Monthly vehicle sales returned to the pre-pandemic levels of more than 30,000 units in August, underscoring the recovery of the automotive industry and the road transport sector from the pandemic.
Data from industry groups Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers Philippines Inc. and Truck Manufacturers Association showed that vehicle sales reached 30,185 units in August, up 90.5 percent from 15,847 units in the same month last year.
Automotive sales also rose 8.5 percent from 27,183 units in July, breaking the traditional expectation of slower sales in the so-called “ghost month.”
CAMPI and TMA said in their joint monthly report the increasing sales drew the industry closer to achieving its sales target this year.
“The recovery of the industry is indeed on track, as we reached monthly sales of above 30,000 units—a pre-pandemic monthly performance level last recorded in 2019,” said CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez.
Data showed passenger car sales by category climbed 37.6 percent to 7,733 units in August from 4,894 units sold in the same month last year, while commercial vehicle sales surged 114.1 percent to 23,452 units from 10,953 units a year ago.
Sales of passenger cars also increased 6.2 percent from July’s 5,346 units, while commercial vehicle sales went up 9.2 percent from 21,467 units a month earlier.
This brought total sales in the first eight months to 212,872 units, up by 25.1 percent from 170,112 units registered in the same period last year.
Filipino consumers continued to prefer commercial vehicles, encouraging assemblers and importers to offer more SUV models.
Cumulative sales of passenger cars were down 4.3 percent in the eight-month period to 52,082 units from 54,042 units a year ago, while sales of commercial vehicles went up 39 percent to 160,790 units from 115,710 units.
Gutierrez said CAMPI remained hopeful for the continuing recovery of the industry.
“With the return of the 8th Philippine International Motor Show this month, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic of having a stronger year after a period of lower sales achievement because of the pandemic,” he said.
“It is exciting and fulfilling at the same time to stage the 8th Philippine International Motor Show with the theme Mobility+Humanity – Innovating for the Common Good. I would like to take this opportunity to invite the public to come and visit our 8th PIMS from Sept. 15 to 18 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City to see how the industry players are working together to reshape the future of mobility and further contribute to nation-building,” Gutierrez said.
The industry expects to sell 336,000 units this year, up by 17 percent from 268,488 vehicles sold in 2021.