The bestselling car in PH is a subcompact. What is it?

IT IS the only car in the Philippines which managed to top, by quite a margin, the 10,000-unit sales mark during the first five months of the year. It accounts for 24.5% of all passenger cars delivered during the same period. In May alone nearly 3,000 examples of this subcompact were sold — its best result in months.

This model is the Toyota Vios.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), citing figures released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI), said in a news release it sold 12,295 Vios subcompacts from January to May this year. During the same period sales of passenger cars reached 50,097 units.

Member-companies of CAMPI and the Truck Manufacturers Association (including TMP) reported they sold 142,185 passenger cars and commercial vehicles during the same five-month stretch.

TMP said the Vios’s strong performance lifted the company’s results this year. Following the Vios in the Toyota lineup in terms of sales was the Hilux, of which 8,723 units were delivered from January to May. The Fortuner, Innova, Wigo, and Hiace models also contributed to TMP’s five-month tally of 58,886 vehicles.

“We think that the passenger car segment is starting to gain momentum, and we’re hoping that it would achieve higher growth levels in the coming months,” said Cristina Arevalo, TMP first vice-president for brand and product planning, regarding the Vios’s performance.

TMP said it continues to promote the Vios through various packages meant to give owners “fulfillment and peace of mind.”

Arevalo said these include flexible and affordable financing schemes which have been made available to customers.

“They can choose from low down payments or light monthly payments, plus other attractive deals that make owning a Vios easier on the pocket. Special offers to OFWs are also available,” she said.