ISUZU Philippines Corp. (IPC) once again bolstered its position as the authority in diesel-powered vehicles as it posted steady sales for its model lineup in 2011, with the Isuzu N-Series light-duty truck topping its segment.

Figures released by the Truck Manufacturers Association and the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines showed that the N-Series took a commanding 69.4-percent share of Category III, the light-duty commercial truck segment, as the model recorded 1,196 units sold from January to December 2011. This marked a successful streak for the N-Series as it enjoyed an equally dominating 67.1-percent share in 2010 with 1,030 units sold. The N-Series has overwhelmingly led Category III for 13 straight years since 1999.

“The N-Series trucks’ achievement of being the bestseller in a competitive class for 13 straight years is concrete proof of its superiority over its rivals,” said IPC president Ryoji Yamazaki. “It means the market has full confidence in the model, which can only be the result of a very satisfying ownership experience.”

Credit to the N-Series’ popularity goes in part to its versatility as the vehicle can be configured as a passenger van, aluminum cargo van, refrigerated van, fire truck, drop-side truck, aerial platform truck, refuse collector, dump truck, cargo truck or tanker. The N-Series’ durability and dependability have also made it the light commercial truck of choice among entrepreneurs and business partners.

Isuzu’s medium- and heavy-duty trucks were also as dominant in their Category IV and V segments. In 2011 IPC sold 240 units of these trucks, including the popular Forward model, with the vehicles accounting for 24.8-percent share of the segments. This is a marked growth from IPC’s 2010 figures, which showed that 165 medium- and heavy-duty trucks were sold, resulting in a 14.3-percent share.

In 2011, commercial vehicles continued to dominate the Philippine automotive industry with a 68.3-percent advantage over passenger cars, and cementing Isuzu’s hold on the commercial vehicle segment are the company’s Alterra, D-Max and highly popular Crosswind models. From January to December last year, IPC sold 855 of the luxuriously equipped Alterra SUV; 2,500 units of the tough and hardworking D-Max, with the pickup accounting for 16.3 percent of its class; and 5,029 units of the Crosswind, or a 16.7-percent share of its class. That led to IPC posting a tally of 9,820 units sold.

Aside from continuously offering upgraded models that address customers’ desires and requirements, IPC’s steady market performance in 2011 can also be attributed to the various events that the company held, and the biggest of these was a show staged in April called “On the Right Truck to a Better Future,” an exclusive display of Isuzu’s commercial-vehicle lineup.

Remaining faithful to its calling as a “responsible partner,” IPC in 2011 bolstered its corporate social responsibility efforts, and one of the most significant was the company issuing a heartfelt donation of P2.5 million to the Philippine National Red Cross that was meant for the victims of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami tragedy in March.

An equally important CSR program concerning the environment is a cause IPC has consistently advocated through the years. So, true to company tradition, IPC celebrated its 14th inaugural anniversary with the launch of an agro-forestry campaign where it partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) in a watershed conservation and management project at Sierra Madre mountain range in Ilagan, Isabela. In the project, IPC released funds that have allowed WWF to pilot and expand agro-forestry in the grasslands, upland corn-growing fields and farms in the area to maintain watershed functions and services.

The aim of the endeavor was to establish 40 hectares of agro-forestry land by planting 100 mango seedlings per hectare, maintain this land through the provision of organic fertilizer, and to train farmers in agro-forestry and seedling production.

“We are going to carry out educational programs for the local farmers so that destruction of forests can be prevented. Agro-forestry will teach farmers how to be independent as Isuzu is after sustainability and long-term empowerment,” said Yamazaki.

In recognition of this project, WWF cited IPC with the Environmental Leadership Award for the company’s contribution in propagating support for agro-forestry in the Philippines. The award acknowledges corporations and organizations that have made substantial contributions to environmental conservation in areas like environmental education, watershed management, agro-forestry, climate change and coastal resource management.

IPC in 2011 also furthered an ongoing CSR project—the Isuzu Motors Ltd. of Japan-funded Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Auto-Mechanic Training Center in Tacloban, Leyte. In May last year, the center graduated its second batch of scholars, made up of underprivileged but deserving students.  Three months later, Isuzu, together with Tesda and Plan Philippines, held an “open campus” event for the third batch of scholars that were set to graduate in November 2011. The event presented the project to key people in the automotive sector and its peripheral industries, and was also designed to find employment for the training center’s graduates by inviting potential employers so that the young scholars could display their newly acquired technical skills.

To date, the Tesda Auto-Mechanic Training Center has already accepted 129 scholars, 54 of whom have already graduated and have been deployed for work. The center is not only taking care of the education and training of these students but is also putting in the best efforts so that they will be gainfully employed after graduation.