MANILA -- Automotive sales registered negative growth in the first month of the year amid the Taal Volcano eruption.
The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) reported Tuesday that January 2020 sales declined by 11.8 percent to 23,723 units from 26,888 units a year ago.
In a statement Wednesday, CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez attributed the slump in sales to the effect of the Taal Volcano eruption to vehicle assemblers which are mostly located in Region 4-A.
“Majority of plants and some dealerships located in South Luzon were badly hit by ashfall, also affecting operations in some areas of Metro Manila. Some companies were also forced to temporarily suspend its operation for safety reason,” Gutierrez said.
Sales of passenger cars, which accounted for 32 percent of last month’s sales, dropped by 22.9 percent to 6,543 units from 8,487 units in January 2019.
Commercial vehicle sales also decreased to 17,180 units in January 2020, down by 6.6 percent from 18,401 units in the previous year. This segment comprised 68 percent of the total sales last month.
Under this segment, Asian utility vehicles recorded a positive growth of 2.9 percent with sales of 2,479 units last January from 2,410 units sold in the same month of the previous year.
Light commercial vehicles sold a total of 13,988 units, a decrement of 7 percent from the sales a year ago reaching 15,037 units.
In truck sub-segments, light trucks’ sales fell 28.7 percent to 365 units.
Sales of trucks and buses category IV also dropped by 29.8 percent to 233 units, while the category V went up by 4.5 percent to 115 units.
Gutierrez said CAMPI maintains its forecast that 2020 is “brimming with optimism” for the industry, with recovery being underway in the coming months.
“We will continue to work double-time to catch-up on last month’s losses. We assure our customers the highest level of quality in our products and services because safety and consumer satisfaction are our priorities,” he added.
Market leaders in January were Toyota with 42 percent market share, followed by Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, and Ford. (PNA)
