Vehicle sales slow by 1.2% in May

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine vehicle sales slowed by 1.2 percent in May from a year ago amid slower demand for passenger cars.

Data released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) yesterday showed that total vehicle sales reached 39,775 units in May, down from 40,271 units in the same month in 2024.

Passenger car sales dropped by 28 percent to 7,895 units in May from 10,967 units in the same month last year.

Sales of commercial vehicles, meanwhile, inched up by 8.8 percent to 31,880 units in May from 29,304 units in the same month a year ago.

As for electrified vehicles, total sales reached 3,613 units in May. These cover 801 battery electric vehicles (BEVs), 20 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and 2,792 hybrid EVs.

From January to May, combined sales of CAMPI and TMA went up by 1.7 percent to 190,429 units from the previous year’s 187,191 units.

Sales of passenger cars fell by 21.4 percent to 38,725 units in the five-month period from 49,247 units in the same period last year.

Commercial vehicles sales, on the other hand, increased by 10 percent to 151,704 units as of end-May from 137,944 units in the same period a year ago.

Sales of electrified vehicles reached 10,433 units from January to May this year. Of the total electrified vehicle sales, 1,779 units are BEVs, 118 units are PHEVs and 8,536 units are HEVs.

“We are encouraged by the industry’s sustained growth, especially with commercial vehicles driving overall performance. This reaffirms the significant role of the automotive sector in supporting the country’s economic activities,” CAMPI president Rommel Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez also said the CAMPI remains confident that the automotive industry would continue to post positive performance, but noted that continued collaboration between the government and industry stakeholders would be needed.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. maintained its leading position in the market with a 48.1-percent share from January to May.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. followed in second place with a 19.2-percent share and Nissan Philippines Inc. in the third spot with a 5.2-percent share.

Suzuki Philippines Inc. ranked fourth with a 4.7-percent share, followed by Ford Motor Co. Philippines Inc. with a 4.5-percent share.