Subaru, Audi and Mitsubishi reported their best sales performances during the first four months of the year. Motor Image Pilipinas Inc. (Mipi), the exclusive distributor of Subaru brand of vehicles in the Philippines, registered a record-breaking 94-percent growth after selling 577 units, compared to the 297 units sold in the same period of last year.
Subaru sales in March reached an all-time high of 236 units thanks to the brisk performance of the XV compact SUV and the recently launched all-new Forester (this figure broke the previous 188 sales record established a year ago).
“In terms of both sales and network expansion, 2013 is an exciting year for Mipi and Subaru here in the Philippines. I am very optimistic that our business will flourish considering we have a exciting and expanding product line up as well as 11 sales touch point all over the Philippines by the end of this year,” said Mipi GM Michael Ramon Luyun.
Surpassing targets
Audi likewise surpassed its initial targets in the Philippines this year, achieving a 28 percent year on year growth from 2012. This growth is mainly driven by new entry-level models introduced early this year. “The debut of our new Audi Q3 luxury compact SUV and A1 5-door premium Sportback ushers a new phase for the Audi brand in the country because for the first time, we have a model below P2 million,” said Audi Philippines sales director Lito Jose.
Jose believed that buyers appreciated the fact that the winning technologies present in the other more premium Audi models could also be found in the Q3 and A1.
The sales success of the Audi in the Philippines takes its cue from the worldwide performance of the brand when it achieved a 11.7 percent growth last year after delivering approximately 1.45 million units worldwide.
Audi, currently the No. 2 premium brand in the world, is aiming to become market leader by 2020. To realize this, Audi will invest 11 billion euros ($14.3 billion) by 2015 to increase production and widen its model lineup in pursuit of BMW (to push growth, Audi is expanding a plant in Hungary and opening a new factory later in 2013 in Foshan, China).
On a similar note, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) closed the first quarter of the year by recording an impressive double digit growth of 21.7 percent.
MMPC was able to sell 10,016 units, compared to 8,230 units sold during the same period last year, thanks to the continuing market demand for the Montero Sport SUV and the Mirage compact hatch.
Second best-seller
This figure also enabled MMPC to enjoy a 24-percent market share, more than enough to make the brand the second best-seller in the country, according to the combined reports of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturer of the Philippines and Trucks Manufacturer Association.
Year-to-date sales of Mitsubishi cars totaled 2,172 units—a 587.3-percent surge when compared to 316 units sold during the same quarter last year—thanks to the introduction of the Lancer EX 1.6 compact sedan and the Mirage.
Demand for the Mirage, which took the third spot in the list of best-selling passenger cars in the country, is expected to continue after it was awarded Car of the Year for 2012-2013 by the Car Awards Group Inc.
Helping MMPC to further strengthen its hold of other segments include the Montero Sports, which sold a total of 3,345 units (up by 17.6 percent). Helping the Montero Sport are the L300, Adventure and Strada, which all are included in the top 10 best-selling light commercial models for the first quarter of 2013.
“We are truly delighted about our first quarter sales performance and how the total industry is growing. The increasing industry trend provides us confidence of meeting or even surpassing the target volume for this year,” said MMPC EVP for marketing Taizo Furuhashi.
Furuhashi added that it was very encouraging to register double-digit growth now that the company is celebrating its 50th year in the country. “We are confident that given an improved supply, new model introduction and upgrades and exciting campaigns slated for the coming months, MMPC will be able to keep its positive streak and maintain to be one of the top automotive brands in the country.”