Monthly Auto Sales Improve for 2 Straight Months

The month-on-month sales of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) continued to record improvements for two consecutive months after quarantine measures were eased since May.

A joint report of CAMPI and Truck Manufacturers Association showed that vehicle sales in June 2020 increased by 225.4 percent to 15,578 units from 4,788 units in May 2020.

The monthly sales of passenger car and commercial vehicle segments jumped by more than 200 percent from May to June.

There were 4,711 passenger cars and 10,867 commercial vehicles sold last month.

“This positive growth shows early signs that consumer demand for new cars is starting to improve albeit slowly. The auto industry recovery may take time as vehicle sales still remain a challenge,” CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said in a statement Monday.

However, the June 2020 vehicle sales still recorded a decrease of 51.2 percent from 31,950 units in June 2019.

Passenger car sales declined by 50.6 percent from 9,532 units, while commercial vehicle sales also dropped by 51.5 percent from 22,418 units last year.

Meanwhile, vehicle sales in the first half of the year decreased by 51.2 percent to 85,041 units from 174,135 units from January to June 2019.

Passenger car sales in the first half 2020 fell by 54.4 percent to 23,912 units from 52,418 units in the same period last year.

Commercial vehicle sales in the first six months of the year went down by 49.8 percent to 61,129 units from 121,717 units in the same period in 2019.

Of the total commercial vehicle sales, light commercial vehicles sold a total of 46,305 units, and Asian utility vehicles sold 11,831 units.

Sales of light trucks reached 1,599 units while trucks and buses category four sold 1,057 units and 337 units for category five.

“The industry is also maximizing digital platforms as one of the avenues to strengthen campaigns for our sales promotional. This is one of the strategies to adapt to the new normal environment,” Gutierrez said.

Market leaders in the first half of 2020 are Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki, and Ford. (PNA)