Philippine Auto Industry grows 26.62% in 2022, logs 372,083 sales

Philippine auto sales for 2022 blasted past the previous year with a 26.62% increase year-on-year to 372,083 units. This is based on the consolidated reports from CAMPI, TMA, PADA, and independent distributors.

Commercial vehicles (which include SUVs, MPVs, pick-ups, crossovers, trucks, and buses) further increased their share of the market with 76.28%, registering 283,837 units; passenger car sales totaled 88,428 units to take the remaining 23.72%. This follows the global shift of consumer preference towards SUVs; it is worthy of note that this is the first time the split between commercial and passenger vehicles was this pronounced.

Key legislation benefitting the auto industry was the passing of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) which gives incentives to electrified vehicles pushing for lower to zero-emission vehicles as well as improving EV charging infrastructure network.

"The new motor vehicle sales of 37,259 units in December was the highest monthly performance recorded, which contributed to achieving its full-year sales of 352,596 units. With this, CAMPI-TMA sales alone have exceeded the total industry sales forecast of 336,000 units – strong evidence that the industry has recovered from the impact of the pandemic and other external challenges,” said Atty. Rommel Gutierrez, CAMPI president.

Top 5 Brands

Toyota continued its market dominance with a 46.56% market share with 173,244 units sold. Toyota sales grew 34,79% from the previous year's 129,101 units. 

Mitsubishi Motors improved its second-place standing with 53,211 units compared to its 2021 total of 37,548 units sold. With a new vibrant CEO leading the brand, they achieved a strong 41.71% growth.

Ford maintained its third overall position from the previous year, with a total of 24,710 units compared to its 20,005 units total sales in 2021. The American automaker’s sales increased by 23.52% capturing 7% of the market.

Nissan stayed in fourth, its 21,222 unit total was 8.26% more than its previous year’s 19,603 unit total; putting a stop to its sales slump for the past two years.

Suzuki stays fifth, just missing the 20,000 unit mark with 19,942 units sold, They posted a very modest 2.83% increase compared to 19,391 units sold in 2021.

6-10

Isuzu further improved its standing in sixth with a 22.29% increase in sales; the company sold 17,639 units against 14,424 units from the previous year. Strong demand for its business-oriented vehicles has continued to drive the brand ahead, allowing Isuzu to capture 4.9% of the market.

Honda stayed seventh with 13,923 units sold compared to 12,680 units in 2021 for a 9.80% increase.

Geely continues its momentum with 9,302 units, as it approaches the five-digit annual sales mark. Geely also advanced to 8th in the standings. The Chinese brand continues to gain local acceptance as it saw a strong surge of 52.39% from its 2021 performance of 6,104 units.

MG's sales total slid down to 9th with 8,858 units sold in 2022, up 39.65% from the previous year. They missed their 12,000-unit sales target by nearly 27%.

Kia saw itself back in the Top 10 with 5,012 units sold. This was a strong 33.72% increase compared to 3,748. They do have to work harder in 2023 to keep their place with Hyundai only having restarted its presence in the market in late 2022 with the Koreans officially taking the helm of the brand.

Auto sales in 2022 can be considered limited due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage affecting the global auto industry resulting in production delays. Pandemic-related work stoppages have also significantly hampered production schedules in many production facilities.

The Russia-Ukraine war which has been ongoing for nearly a year has also impacted the global auto industry. The supply chain has been significantly affected by export disruption from both countries; fuel cost has also shot up increasing the cost of production and logistics - driving up car prices. 

Ukraine also supplies about 50% of the noble gases used in chip production, further compounding the already strained supply chain. Russia meanwhile supplies 40% of palladium used in catalytic converters globally.

Top 3 Premium Brands

BMW remained on top of the premium segment, selling 1,160 units, continuing its momentum with a 34.73% increase from 2021's 861 unit total.

Lexus maintained its second place in the premium segment driven by strong sales with a 51.76% increase to 862 units from 568 the previous year, the solo Japanese premium player extended its margin by over 100 units ahead of Mercedes-Benz in third.

Mercedes-Benz placed third with 738 passenger vehicles sold against 2021’s 566 units, a 30.39% improvement.

Top 5 Truck Brands

Isuzu continued to dominate commercial truck sales with 4,680 units, they took the lead in the Light Truck (Cat III) and Category IV Truck/Bus sub-segments. This represented a modest 5.71% increase from 4,427 units sold in 2021.

Hino stays second with a 2,771 cumulative total, with a nearly flat 1.5% increase from its 2,729 unit total the previous year. Hino however managed to snatch the top spot in the Category V Truck/Bus sub-segment from Isuzu. Foton remained in third with 1,278 units, a decline of 18.86% from 1,575 units the previous year. Fuso advanced to fourth with 1,231 units sold, a very impressive 38.63% increase from 888 units the previous year. Hyundai Truck & Bus fell down to 5th with 338 units sold, a sharp 64% drop compared to 2021's 936 units. 

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Key Movers in 2022

The top performers in 2022 were Peugeot and Changan, both growing more than 200% in sales. Peugeot is now under a joint venture with Spanish conglomerate Astara, posting a 285.09% growth to 620 units. Changan, with auto industry iron lady Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo personally taking the reins, saw an expansion of its dealership network and the introduction of new models resulting in a 220.83% jump to sell 1,230 units against 557 in 2021.

Top-runners Toyota and Mitsubishi also saw significant gains, Toyota improved their sales by 34.19%, selling 44,143 more vehicles to sell a total of 173,244 units. Mitsubishi saw its sales leap by 41.71% to a total of 53,211 units. 

Subaru posted significant gains in 2022 credited much to supply availability as SUV-hungry customers quickly snapped up their inventory pushing for 75.46% year-on-year gains. Geely continued its forward momentum with a 52.39% increase as it sold 9,302 units in 2022 and set a target for the 5-digit sales mark in 2023.

The premium segment saw further gains as affluent car buyers addressed their wants with new car purchases. BMW posted a strong 34.73% gain, selling 1,160 vehicles. Lexus saw a 51.58% sales spike, moving 861 units out of their showroom. Mercedes-Benz saw a 30.39% improvement with 738 units sold.

AC Motors brands Kia and Volkswagen saw further gains in 2022, VW advanced 36.96%, while Kia's sales volume accelerated by 33.72%.

Brands that saw a serious sales slump in 2022 were Chevrolet, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, Hyundai, JAC, Mahindra, Ssangyong, and Tata. Chevrolet continued its downtrend as sales declined by 30.62% to 573 units; the bowtie brand has since bowed out of nearly all its ASEAN markets except the Philippines with only 8 dealers left. Dodge, Jeep, and Ram sales saw a 30.65% decline attributed heavily to supply issues. Hyundai saw a restart of its local distributorship under its South Korean principal, its sales saw a 71.36% beating compared to 2021. JAC Motor saw its sales drop by 51%; Mahindra's 64.8% sales decline was attributed to supply issues; Ssangyong took a 30% hit as ownership of its principal affected brand perception; and Tata's sales also declined by 43.18%.

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The industry remains optimistic for 2023 as increased economic activity is expected to continue its course. Manufacturers have started to increase production outlook which is expected to augment the supply of popular vehicle models to meet the demand of buyers. The auto industry is expected to grow between 15-20% this year.

“The continued expansion of the economy and creation of new jobs and opportunities is just as important as ensuring that no pandemic disruption occurs anew this year. Nonetheless, the industry will continue to capitalize on the growing market demand for new motor vehicles,” Atty. Gutierrez added.

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Ferrari, Maserati, and PGA Cars (Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Porsche) declined to release their 2022 sales figures; and are not included in the total volume.