A group of carmakers said it expects 2017 to be a challenging year, following record sales in 2016.
“We’ll be coming from a high base. 2016 was a good year. We have not set definite goals for the sector yet, but we are hoping that sales will continue to grow in 2017,” said Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. president Rommel Gutierrez.
The local automotive sector has posted record sales since 2012, on improving purchasing power of Filipinos and various promotions offered by car companies.
Industry data showed that November sales grew 22.2 percent to 32,966 units from 26,979 units in the same month in 2015.
“The good sales performance last November was because of enticing promotions and events matched with good demands of our market. With the robust demand, especially this Christmas season, we expect a stable to higher sales by December,” said Gutierrez.
Automotive sales of both Campi and the Truck Manufacturers Association reached 325,468 units in the first 11 months, up by 24.3 percent from 261,930 units a year earlier.