Rising truck demand buoys Isuzu PH

THE GROWING demand for trucks boosted the performance of Isuzu Philippines Corp. in the first five months of the year, during which it recorded a 35 percent jump in vehicle sales to 10,819 units.

In May alone, IPC saw a similar double-digit growth of 25 percent to 2,021 units compared to the 1,614 units it sold in the same month last year.

“Our year-on-year result remains solid, easily outpacing the already robust performance of the local automotive industry. The increase in deliveries of Isuzu’s commercial trucks, which compensated for the slower movement of the light commercial vehicles, is an indication both of IPC products’ relevance to the local market and of a dynamic national economy in which the transport of goods is a vital component,” IPC president Hajime Koso said in a statement.

According to IPC, sales of its light commercial vehicle line-up, which included the Isuzu Crosswind AUV, D-MAX pickup and mu-X premium SUV, rose by 34.1 percent to 8,636 units from January to May this year, compared to the only 6,441 units sold during the same period in 2015.

For May alone, IPC sold 365 units of the Crosswind, 299 units of the D-MAX and 897 units of the mu-X. The company also sold 284 units of the N-Series light-duty trucks, 128 F-Series medium-duty trucks, and 48 units of C-Series and E-Series heavy-duty trucks.