PHL auto sales rebound in May

EVEN WITH the US-Iran war in full swing last May, local auto sales registered a hefty rebound, per the consolidated report from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA).

Versus April, total May sales hiked by 24% to reach 33,532 units. Factoring in non-CAMPI-TMA firms, total sales are estimated at 35,200 units, a 6.9% increase from the previous month.

Seasonality came into play in the most recent results, according to CAMPI President Jose Ma. “Jing” Atienza, along with a sales uptick in xEVs or electrified vehicles as the “focus shifted (to) energy efficiency,” in view of high fuel prices at the pump.

“We continue to observe expanding demand for various types of xEVs, with cumulative January-to-May sales already doubling versus last year. xEVs now account for 18% of the total market, up by nine (percentage) points from the previous year. The accelerating growth trend is only held back by availability constraints resulting from the sudden surge in demand,” he continued.

The executive also said that “more stable fuel prices” also buoyed demand for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. May ICE sales grew by 32% against April. “Our overall market outlook has improved with actual vehicle sales performing better than previously expected despite the fuel crisis,” Mr. Atienza added.

CAMPI-TMA firms leading sales in May are Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) with 17,076 units sold; Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) with 5,415; Suzuki Philippines, Inc. (SPI) with 1,441; Ford Motor Company Philippines, Inc. (FMCPI) with 1,260; and Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) with 930 units.

From a year-to-date perspective, Toyota leads sales with 83,282 units. Completing the top five are Mitsubishi (29,786); Suzuki (7,730); Ford (6,137); and Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) with 6,073.

Total May YTD sales of 167,324 units went down by 12.1% versus the same period last year which registered 190,429 units.

Meanwhile, xEV sales declined by 4.3% month on month — from 6,297 units in April to 6,027 units in May. This is widely believed to have been caused by a scarcity of supply. Traditional hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) accounted for the most xEV sales (48.28%), followed by battery electric vehicles (BEVs) at 30.58%, then plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) at 21.14%. May YTD results show a spike in xEV movement versus the same period last year. From 10,431 xEVs sold in January to May 2025, sales jumped by 133.5% to 24,356 units.

Leading HEV sales May YTD are (in order), Toyota, Ford, Honda, MG, and Kia. PHEV sales pacers are Jetour, Geely, Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo, and Changan. BEV leaders are VinFast, Tesla, Omoda and Jaecoo, Geely, and MG. It should be noted that xEV specialist BYD is not a member of CAMPI.

In response to a question from “Velocity,” Mr. Atienza said, “We welcome the recent developments in fuel prices and look forward to sustained favorable levels from hereon. While it is too early to announce our yearend outlook at this time, we are pleased to note that demand for new cars is improving, and the trend is a lot better than initially expected.” — Kap Maceda Aguila