Isuzu sales up 14.7% in Jan

MANILA, Philippines - Isuzu Philippines Corp.’s (IPC) sales went up 14.7 percent in January from a year ago driven largely by the strong demand for the Crosswind model and the N-series trucks.

The company, in a statement, said it started the year on a positive note after selling 834 units in January, higher than the 727 units sold in the same month last year.

“The growth comes on the back of strong performances of the Isuzu Crosswind and the N-series trucks,” it said.

The firm’s Crosswind sales reached 516 units in January, rising 16.7 percent from the 442 units sold in the same month in the previous year.

IPC noted the Crosswind model accounted for a 24.4 percent share of the domestic Asian utility vehicle segment in January.

The company’s N-series light-duty trucks’ tally was at 145 units in January, posting an 81.3-percent growth from the same month last year.

The firm’s medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks also posted an extraordinary gain of 128.6 percent with 32 units sold last month against the 14 units sold last year.

“IPC’s strong product lineup composed of practical vehicles that offer great value for money, in combination with positive economic indicators such as improved consumer spending habits and active household and government consumption, should keep IPC on track to hit its target of selling 13,000 vehicles this year,” IPC president Ryoji Yamazaki said.

“The continuous expansion of the Philippine auto industry and the country’s service sectors, as well as the relative stability of the macroeconomic environment, will also spur further growth,” he added.

The 13,000-unit target for the year is the highest goal set by the company so far.

In line with achieving higher sales this year, IPC plans to introduce two new truck models and the new D-Max pick-up.

IPC sold 11,759 vehicles last year, 20 percent higher than in 2011.