Isuzu sales up 0.2%

MANILA, Philippines - Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) saw its sales increase slightly in the first quarter from a year ago, driven by demand for the Crosswind model and trucks.

In a statement yesterday, IPC said it sold 2,734 units in the first quarter, up slightly by 0.2 percent from the 2,728 units in the same period a year ago.

“Helping boost IPC’s solid first-quarter performance is the Isuzu Crosswind,” the firm said.

The company sold 1,518 Crosswind units, rising eight percent from the same period last year.

Strong demand for trucks likewise supported the higher sales of the company in the first three months of the year.

IPC said its medium and heavy-duty trucks sales jumped 53.4 percent to 158 units as of end-March from the previous year.

With total Philippine industry sales of 462 units in the segment, IPC trucks have taken a 34.2 percent share during the first quarter.

“The strong performance of Isuzu’s commercial truck models is directly parallel to the robust health of the Philippine economy,” IPC executive vice president Takashi Tomita said.

“As various local SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and other businesses grow, so does the market’s need for vehicles that can be relied upon to move the country forward,” he said further.

For the month of March alone, IPC sales reached 984 units, 7.4 percent higher year-on-year.

IPC is aiming to hit record-high sales of 13,000 vehicles this year.

Last year, the company sold 11,759 units.