Car sales up 25.4 pct in March

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Car sales expanded by 25.4 percent on year to a record 19,173 units, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) said today.

On a monthly basis, CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez said car sales last month were also higher by nearly 14 percent compared to the 16,828 units sold in February.

"March is generally considered as a strong sales month. The summer season and pre-holy week rush drive customers to the showrooms," said Gutierrez.

In March, sales of passenger cars rose by 40.1 percent on year to 7,174 units while commercial vehicle sales grew by 18 percent on year to 11,999 units.

For the first quarter of the year, CAMPI said sales went up by nearly 23 percent on year to 51,643 units.

Japanese car maker Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. led the industry with a market share of 44.2 percent last month, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 23.6 percent and Ford Motor Co. Phils., Inc. with a 7.2-percent share.

Gutierrez said the local auto industry expects to sustain this sales level in the second quarter of the year.