Isuzu posts 54% sales hike in April

MANILA, Philippines - Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) started the second quarter strong with April sales rising 54 percent year-on-year, finishing only 218 units short of the company’s record monthly sales posted in March.

IPC said last month’s sales of 2,219 units brought its four-month sales to 8,798 units, 38 percent more than the 6,396 units sold during the same period in 2015.

“Isuzu Philippines is pleasantly surprised to find out how close our sales in April came to those we have made in March, especially considering that it took the company nearly two decades to achieve that record. The result places us firmly on track to meet our year-end target, and indicates an upward trend not only for Isuzu, but also for the entire Philippine automotive industry,” IPC president Hajime Koso said.

Fueling the company’s growth in April was the Isuzu Crosswind which registered sales of 479 units, and a total of 1,562 units for the first four months of 2016.

“Both figures are improvements over comparable periods in 2015, signifying the model’s steady demand in the local market,” IPC said.

IPC said supporting Crosswind deliveries last month were those of the flagship Isuzu mu-X sport-utility vehicle with 983 units, Isuzu N-Series light-duty trucks with 355 units, Isuzu D-MAX pickup with 338 units, along with the company’s wide range of commercial trucks and buses with 64 units.

“All models recorded gains from their results during the same periods last year,” IPC said.

As of end-April, IPC ranked as the fourth largest automotive player in the country in terms of sales with a market share of 8.45 percent, data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association showed.