D-Max drives Isuzu sales up 11.7% in H1

MANILA, Philippines - Sales of Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC)  rose 11.7 percent in the first semester from a year ago amid the positive performance of the D-MAX pickup and other commercial vehicles.

According to IPC, it sold 6,429 units in the January to June period, up from the 5,757 units it sold in the comparable period last year.

Driving the higher sales in the first-half was the D-MAX, which had sales of 1,998 units for the six-month period, a 91.7 percent spike from the 1,042 units sold in the previous year.

The D-MAX’s steady growth month after month since its launch in September 2013 has offset the slowdown in the movement of the IPC’s other models such as the Crosswind and Alterra, allowing the firm to achieve a nine percent year-on-year growth in sales of light commercial vehicles to 5,018 units as of end-June.

The firm’s truck sales also posted increases.

The IPC sold 1,010 units of Category III or light-duty commercial trucks in the first-half, which climbed by 25.6 percent year-on-year.

The firm’s sales of Category IV or medium-duty trucks and heavy-duty trucks also grew 10.2 percent and 255.6 percent, respectively.

For the month of June alone, IPC’s sales posted a 21 percent uptick to reach 1,156 units from 955 units in the same month last year.

Compared to the firm’s May sales of 1,119 units, the June result went up by 3.3 percent.

IPC is upbeat that it would continue to see healthy growth in sales in the coming months.

“The recent credit upgrade that the Philippines received should have a significant effect in local consumer spending which would positively impact vehicle sales in the country,” IPC president Nobuo Izumina said.

“The almost 25 percent growth in vehicle sales in the first half of 2014 should further build momentum. We at Isuzu Philippines also expect continued growth, owing largely to the unwavering trust that Filipinos have placed on Isuzu’s reliable, durable and fuel-efficient models. Definitely, these are vehicles built for long-term use,” he added.

Aside from the country’s healthy economy and positive consumer outlook, IPC’s optimism also rests on a re-fleeting program of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, which seeks to replace old and unsafe vehicles with new units.

IPC aims to hit record-high sales of 15,000 units this year.

Last year, the firm sold 11,793 vehicles.