Slow start: Philippine car sales down 10% in January
New cars on a truck car carrier
MANILA, Philippines — Automotive sales in the Philippines sputtered at the start of 2026, falling 10 percent year-on-year in January as the industry cooled from December’s record-setting surge during the holiday buying rush.
A total of 35,053 units were sold in January, based on joint data released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) on Wednesday.
The figure was also 26-percent lower than December’s 47,371 units, the highest monthly sales since 2017.
READ: Philippine car sales hit new record in 2025
Campi president Jose Maria Atienza said the decline was “expected” following the year-end rush. But he expressed optimism that sales would recover in the coming months and eventually meet the 500,000-unit target for 2026.
“When market seasonality adjustment is factored in, January sales level aligns with the steady pace observed during the second half of last year,” the chamber said.
In 2025, total vehicle sales reached a record 491,395 units, falling just 8,605 units short of the 500,000 target.
EV a ‘bright spot’
Among major segments, passenger cars posted the steepest drop, falling 20.1 percent to 6,178 units from 7,729 a year earlier.
Commercial vehicles remained the dominant segment with 27,518 units sold, despite a 7.9-percent decline.
Light-duty trucks and buses were the only subsegment to post growth, rising 21.7 percent to 605 units.
Fuel-powered vehicles continued to account for the bulk of sales at 33,696 units, compared with 2,610 electric vehicles (EVs) sold in January.
Still, Campi described the EV market as a “bright spot,” with sales surging 63.1 percent from 1,600 units a year earlier.
“Despite decline in both the passenger and commercial vehicle main categories, Campi sees a bright spot in the continuous growth in the electrified segment,” the chamber said.
Hybrid EVs led the category with 2,072 units sold. Plug-in hybrid EVs followed with 277 units, a sharp increase from just nine units in January 2025, while battery EVs accounted for 261 units.
READ: Electric vehicles gain steam in PH
Top brands
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. retained its market lead with 16,346 units sold, or nearly half of total industry sales in January.
READ: Toyota cautious but open to gov’t EV incentives
Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation ranked second with 7,003 units, equivalent to a 20.78-percent market share.
Rounding out the top five were Suzuki Philippines Inc. with 1,646 units (4.88 percent), Nissan Philippines Inc. with 1,589 units (4.72 percent) and Ford Motor Company Philippines Inc. with 1,272 units (3.77 percent).
In the EV segment, Toyota sold the most hybrid units at 1,429. Jetour Auto Philippines Inc. led the plug-in hybrid segment with 121 units, while Nissan Philippines topped battery EV sales with 54 units.
Campi and TMA said their combined members accounted for 33,696 units of the January total. INQ
