Ending December 2019 with a bang, the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, Inc. notched a 12 percent increase in sales, brightening prospects for the year of the metal rat.
AVID sold 8,089 units in December 2019, a 12% increase versus the same month in 2018. For the entire 2019, the association recorded 87,984 units sold versus the 88,430 units of the previous year, or a marginal dip of 0.5%.
AVID President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo said, “AVID’s performance in the last month of the year augurs well for the automotive industry as we begin the Year of the Metal Rat and the new decade. The continued easing of inflation rates, lower fuel prices, and increased government spending will only bolster sales for the group. We will complement these positive indicators with new models, value-packed service offerings, and easier ownership schemes.”
The Passenger Cars (PC) segment declined by 0.5% from 30,876 units sold in 2018 to in 2019 with 30,726 units in 2019. sold in versus the 30,876 units sold in 2018. Hyundai sold more vehicles in this segment than all reporting members combined with a total of 17,761 units in 2019. Suzuki follows with 8,621 units. The PC segment climbed 5% in December 2019 alone with 2,608 units versus the same period in 2018.
In the Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) segment, AVID recorded a 1.1% dip in 2019 sales from 56,999 units sold in 2018 to 56,351 units in 2019. However, performance of this segment increased by 16% in December 2019 alone with 5,362 units sold versus the same period last year. Ford leads this segment with a total of 19,993 units sold, followed by Suzuki comes after with 15,298 units and Hyundai, a close third, closely followed by Hyundai with 15,095 units sold in 2019.
Commercial Vehicles notched a 63% increase in sales or a total of 907 units in 2019 versus 2018. In December alone, CV sales I soared by 98% with 119 units sold versus November 2019. This segment is dominated by Hyundai Trucks and Buses.
With the approval of the P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020, and with the public works and highways department having one of the largest shares of the budget, it is expected that industry performance will gain traction in the new decade with the help from its importers bringing in more models that meet the requirements of various markets. for the Filipino people.
“It is appropriate that the recent budget carries the theme ‘Continuing the journey to a more peaceful and progressive Philippines’ since it focuses on critical infrastructure, human capital development, and peace and order initiatives. AVID hopes to contribute to this aim by giving offering better mobility solutions to both public and private for both the private and business sectors,” Agudo said.
