Toyota thumps chest with new sales mark

For almost a quarter of a century, Toyota Motor Philippines has become the de facto gold standard within the Philippine automotive industry.

As crises happen and competitions come out all guns blazing, TMP responded by innovating and making brilliant strategic moves in introducing appealing vehicles, taking a leadership role with green products and dealing with every issue that concerns its products and services.

“Giving our customers vehicles that achieve a good balance between practicality and looks, environmental friendliness and running costs, as well as performance and comfort, endeared them to the brand,” said Raymond Rodriguez, TMP first vice president for marketing.

Rodriguez’s view was once again proven last month when TMP reported its highest June sales since the company started its operations 23 years ago—5,893 units sold.

“I believe TMP will continue this stellar performance, considering that the company has steadily sold 5,000-plus units in the past months,”

Rodriguez reported.

41 percent share

According to the most recent Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines report, this figure enabled TMP to capture 41-percent share of the market.

This feat comes a month after TMP achieved record monthly sales of 5,977 units in May 2012 (beating the previous record of 5,895 units sold in October 2011) as well as the 5,390 units sold in March 2012.

TMP president Michinobu Sugata attributes this feat to the continuing hard work of its team members and regional offices in finding ways to provide the right vehicles and serve its customers at the soonest possible time. “Our customers’ loyalty to and trust in Toyota is what drives us to do better and serve them the best way we can,” he said, adding that new model introductions this year, as well as the normalization of supply, enabled the company to fully get back on track.

RECORD TRACK

5,977 units sold  in May 2012

5,895 October 2011

5,893 June 2012

5,623 December 2010

5,390 March 2012

5,096 June 2010

29,400 units

On a year-to-date basis, TMP has further widened its gap with competitors after selling 29,400 units, in the process capturing 40 percent of market share.

Compared with last year’s YTD total sales performance for the first semester, the manufacturer experienced a growth rate of 18 percent.

The Vios remained TMP’s best-selling model as well as the leading model in the Passenger Car segment in terms of overall sales—a total of 1,997 units, or 47 percent market share.

Fresh off a stellar milestone performance during the month of May, the Vios surpassed its previous best and achieved its highest monthly total yet with 1,585 units sold.

Top spot

In the country’s commercial vehicle segment, Toyota continues to maintain its top spot for the month of June thanks to the strong performance of the Innova, Avanza and Fortuner models.

This enabled TMP to capture 41 percent of the CV segment in June.

In a statement, Sugata announced that it is pleased with his team’s performance in the past months. “It is great to end the first semester with record-breaking sales milestones. This success is a true testament to our customers’ trust and loyalty to the brand.”

Sugata said that TMP even held the Toyota Fest Promo from July 5 to July 16 to show the company’s appreciation. This grand nationwide showroom activity entitled buyers to big savings and exclusive offers that made owning a Toyota more affordable than ever.

In coming up with this promo, Sugata said TMP hoped to have more customers drive home a new Toyota and enjoy the Sure Advantage of owning one.