Honda Brio tops company’s best-sellers in 2020 in the Philippines

Updated Nov 12, 2021 | Same topic: Latest Consumer Reports

The mighty mini chalked up more than 3,200 units sold.

By now, carmakers having to contend with significantly lower sales in the last 12 months no longer comes as a surprise. Their target markets have had to realign spending towards more essential needs, especially in the wake of events such as the Taal volcano eruption and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Philkotse 2020 Honda Brio In the Metal

It was an especially challenging year for Honda Cars Philippines (HCPI) which, despite commemorating 30 years of doing business in the country, also had to make the difficult decision of shutting down its vehicle assembly operations in February 2020.

Whereas its 2019 figures showed sales of 20,338 units, 2020 saw a 42-percent drop in the company’s bottom line, with only 11,711 vehicles rolling off dealer showrooms.

The silver lining is that Honda still had something to offer for budget-conscious customers, in the form of the Brio city car. It became an opportunity for the brand, as circumstances compelled car buyers to shift their priorities towards small and economical vehicles.

Honda Brio

The Brio emerged as Honda's sales leader in the Philippines for 2020

As automotive website Visor reports, the Brio landed on top of Honda’s 2020 sales heap with over 3,200 units handed over to owners. The breakdown of the figures chalked up by HCPI’s lineup is as follows:

Model	Sales figures
Brio	3,260
City	3,094
BR-V	2,041
Civic	1,188
CR-V	931
HR-V	452
Jazz	375
Mobilio	169
Odyssey	74
Brio Amaze	65
Accord	38
Civic Type R	34

Note that the Honda Brio outshone everything else in HCPI’s roster, despite the arrival of the all-new City and the refreshed CR-V in the last quarter of 2020. Performance-oriented models such as the Civic Type R also had to take a back seat.

Honda Brio Amaze

The erstwhile Brio Amaze ranked a far tenth place in sales

Even Honda’s seven-seater models such as the Honda Mobilio, the BR-V, and the Odyssey were relegated to the background. It’s an interesting bit of information to note, at a time when interior space has become something of a necessity to make social distancing easier to observe, especially among occupants living in the same household.

Hopefully, the new year will be a better one especially for HCPI, and the local auto industry in general.

More updates on your favorite brands come your way at Philkotse.com.

Know more about Honda Brio 2024

Honda Brio 2024

The 2024 Honda Brio is the Japanese automaker's entry into the local hatchback segment. It is considered to be the small hatchback option with a price ranging from Php 735,000 to Php 863,000. The small hatchback is regarded as the entry-level vehicle of the Japanese carmaker. It is available in four variants, including a Black Top option for the top-of-the-line RS variant.

Under the hood, a 1.2-liter i-VTEC gasoline engine is standard across the range, delivering 89 hp and 110 Nm of torque. Depending on the variant, the engine can be paired to either a 5-speed manual or an Earth Dreams continuously variable transmission (CVT). The Brio Philippines offers dimensions that span 3,798 mm in length, 1,682 mm in width, and 1,487 mm in height. The RS trim gets is a bit longer at 3,811mm. Rivals in the hatchback segment include the Toyota Wigo, Kia Picanto, and Suzuki Swift.

₱ 735,000 - ₱ 863,000

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Joseph Paolo Estabillo

Author

Joseph holds a degree in Journalism from the University of the Philippines Diliman and has been writing professionally since 1999. He has written episodes for CNN Philippines' motoring show Drive, and has worked on corporate projects for MG Philippines and Pilipinas Shell. Aside from being Philkotse.com’s Content Lead, he also writes content for numerous car dealerships in the U.S., spanning multiple brands such as Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Maserati, among others.

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