Bad weather fails to deter car sales

Automotive sales remain positive amid the continued onslaught of the La Niña phenomenon and with the recent devastation brought by typhoon “Carina” in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.

According to the joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), it showed the industry-ending July with sales at 265,610 units, a 10.9 percent increase from 239,501 units during the same period in 2023.

0.6% growth

Compared to the sales last June 2024 of 39,088 units, automotive sales increased by 0.6 percent or 39,331 units sold this July.

“New product launches, improved product offerings, good sales momentum, as well as supply availability helped neutralize the impact of Typhoon Carina, especially towards the latter part of July,” according to CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez.

The report said commercial vehicles still drive the industry performance at 194,812 units accounting for 73 percent of total sales.

Meanwhile, passenger cars registered 70,798 units sold, equivalent to a 27 percent share of total sales.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation remains the dominant market player with 46.21 percent share, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation with 19.05 percent, Ford Group Philippines at 6.33 percent, Nissan Philippines, Inc. at 5.96 percent, and Suzuki Philippines, Inc. with 4.33 percent share.