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THE
local automotive industry recorded its highest sales in
a decade with sales of 117,903 units last year, or a
robust 18.4-percent growth from 2006.
It was also the first time since 1996,
the year immediately before the Asian credit crunch,
that the industry was able to rise above the
100,000-unit sales mark.
For this year, Elizabeth Lee, president
of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the
Philippines Inc. (Campi), said the entry of more new
models and the resolve of the government to ban imported
used vehicles will probably help the industry grow by up
to 7 percent.
The industry ended 2007 with a bang,
with a December sales tally of 12,132 units, 20 percent
higher than the 10,099 units sold in the same month in
2006. This capped “a great year” for the automakers who
regarded it as a true sign of the nation’s recovery from
the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
That year, the industry’s sales
plumetted to below 100,000 units right after selling
about 160,000 units in 1996.
Commercial vehicles (CV) such as AUVs,
SUVs, vans, pickups, buses, and trucks remained the most
preferred types in the Philippine market with a share of
65 percent or 76,690 units. This reflects a double-digit
growth of 25.6 percent for the year.
The
passenger car segment also showed much promise with a
sustained 7.1-percent growth for the year, selling over
3,400 units per month.
Lee said
increased sales were brought about by factors that
include the successful staging of the 1st Philippine
International Motor Show, a large lineup of new model
introductions from most auto players, improvement in
economic growth with relatively stable business
environment, the finality of the Supreme Court decision
banning secondhand vehicle importation and a more
active government campaign against illegal vehicle
imports.
Lee
said, “Off the bat, we are still looking at a growth for
2008 with perhaps a more conservative stance at the
onset with a 5-percent to 7-percent growth compared with
2007. Barring any untoward event, the industry seems to
be on a more systematic growth path.”
Industry
players will meet next week to set the official
projections for 2008, which Lee said will depend on an
increasingly stable market with the foreign-exchange
rate fluctuations kept at a comfortable level.
“Trust
in the will power of government agencies to stick to the
strict implementation of the ban on used vehicles will
certainly have a positive effect on sales as buyers gain
greater awareness of the consequences of the ban. Other
drivers will include the government’s initiative and
growing focus on support for SMEs and OFWs. Support for
the growing middle class will have a greater impact on
the purchase of vehicles, most especially those utility
vehicles that double as a family and/or business
vehicle,” she added.
Toyota
Motor Philippines surpassed its 1996 sales performance
of about 42,000 units for the first time by selling
45,091 units, or a very dominating market share of
38.24 percent.
Other
top sellers are Honda (17,321 units), Mitsubishi
(15,005), Isuzu (9,770 ), Hyundai (8,259), Ford plus
Mazda (7,486), Universal Motors Corp. (3,330), Nissan
Motor Philippines (2,815), Columbian Autocar (2,790),
and Pilipinas Hino/Suzuki (2,360). --M. V. de Leon |
