Philippines is worst Asean vehicle producer in July

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines remained the worst performer in terms of vehicle production in Southeast Asia after being the only country to post a decline in output in the January to July period.

Asean Automotive Federation’s data showed the Philippines assembled 47,002 motor vehicles as of end-July, down 46.2 percent from 87,355 units produced a year ago.

The lower output was seen amid weak consumer appetite for cars due to the impact of the higher excise tax on vehicles and higher inflation rate.

In contrast, all of the Philippines’ neighbors with vehicle operations saw their output increase during the seven-month period.

Thailand which serves as Southeast Asia’s automotive production hub, saw its output increase 9.5 percent to 1.22 million units as of end-July from 1.11 million units last year.

Indonesia assembled 763,952 vehicles in the January to July period this year, 10.2 percent higher than the previous year’s 693,140 vehicles while Malaysia’s vehicle output rose 12.3 percent to 336,111 units from the 299,270 units a year ago.

Vietnam’s vehicle production went up slightly to 117,812 units as of end-July from 116,061 units last year while Myanmar registered a 174.9 percent growth in vehicle output to 5,683 units during the period from 2,067 units in the previous year.

Total vehicle output in Southeast Asia climbed 7.7 percent to 2.49 million units in the January to July period from 2.31 million units a year ago.

When it came to motor vehicle sales, the Philippines was among the three countries which had lower sales performance for the seven-month period.

Philippine motor vehicle sales slid 14.4 percent to 199,628 units as of end-July from 233,115 units last year.

The two other countries which had lower year-on-year sales in the January to July period were Singapore which sold 55,099 vehicles, down 16.4 percent from the previous year’s 65,921 units and Brunei with sales of 6,64, a 6.7 percent dip from 7,117 units a year ago.

Thailand’s motor vehicle sales grew 20 percent to 571,064 units as of end-July, from last year’s 475,158 units while Indonesia’s sales grew 6.8 percent to 661,139 units in the seven-month period from 618,860 units a year ago.

Other countries which had higher year-on-year sales for the January to July period were Malaysia which saw a 7.6 percent increase in sales to reach 358,179 units from 333,006 units, Vietnam with sales going up slightly to 147,125 units from 144,835 units, and Myanmar with sales surging 119.3 percent to 8,341 units from 3,803 units.

Total motor vehicle sales in the Asean rose 6.7 percent to 2.01 million units in the seven-month period from 1.88 million units a year ago.

The automotive sector is among the 12 priority industries under the Department of Trade and Industry’s Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy.