Isuzu Philippines Corp. said sales reached a record 2,437 units in March, the highest in its 19-year history.
Isuzu said the March figure was 27.1-percent higher than 1,917 units sold a year ago. It was also up 12.9 percent from February.
The company said first-quarter sales also jumped 32.7 percent to 6,579 units from 4,957 units a year earlier, based on data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association.
“The robust performance of Isuzu Philippines in the first quarter of 2016, and specifically in March, is a reflection of the local automotive industry’s continued growth, which in turn is boosted by a buoyant economy that definitely encourages consumer spending,” Isuzu Philippines president Hajime Koso said.
“Still, we are pleasantly surprised that our growth has actually outpaced that of the industry, and we credit in part our sustained promotional efforts and relevant lineup of vehicles for the rise,” Koso said.
Lifting the company’s sales is the Isuzu mu-X SUV model. The SUV’s deliveries reached 1,198 in March and 3,236 units in the first quarter.
Isuzu Crosswind utility model sold 395 units while D-MAX pickup sold 358 units.
Meanwhile, Honda Cars Philippines Inc. said it expected to double the sales of its all-new Honda Civic to at least 200 units a month from an average of 100 units in previous years.
“The increasing demand for compact cars made us rethink the possibility of coming up with another full-model change for the Civic. It is one of the world’s best compact cars and we want o make sure that it will live to expectations,” Honda Cars Philippines president Toshio Kuwahara said at the launch of the all-new Honda Civic Tuesday (at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.
The all-new Civic is a completely-built up unit imported from Thailand.