Automakers see continued robust PH demand

FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Members of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) unveiled new models and concept cars at the 5th Philippine International Motor Show on Thursday, as local automotive firms seek to tap the continued and robust growth in demand for vehicles in the country.

Total vehicle sales this year are even expected to reach more than 260,000 units, much higher than the forecasts made by Campi, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. president Michinobu Sugata said on the sidelines of the four-day motoring event.

This, Sugata said, was assuming that the Philippine sector will be able to generate double-digit growth consistently, as seen over the past eight months.

Campi has already raised its sales forecast this year to 250,000 units from the 230,000-unit target announced earlier this year. Last year, total automotive industry sales reached over 210,000 units.

Campi president Rommel Gutierrez noted that the 17 participating companies at the 5th PIMS are looking to maintain this “glorious” growth momentum, as members continue to be “one with the government in empowering the Philippines to greater mobility.”

Toyota Motor Philippines showcased a concept car called Toyota Fun-Vii, an electric vehicle with a LED screen for its exterior panel, while its unit, Lexus Philippines, featured the NX, the brand’s first entry into the luxury compact crossover segment. Lexus is also set to launch a sports car next year, Sugata added.

Ayala Auto Holdings Corp., meanwhile, provided Thursday a sneak preview of Golf GTI and the T5 multivan, the modern Kombi—two models that will add to the growing lineup of Volkswagen vehicles in the Philippines.

John Philip S. Orbeta, chair and president of Ayala Auto Holdings, declined to disclose any sales targets as they are still in the process of ensuring a stable supply of VW branded vehicles in the country. He, however, noted that the market reception is good, prompting the Ayala firm to open a total of four dealerships this year. The first dealership was opened earlier at the Bonifacio Global City, to be followed by the Cebu branch next week, and Quezon City and Alabang before yearend.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) gave a sneak preview of the new Outlander, which will be made available in the second quarter of next year, and formally introduced the new Pajero; the ASX, a compact SUV; and the concept GR at the motor show, said the company’s vice president for marketing services Froilan Dytianquin.

According to Dytianquin, MMPC is highly optimistic of the growth prospects, particularly for the local subcompact car segment, which is being led by the Mirage.

Columbian Manufacturing Corp., the exclusive distributor of Daewoo, showcased newly designed commuter vehicles manufactured locally. Among those unveiled were the BV115 and BS106 Daewoo bus models, and three jeep variants namely the Conqueror, Explorer and the Socialite.

Leading truck body builder Centro Manufacturing Corp. meanwhile disclosed that it is bringing into the market a locally designed and mass-produced “mikrobus,” the Mitsubishi L300 XV. Using the longer L300 FB Exceed chassis cab as its platform, Centro designed then converted it into a single-body, 17-seater L300 XV mikrobus for sale at an affordable price of less than P1 million.

“We saw the upsurge in the nationwide demand in the shuttle segment of the mass transport industry and realized that most of the reliable Japanese shuttle models have only 15 seats or less yet have price tags of over P1 million. We therefore saw the demand for a mikrobus converted from a Japanese chassis cab with over 15 seats yet costs less than P1 million. Our answer is the L300 XV as it has 17 seats (including driver) at an introductory SRP of only P898,000,” said Centro president Raphael T. Juan.

“PIMS is the perfect demonstration of the successes that the Philippine motoring industry has achieved over the years. We enjoyed double-digit growth since 2011, and we have no plans of letting up,” Gutierrez said. “We plan to maintain this momentum by doing what we do best—providing the Filipino motorists with only the best automotive products and services that suit their needs and lifestyles.”

Honda president Toshio Kuwahara, meanwhile, formally launched the Brio and the Brio Amaze, as well as presented the NSX sports car.