History does repeat itself, even after two years, thanks to two leapfrogging brands: Hyundai and Honda.
In its overall sales report for January 2023, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) indicated that Hyundai Motor PH, Inc., which was No. 13 last December, leapfrogged over four brands: No. 12 Hino Motor, No. 11 Chery distributor UAAG, No. 10 Foton Motor PH and No. 9 Geely distributor Sojitz G Auto PH to replace Kia distributor KP Motor Motors Corp. in the No. 8 spot.
At the same time, Honda Cars PH, Inc., (HCPI) which was No. 7 YTD last December, leapfrogged over 6th placer Isuzu PH Corp. to topple and grab the No. 5 perch from Suzuki PH, Inc.
All this leapfrogging activity calls to mind CAMPI’s sales report for January 2021, when 6th placer Ford raced past No. 5 Suzuki to take the No. 4 spot from Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), which was at that time the authorized PH distributor of Hyundai passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (LCVs).
HARI eventually dropped out of the Top 10 last year, but as the CAMPI January 2023 sales report shows, the Korean brand was restored thereto by Hyundai Motor PH, Inc. (HMPH) the new company organized in June 2022 by the Hyundai Motor Group and led by Lee Dong Wok to distribute Hyundai passenger cars, SUVs and LCVs in the country.
HARI is now the distributor of Hyundai buses and trucks with fleet sales and companies as its target market. HMPH president Lee Dong Wok has kept his promise, made during a media conference last June, to bring in the newest iterations of the Tucson, Santa Fe, Creta and Staria, which replaces the Starex as Hyundai’s flagship 11-seater van. In addition, HMPI brought over the Stargazer, a compact 7-seater minivan that looks like the junior edition of the Staria.
Obviously, the intro of these newest models and aggressive marketing have helped to bring the Hyundai brand back to the Top 10.
“We are very thankful for the warm reception of the market to Hyundai’s newly introduced model line up here in the Philippines – from our next generation SUVs, MPV to EV. This achievement however is only the start as we intend to live up to our promise of freedom of mobility for all. HMPH is geared to offer even more innovative products and services that will complement the lifestyles of our Filipino customers. We hope you look forward to what we have in store for 2023,” said Lee.
The top 3 best-selling Honda models that played a major role in catapulting HCPI to No. 5 are the City compact sedan, Brio subcompact hatchback, and BR-V 7-seater compact SUV. HCPI recently launched a new iteration of the BR-V. This is the first time that the Honda brand has joined the Magic 5 circle.
Because of HCPI’s and HMPH’s big leaps upward, the January 2023 YTD Top 10 has substantially changed as follows: No. 1 Toyota 13,428 units sold; No. 2 Mitsubishi 5,030 units sold; No. 3 Ford 2,107 units; No. 4 Nissan 1,878 units; No. 5 Honda 1,639 units; No. 6 Suzuki 1,476 units; No. 7 Isuzu 1,275 units; No. 8 Hyundai 642 units; No. 9 Geely 600 units; No. 10 Kia 426 units. These changes pushed Foton Motor PH out of the Top 10.
In a press statement, CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said that total new motor vehicle sales for January 2023 reached 29,499 units, a 42.1 percent increase over the 20,765 units posted in the same period a year ago. The 42.1 percent hike is a good development for the auto industry as it starts the year, Gutierrez added, making the industry optimistic of continued expansion driven by the growing domestic consumer market.
But he expressed concern about the supply-side challenges that may hamper the industry’s growth, also that the gains made are not always clear-cut as the industry’s overall economic health and activity depends on various economic key indicators.
