Vehicle Importers Group Sales Dip in 2019

Sales for Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, Inc. (AVID) have slightly dipped for the full 12 months of 2019, as compared to the same period the previous year. The group has delivered 87,984 units, which is a 0.5 decline over the 88,430 units of 2018. On a month-on-month scale, December sales for AVID grew by 12 percent to 8,089 from its 7,211 units rolled out in December the previous year. AVID President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo is elated with the rebound made by the group in December. “AVID’s performance in the last month of the year augurs well for the automotive industry as we begin the Year of the Metal Rat and the new decade. The continued easing of inflation rates, lower fuel prices, and increased government spending will only bolster sales for the group. We will complement these positive indicators with new models, value-packed service offerings, and easier ownership schemes,” she said. For 2019, the Passenger Cars (PC) segment declined by 0.5 percent from 30,876 units sold in 2018 to with 30,726 units in 2019. Hyundai sold more vehicles in the PC segment than all reporting members combined with a total of 17,761 units in 2019, followed by Suzuki Philippines 8,621 units. In December last year, PC segment climbed 5 percent in December 2019 alone with 2,608 units versus the same period in 2018. On the other hand, the Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) segment also had a 1.1 percent slide in 2019 sales from 56,999 units sold in 2018 to 56,351 units in 2019. However, sales performance of this segment increased by 16 percent in December 2019 alone with 5,362 units sold versus the same period last year. Ford leads this segment with a total of 19,993 units sold, followed by Suzuki comes after with 15,298 units and Hyundai, a close third, closely followed by Hyundai with 15,095 units sold in 2019. Meanwhile, Commercial Vehicles (CV) segment, AVID recorded a 63 percent jump in sales or a total of 907 units in 2019 versus 2018. In December alone, CV sales increased soared by 98 percent with 119 units sold versus November 2019, with the segment dominated by Hyundai Trucks and Buses.  With the approval of the P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020, and with the public works and highways department having one of the largest shares of the budget, it is expected that industry performance will gain traction in the new decade with the help from its importers bringing in more models that meet the requirements of various markets. for the Filipino people. “It is appropriate that the recent budget carries the theme ‘Continuing the journey to a more peaceful and progressive Philippines’ since it focuses on critical infrastructure, human capital development, and peace and order initiatives. AVID hopes to contribute to this aim by giving offering better mobility solutions to both public and private for both the private and business sectors,” Agudo concluded.  

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