Motor vehicle sales down 14.9% in first 5 months

The motor vehicle industry remains in a slump as total industry growth from January to May this year showed a 14.9 percent drop with total sales for the period amounting to only 28,952 units compared to the 34,025 units sold for the comparable period last year or a difference of 5,073 units.

Passenger car sales suffered more as compared to commercial vehicle sales.

From January to May this year, passenger car sales dropped by 27.6 percent compared to the 7.6 percent drop registered by commercial vehicle sales.

Passenger car sales for the first five months of this year reached only 8,954 units, lower by 3,420 units as against the 12,374 units sold during the first five months of 2000.

Commercial vehicle sales for the first five months of this year hit 19,998 units, lower by 1,653 units from the 21,651 units sold from January to May 2000.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. continued to retain its No. 1 overall industry position, followed by Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corp. and Honda Cars Philippines, Inc.

Ranking fourth and fifth were Isuzu Philippines Corp. and Ford Motor Co. Philippines, Inc. Nissan Motors Philippines was at sixth place.

However, in passenger car sales, Honda took first place over Toyota. Nissan ranked third, followed by Mitsubishi.

Honda was able to sell 3,310 passenger car units compared to Toyota’s sale from January to May this year of only 1,548 units.

Toyota’s popular Asian Utility Vehicle Revo helped pushed commercial vehicle sales totalling 7,074 units.

Mitsubishi, meanwhile, was able to sell 6,423 commercial vehicles, including its AUV Adventure.