PH carmakers’ 1H sales recover slightly

THE member-companies of the biggest automotive industry groups in the Philippines have reported a slight increase in sales for the first six months of the year.

A joint report issued by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association on Thursday showed the groups sold 174,135 vehicles from January to June, a 1.5% nudge from the 171,635 vehicles delivered during the same six-month stretch in 2018.

It should be noted the statement released by CAMPI along with the sales report put first-half delivery figures at 174,331 vehicles, and growth rate of 1.6%.

“We remain very optimistic that the local auto industry is already on a path of steady growth after we conclude the first half of the year on a positive note,” said Rommel Gutierrez, president of CAMPI and also a first vice-president at Toyota Motor Philippines.

The executive cited the automotive brands’ collective efforts — like boosting fleet sales, offering aggressive financing deals and introducing new models and upgrades — as factors in the domestic auto industry’s uptick.

“We have learned to adjust and adapt to market conditions, thus helping consumers acquire new vehicles with fewer hurdles,” Gutierrez added.

The report showed sales of passenger cars — which comprise a third of the country’s auto sector — dipped 6.4% in the first half of the year as the 52,418 units sold this year failed to match the 56,029-unit tally registered by the segment during the same period last year.

But this was offset by the 5.3% increase in deliveries of commercial vehicles, or 121,717 units from January to June this year against 115,606 units for the same six months in 2018.

Of the 26 or so companies — some smaller companies carry multiple brands — registered in the CAMPI-TMA report, 15 posted decreased sales for the first half of 2019.

Remaining as the country’s top brand is Toyota, which sold 73,454 vehicles from January to June, a nearly flat 0.4% increase from last year. Toyota accounts for almost 43% of the domestic auto market.

Following Toyota in first-half results are Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with sales of 31,210 units; Nissan Philippines, Inc. with 21,060 units; Ford Motor Co. Philippines with 11,227 units; and Suzuki Philippines, Inc. with 10,817 units.

Meanwhile, total sales for all brands in June reached 31,950, an 8.7% rise compared to the same month last year. While the bulk of deliveries still come from commercial vehicles, passenger car sales logged a faster growth rate — or 3.9% for the former, 22% for the latter.

CAMPI said most of its members “remain optimistic as they project stable-to-higher sales next month.”

Another industry group, the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, reports its sales results separately.