Vehicle sales rose 9 percent in the first quarter of the year despite a 21 percent slump in March from February.
A joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and Truck Manufacturers Association released yesterday showed sales in January to March stood at 70,312 units from 64,542 units in the same period in 2020.
March sales, which totalled 20,702 units represented a 89-percent increase from 11,029 units in the same month in 2020, the start of the strict lockdown due to the new coronavirus disease 2019.
But last month’s sales are 21 percent lower than the 26,230 units sold in February.
Rommel Gutierrez, Campi president, in a statement said the sales decline was due to the double blow faced by the industry: the imposition of provisional safeguard duty and the enhanced community quarantine that limited mobility and restricted automotive operations anew in the national capital region and nearby provinces.
“The automotive industry felt the slowdown in sales due to the reluctance of buyers with the additional deposit for some imported vehicles because of the provisional safeguard duty. The lockdown also forced dealers to close operations that badly hit the already struggling auto industry”, Gutierrez said. – Irma Isip
