Isuzu sales for Jan-Feb up 11.4%

MANILA, Philippines - Sales of Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) grew 11.4 percent in the first two months of the year compared to the same period a year ago amid strong demand for the D-MAX pickup and commercial trucks.

In a statement, IPC said yesterday it sold a total of 1,949 vehicles in the January to February period, up from the 1,750 units sold in the comparable period in 2013.

Lifting the firm’s sales for the two-month period was the D-MAX pickup which had sales of 575 units, a 76.4 percent increase from the 326 units sold in the same period last year.

IPC’s commercial trucks also contributed to the higher sales.

Sales of the best-selling N-Series trucks in the light-duty category climbed 31.4 percent to 310 units as of end-February from the same period last year.

Sales of the company’s medium-duty trucks rose 18.9 percent to 88 units from a year ago.

For the month of February alone, IPC sold 1,033 units,12.8 percent higher than the 916 units sold in the same month last year and in January.

“Isuzu Philippines’ impressive year-on-year sales result was achieved through various promotional efforts, improvements in our dealer network’s delivery of the sales and service experience, and the launch of new models like the D-MAX,” IPC president Nobuo Izumina said.

“That the Philippine economy is currently the healthiest in the region only allows Isuzu to keep in step with the dynamism of the domestic automotive industry,” he added.

Among IPC’s extensive dealership network, the top three sellers in Metro Manila in February were Isuzu Pasig with a 10.7 percent network share, followed by Isuzu Makati with 8.2 percent, and Isuzu Quezon Avenue with 7.8 percent.

In the provinces, Isuzu Mandaue headed the list with its 8.2 percent share, Isuzu Cagayan de Oro came in second with five percent and Isuzu Iloilo with 4.7 percent.