It’s fascinating to get a glimpse into the performance of various car brands in the Philippines, especially with an official report from the Philippine Association of Vehicle Dealers’ Association (PAVDA) that was furnished to us by our good friend Tey Sornet. This report covers sales data for the first seven months of the year.
The association, which represents nearly 95% of the brands in the local market, includes almost all established players, with a few new exceptions like BYD. Interestingly, even the newcomer Tesla is a member.
As expected, the top two spots are dominated by the country’s perennial powerhouses, Toyota and Mitsubishi, with commanding leads. Toyota leads the pack with a total sales volume of 26,125 units, averaging over 3,700 vehicles sold per month. Their strongest month was July, with 4,430 units sold. Mitsubishi holds a distant second with 12,530 vehicles sold from its various dealerships. Their July sales dipped to 1,575, a decline from their peak of 2,251 in January.
Suzuki is a surprising third with a total of 5,323 units sold, likely fueled by the introduction of new models like the Dzire, Jimny, and Ertiga. Some of these are hybrids, a segment that is rapidly gaining popularity. Suzuki has maintained a consistent average of over 500 units per month over the seven-month period.
Honda is close behind in fourth place with 4,040 vehicles sold, while MG is another unexpected entry in fifth, with total sales of 2,544. Lexus, a luxury brand under the Toyota umbrella, ranks a respectable sixth with 1,186 units sold, averaging 170 per month.
Rounding out the top ten are Nissan (7th, 374 units), Geely (8th, 373 units), Mercedes-Benz (9th, 324 units), and Mazda (10th, 276 units).
A truly surprising detail from the report is the performance of Tesla. The brand, which only entered the market in the final month of the first quarter, has already sold 262 vehicles in just five months, placing it in 11th. After an initial surge of 211 sales in March—reportedly driven by buyers seeking discounted prices compared to the gray market—sales have since dropped significantly, with only two units sold in July.
And for another surprising fact: nine car brands have yet to record a single sale after the seven-month period. Yes, they have zero sales to show, placing them at the very bottom of the heap. Give me a call, and I’ll tell you who they are!
