Phl lags behind in car production

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines continued to lag behind its neighbors in the Southeast Asian region in terms of motor vehicle assembly with the government yet to release the roadmap for the automotive industry.

Data from the ASEAN Automotive Federation showed the Philippines assembled 13,357 units as of end-February, up 14.8 percent from the 11,631 units in the same period a year ago.

For the same two-month period, Thailand assembled a total of 336,158 units, while Indonesia produced 216,938 units, Malaysia manufactured 103,183 units and Vietnam made 13,749 units.

In terms of sales, the Philippines was also among the lowest in the list of Southeast Asian countries with assembly operations.

The country sold 32,470 units in the January to February period,  21.4 percent higher than the 26,742 units a year ago.

The Philippines sold more vehicles compared to Vietnam which had sales of 14,808 units in the two-month period but was behind Indonesia (215,275 units), Thailand (140,177 units), and Malaysia (100,991 units).

In terms of assembly of motorcycles and scooters, the Philippines placed third out of four countries with manufacturing operations in the region.

As of end-February, the Philippines assembled 123,159 motorcycles and scooters, an 8.2-percent increase from the 113,852 units in the previous year.