Ford leads the charge in Q1 for Philippine vehicle importers

The past year has not been a particularly smooth drive for vehicle importers. There was the Taal Volcano eruption which damaged a number of their respective inventories, the COVID-19 pandemic which put the squeeze on supply chains apart from hobbling sales, and now the imposed safeguard tariffs on units sourced overseas.

Ford Motor Philippines topped light commercial vehicle sales for the first quarter of 2021  

It was a series of unfortunate events, to borrow from a book title. But the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, Inc. (AVID) is looking at the brighter side, posting 15,857 units sold in the first quarter of 2021. This represents a 9-percent improvement over the same period in 2020.

The light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment sold 11,198 units, up by 34 percent from 9,895 units during the same period last year. Carrying the torch is Ford Motor Philippines with 4,786 units rolling off the dealerships.

Ford’s dominance can be attributed to several models bolstering the company’s 2020 offerings, among them the Ranger FX4 compact pickup and the F-150 full-size pickup. What’s more, the carmaker continues to offer the Transit in both cargo and passenger configurations. Pulling up in second place is Suzuki with 2,628 vehicles sold, with Hyundai’s 1,780 units taking third place.

The Ranger Raptor sold 10,000 units across the Philippines in 2020  

Where Hyundai shines, however, is in the commercial vehicle (CV) category. The company chalked up sales of 418 units compared to just 92 turned over the previous year, translating to a massive 354-percent growth in year-to-date figures.         

Sales of passenger cars (PC) lagged the most, with 4,241 units sold compared to 4,567 vehicles driven home in the same period last year, a decrease of 7 percent. Still, March 2021 figures show an improvement with 1,372 units sold, compared to 1,026 vehicles changing hands in the first quarter of 2020, an uptick of 34 percent. Suzuki holds sway with 2,067 units, trailed by Hyundai’s 1,484 units.  

AVID President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo

According to AVID President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, passenger car sales continue to lag because of low consumer confidence, as the current pandemic realigned finances towards more pressing needs such as food and medicine. “Let us not discount the commendable performances of LCV and CV, and the hardworking teams that drive them,“ she says. “We see these two segments as our industry’s lifesavers as they lend indispensable support to the country’s revitalized infrastructure development programs.”

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