The COVID-19 pandemic has brought drastic economic effects where most industries suffered a huge blow in terms of financial stability. In the Philippines, people are made to believe that their country is winning against the global health crisis but the data tells a different story.
As hopeless as it can be, we still need to look ahead and focus on anything that’s positive.
With that in mind, it appears that the Philippine automotive industry is slowly picking up momentum as it registered a sales increase of 225 percent from May to June 2020, according to the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI).
Moreover, the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors Inc. (AVID) reported a 198 percent increase in sales from May to June 2020.
Based on the combined data released by CAMPI and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), the local automotive sales in June registered 15,578 units sold as compared to 4,788 in May.
On the other hand, AVID tallied 3,697 unit sales in June, which is significantly greater than the 1,239 unit sales in May.
Honda Cars PH digital showroom
CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said that the notable increase in automotive sales can be attributed to car brands maximizing new digital platforms, such as online or digital showrooms.
More and more local car brands are shifting and going digital since the COVID-19 pandemic in order to maintain its market reach and to survive the current lifestyle change. Toyota, Honda, and Suzuki are just some of the many car brands that launched their respective online showroom.
This is also the reason that AVID president Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo cited as to why did local auto sales saw a significant boost last June. She added that car brands also offered enticing car promos to help yield sales.
>>> Related: A new car brand is entering the PH market and its name sounds familiar
The Hilux is one of the best-selling Toyota cars in the local market
The best-selling car brand in the Philippines is still Toyota as it registered the most number of unit sales during the first semester of 2020. tallying 35,648 unit sales.
Toyota’s closest rival in the country continues to be Mitsubishi, which registered 15,133 unit sales. The top three car brands in the Philippines are rounded up by Nissan with 9,708 units.
Completing the top five brands in the local market are Hyundai and Suzuki. The Korean car brand yielded 6,894 units while the Japanese carmaker registered 5,660.
Top 5 car brands in the Philippines H1 2020
As such, the top five car brands in the Philippines remains to be the same if we compare them to the top-selling car brands in 2019. In fact, the ranking remains the same with Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Nissan as the top three brands while Hyundai and Suzuki complete the top five.
However, upon looking at AVID’s data, a specific car brand has been gaining significant momentum. The unit sales posted by this car brand is remarkable considering that it’s one of the new players in the industry.
The car brand in question registered a 162 percent increase for its May to June 2020 sales. And we’re talking about Sojitz G Auto Phillippines (SGAP), the official importer and distributor of Geely cars in the Philippines.
>>> Related: What are the 10 most reliable car brands?
2020 Geely Coolray
Based on the data, Geely PH had 70 units sold in May but it increased to 184 units in June, which equates to an increase of more than 150 percent. Geely PH’s numbers also tell that it managed to sell a total of 549 units from January to June 2020.
Of note, SGAP entered the local market last September 2019 along with the introduction of the Geely Coolray crossover SUV. The company followed up on the Coolray this year with the Azkarra mild-hybrid compact crossover.
Visit Philkotse.com to get more of the latest automotive news.