Car, motorcycle output down from January to May

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s  production of motor vehicles and motorcycles  registered a  double-digit decline in the January to May period from a year ago as assembly operations were affected by the community quarantine in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to  the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Automotive Federation (AAF),  the Philippines assembled 23,781 motor vehicles from January to May,  down by nearly 27 percent from 32,484 units in the same period last year.

All other countries in Southeast Asia with motor vehicle assembly operations also recorded notable declines in production during the five-month period.

Posting the biggest decrease in motor vehicle production was Malaysia which produced 121,005 units as of end-May,  51 percent lower than the previous year’s 247,563.

Southeast Asia’s automotive hub Thailand saw its motor vehicle output fall by 40 percent to 534,428 units in the first five months from 893,067 units a year ago.

Indonesia’s motor vehicle output dipped by 33 percent to 352,569 units in first five months  from the previous year’s 523,183 units, while Vietnam’s output slid  by 42 percent to 46,245 units as of end-May from 79,805 a year ago.  Myanmar’s output declined by 22 percent to 4,764 units in the January to May period from 6,128 units last year.

Total motor vehicles assembled in ASEAN reached 1.083 million units as of end-May, 39 percent lower than the 1.782 million units manufactured in the previous year.

In terms of number of motor vehicles sold, the Philippines like most of its neighbors registered a drop in sales in the January to May period from a year ago.

In particular, the Philippines sold 69,463 units in the five month period, 51 percent lower than the 142,185 units last year.

All other ASEAN countries registered declines in motor vehicle sales except for Brunei and Myanmar.

Brunei’s motor vehicle sales went up eight percent to 5,368 units in the first five months of the year from 4,966 units in the previous year, while Myanmar’s rose 4.7 percent to 7,552 units as of end-May from 7,215 units a year ago.

Singapore saw the biggest decrease in motor vehicle sales at 53.4  percent as it sold 19,395 units in the January to May period from 41,593 units last year.

Malaysia’s motor vehicle sales fell by 49 percent to 129,561 units as of end-May from the previous year’s 253,731 units, while Indonesia’s slid 41 percent to 248,310 units from 422,497 units a year ago.

Thailand sold 270,591 motor vehicles in the five month period, shrinking 38 percent from 437,722 units last year, while Vietnam’s motor vehicle sales reached 83,181 units, a 35 percent reduction from the previous year’s 126,921 units.

Motor vehicles sold in the ASEAN as of end-May reached 833,421 units, 42 percent lower than the 1.437 million units a year ago.

Similar to its neighbors, Philippine motorcycle and scooter production also declined in the January to May period compared to  last year.

In particular, the Philippines produced 211,916 units in the five- month period, 58 percent lower than the 498,177 units made in the previous year.

Malaysia assembled 141,643 motorcycles as of end-May, down 37 percent from   224,794   a year ago, while Thailand’s motorcycle output fell  by 26 percent to 606,696 units in the five month period from last year’s 817,032 units.

The ASEAN’s total motorcycle output reached 960,255 units in the January to May period, 38 percent lower than the 1.540 million units a year ago.

All ASEAN countries covered by the AAF data also saw reduced motorcycle sales.

Motorcycle sales in the Philippines were cut by nearly half to 362,244 units as of end-May from the previous year’s 691,739 units.

Malaysia’s motorcycle sales declined by 35 percent to 145,254 units in the January to May period from 223,595 units a year ago, while Thailand’s dipped 18 percent to 606,951 units from 743,445 units last year, and Singapore’s dropped 44 percent to 4,529 units from 8,136 units in the previous year.

Total motorcycle sales in the ASEAN decreased  by 33 percent to 1.119 million units as of end-May from 1.667 million units a year ago.

Operations of automotive manufacturing facilities and dealerships in the Philippines were temporarily suspended when the government imposed an enhanced community quarantine to restrict movement to contain the spread of the virus.

While assembly and dealership operations have already resumed  with the easing of restrictions imposed by the government, Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. president Rommel Gutierrez has said the industry expects weak consumer demand for vehicles which are seen as big ticket items in the coming months as the pandemic persists.

Still, he said the industry is hopeful of seeing recovery in the fourth quarter.