Car sales up 32 pct in July

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Cars sold in the Philippines rose by 32.1 percent on year to 20,730 units in July, according to a report released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) today.

CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez said the local automotive sector posted the highest monthly sales record in July on the back of strong demand for passenger cars and aggressive marketing campaigns.

Passenger car sales in July jumped by 64.6 percent on year to 8, 339 units while commercial vehicles sold during the period rose by 16.6 percent on year to 12,391 units.

Japanese carmaker Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. continued to lead the industry in July with a market share of 48.83 percent, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 18.22 percent and Ford Motor Company Philippines, Inc. with 8.31 percent.

In the January to July period, the local automotive sector sold a total of 129,687 units, 26 percent higher than the 102,917 units sold in the same period last year.

Earlier, CAMPI said the combined sales of importers and local assemblers would grow by 17.5 percent on year to 250,000 units on the back of sustained demand for cars in the country.