The Philippine automotive market started 2025 on a strong note, recording a 10.4-percent increase in vehicle sales in January to 37,604 units from 34,060 sold in the same month last year.
A joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed that the commercial vehicle segment drove the January growth, with 29,875 units sold, up by 16.6 percent from 25,614 a year ago.
The passenger car segment reported an 8.5-percent decline to 7,729 units from 8,446 a year earlier.
Data showed that within the commercial vehicle segment, the Asian utility vehicle sales grew 13.7 percent to 6,698 from 5,892 units. Light commercial vehicle sales increased 17.8 percent to 22,350 from 18,965 units last year.
Sales of light-duty and heavy-duty trucks also went up by 20.6 percent and 9.5 percent to 497 and 69 units, respectively. Sales of medium-duty trucks fell 7.4 percent to 261 from 281 units sold in January 2024.
Despite the mixed performance across segments, CAMPI said it remains optimistic about achieving its target of 500,000 unit sales in 2025.
“Newly rolled-out models and the anticipated introduction of more vehicles will contribute to reaching this goal,” said CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez.
Market leader Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. retained its dominant position with a 48.07 percent market share, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 19.61 percent, Nissan Philippines Inc. with 6.29 percent, Suzuki Philippines Inc. with 4.74 percent and Ford Group Philippines with 4.19 percent.