percent.

Slight dip

In contrast, another industry top player registered a slight dip in sales, citing a more competitive and resilient automotive industry. Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (Hari), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the country, registered a 5-percent year-on-year decline in the second quarter of the year.

Despite the dip, Hari still sold 5,325 units, which is a light dip compared to the 5,576 units it recorded in the same period of the previous year.

“Hyundai remains undeterred and optimistic amidst a more competitive and resilient automotive industry, banking on its long track of best-in-class products and services,” said Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, Hari president and CEO.

Hari’s year-to-date sales reached 10,689 units, 8 percent less from the total 11,559 units it sold in the first semester of 2014.

Hari’s month-on-month sales data, however, posted a 10 percent growth—from 1,705 units to 1,883 units—ushering Hyundai’s more hyped up performance in the succeeding months in light of the expected release of new models such as the all-new Tucson and i20.

In the light commercial vehicles (LCV) Hari enjoyed an increase of 11 percent—1,867 units from the 1,684 units in the second quarter of 2014. In passenger car (PC) category, Hari saw a decline of 11 percent or 3,458 units in the second quarter, as compared to the 3,892 units it sold in the same quarter of 2014. On the other hand, its semestral figures show PC’s decline of 10 percent, while LCV contracted by 2 percent in the first semester of this year.