Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) expects sales of the Isuzu mu-X, the firm’s flagship model in the sport-utility vehicle (SUV) segment, to corner a bigger share of the Philippine market for SUVs in 2015.
Company officials said consumers’ increasing preference for SUVs would boost sales of Isuzu mu-X.
IPC President Nobuo Izumina said the company is targeting to sell 6,000 units of mu-X next year. Isuzu has so far sold 1,200 units of mu-X since it was introduced in September.
Joseph Bautista, IPC Sales Division head, said Izusu is looking
to aggressively market its “new
family vehicle.”
“The market is shifting to SUVs. If the pickup is seen as a lifestyle car, the all-utility vehicle as an everyday car, then the SUV is the new family car,” Bautista said.
He said more motorcycle users, who are upgrading to cars and SUVs in recent years would also boost
sales. For 2015, IPC has set a sales target of 4,000 units for the Crosswind, 4,000 units for D-Max and 4,000 units for trucks.
Bautista said the company is bullish on its truck segment as operators are projected to buy more brand-new trucks to reduce downtime due to maintenance.
Izumina said IPC is eyeing to double its dealers and distribution channels as the industry gears up to meet consumer demand for vehicles by 2020 pegged at 500,000 units.
Around 90 percent of Isuzu vehicles are locally assembled. Bautista said the company expects this figure to decline to 70 percent as sales of the imported mu-X go up next year.