Isuzu aims for higher sales this year

MANILA, Philippines - Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) said it would try to outdo this year its stellar 2015 performance which saw the company’s sales zoom.

IPC said it sold a total 22,581 units from January to December last year, reflecting a 59.7-percent increase from the 14,134 units sold in 2014.

IPC president Hajime Koso said aside from targeting higher sales this year, the company would also introduce new offerings.

“As our way of showing how much we value our stay in Philippine shores, we would continue to bring out the best. Rest assured that we will continue to be Filipinos reliable partner in business and leisure,” Koso said.

IPC said its 2015 was capped off with a strong December sales that rose 59 percent to 2,365 units as compared to 1,490 units sold for the same month the previous year.

IPC’s robust sales performance last year was spearheaded by its flagship model, the Isuzu mu-X SUV, which sold 10,900 units the whole year.

Sales of the Isuzu mu-X SUV in 2015 was a 432-percent increase from the 2,048 units sold in 2014, the company said.

For December alone, IPC has sold 1,357 mu-X units, a 170- percent climb from the 502 units that were sold for the same month the previous year.

Providing additional boost for IPC sales last year was the continued strong demand for its truck units.

IPC sold 2,920 units for its Category III light-duty trucks last year, while 1,269 units were sold under  its Category IV medium-duty trucks and 280 units more for its Category V heavy-duty trucks.

Sales of the company’s Isuzu Crosswind AUV and Isuzu D-Max pick-up, however, declined.

IPC said the Crosswind had 4,096 units sold last year, 17-percent lower compared to the 4,908 units sold in 2014 while the D-Max finished with 3,116 units sold.