Text and graph by Aida Sevilla-Mendoza
There was good news for AC Motors, Ayala Corporation’s group of automakers, when the Year-to-Date (YTD) October 2022 sales reports of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Philippine Automotive Dealers’ Association (PADA) were released.
KP Motors, the distributor of Kia vehicles, stabilized its presence in the top 10 sales performers lists of both CAMPI and PADA together with AC colleagues Isuzu PH Corp. and Honda Cars PH, Inc.
In the CAMPI honor roll, Kia ranked No. 8 with YTD Oct. 2022 sales of 4,126 units while in the PADA sales report, Kia ranked No. 10, again with 4,126 units sold YTD.
At the same time, Isuzu and Honda retained No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, in both lists.
Notably missing from the CAMPI top 10 list is Geely, the Chinese brand distributed here by Sojitz G Auto PH (SGAP). In YTD September, Geely ranked No. 8 in CAMPI’s Top 10 list with 7,311 units sold, but was replaced at that spot YTD Oct 2022 by Kia’s 4,126, although in the PADA list for this year, Geely was still No. 8 with 7,818 units sold.
Since Geely is a new member of CAMPI, having transferred from the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) only recently, CAMPI did not include in its list Geely’s Oct 2021 YTD sales and sales for the month of Oct 2021.
Ironically enough, Kia’s best-selling model is sourced from China, just like Geely’s. As of YTD Sep 2022, KP Motors listed the Soluto subcompact sedan as the brand’s second best-selling model after the Stonic subcompact crossover. Although the Carnival van is not listed as a Kia best-seller, more Carnivals are seen on the roads than the Soluto, Stonic or K2500 compact panel truck.
For that matter, Ford’s second best-selling model, the Territory, also comes from China. In October, as in last September, Ford Motor Co. PH, Inc. retained the No. 3 spot in both the CAMPI and PADA rankings with total sales of 18,465 units YTD. Ford recovered the No. 3 perch from Nissan last September, thanks to the successful launches of the next-generation Ranger pickup truck and Everest midsize SUV – not to mention the Territory, the hottest-selling compact crossover based on YTD Sep 2022 total sales of 6,430 units.
Other than the demotion of Geely to No. 11, the CAMPI top 10 tabulation YTD Oct 2022 is essentially the same as that of YTD Sep 2022, as follows: 1. Toyota, 2. Mitsubishi, 3. Ford, 4. Nissan. 5. Suzuki, 6. Isuzu, 7. Honda. Kia replaced Geely at No. 8, while Foton rose from No. 10 to No. 9, and Chery (United Asia Automotive Group, Inc. or UAAGI) assumed No. 10.
But on PADA’s list, Geely is still present as No. 8, outselling No. 9 others (multiple brands) and No. 10 Kia.
The CAMPI and PADA lists indicate the growing acceptance of made-in-China vehicles, whether it is rebadged as a Ford like the Territory, as a Kia like the Soluto, or keeps its Chinese brand like the Geely Coolray, Okavango and Emgrand. With the inputs of Western automotive technology (example: Geely acquired Volvo Cars, a Swedish brand, in 2010, and Lotus, a British sports and race car manufacturer in 2017), motor vehicles made in China have improved a lot and offer attractive styling, state-of-the-art safety features, driver aids, and creature comforts usually found only in more expensive brands.
One can say that the rise of China-sourced vehicles has an impact on the ranking of the top 5 best-selling brands. Ford was able to overtake Nissan for the coveted No. 3 spot after the Territory became a surprise success.
But no one can beat Toyota Motor PH Corp. (TMP) As of YTD Oct 2022, Toyota had sold 140,425 units, 15,541 of which were sold in October. TMP is the only industry player able to post a six-digit total vehicle sales figure and, according to PADA, enjoys 49.05 percent market share.
The Toyota Vios continues undisputed as the country’s best-selling motor vehicle across all segments. As of YTD Sep 2022, the Toyota Hilux pickup had sold more units (19,144) than the combined sales (18,843) of the Ford Ranger, Nissan Navara, and Isuzu D-Max. No wonder the Hilux is TMP’s second best-selling model after the Vios, followed by the useful Innova MPV.
Commenting on the YTD Oct 2022 joint sales report of CAMPI and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said that total new motor vehicle sales for October reached 32,146 units, equivalent to 42.4 percent growth versus the 22,851 units recorded in the same period in 2021.
“The continued double-digit growth recorded anew in October is boosting optimism for the automotive industry, further accelerating full recovery this year from the pandemic disruptions,” he added. “Sustaining the growth trend in the remaining months of the year gives us confidence that the industry will be able to emerge strong, exceeding its forecast from the current business-as-usual standpoint.”
Gutierrez is concurrently 1st vice president of Toyota Motor PH. Year-to-date Oct 2022, CAMPI-TMA sold 230,000 units, reflecting 30.39 percent growth compared with the same period last year. The industry is aiming to sell at least 336,000 units by year-end 2022.
That objective requires industry players to sell 106,000 more new motor vehicles in 24 days, before December 31,2022. Can the they do it? Watch out for PDI Motoring’s report in mid-January.
