The Philippine automotive market struggled to entice consumers to purchase new cars in January to July mainly due to geopolitical tensions, but its performance in the previous month gave the sector a much-needed shot in the arm.
Data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed that vehicle sales reached 241,725 units in the seven-month period, down 10.2 percent from 269,207 units a year earlier.
Car companies heaved a sigh of relief in July, however, as Campi-TMA members sold 37,319 vehicles during the month, just a tad below the 38,295 units recorded in July 2025 and 0.6 percent higher than June’s 37,079 units.
‘With this…growth, the industry is riding on a good momentum. We are hopeful that the positive trend will continue for the remainder of the year,’ Campi President Jose Maria Atienza said.
Despite the July improvement, most vehicle categories recorded weaker sales compared with last year. Passenger car sales fell 11 percent to 47,856 units from 53,767 units. The segment accounted for 19.8 percent of total industry sales.
Sales of commercial vehicles, which accounted for 80.20 percent of the market, declined 10 percent to 193,869 units from 215,440 units.
Within the commercial vehicle segment, Asian utility vehicles and multipurpose vehicles posted a 7.9-percent drop to 43,706 units from 47,452 units. Light commercial vehicles slid 10.4 percent to 144,652 units from 161,388 units.
Light-duty trucks and buses plunged 14.2 percent to 3,388 units from 3,948 units, while medium-duty trucks and buses dropped 12.3 percent to 1,770 units from 2,019 units.
Heavy-duty trucks and buses saw the sharpest contraction, with sales plunging 44.2 percent to 353 units from 633 units a year earlier.
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. led Campi-TMA member brands in July with 17,797 units. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. followed with 6,271 units, while Suzuki Philippines Inc. recorded 1,689 units.
Electric performance
The clearer shift in the market was in electrified vehicles (xEVs), with sales continuing to expand rapidly even as the overall market remained below last year’s level.
Sales of xEVs-covering battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)-reached 38,286 units in January to July, 136.4 percent higher than the 16,195 units sold in the same period last year.
Their share of total industry sales consequently more than doubled to 15.84 percent from 6.02 percent.
July alone accounted for 7,086 xEV sales, up 161.8 percent from 2,707 units a year earlier and 3.6 percent higher than June’s 6,843 units.
Atienza said xEVs accounted for 29.5 percent of the market in July, up 18 percentage points from the same month last year.
‘The shift to electrification continues to accelerate, with xEVs accounting for 29.5 percent of the market last July. This is up 18 points from same month last year,’ he said.
HEVs remained the largest electrified-vehicle segment for the seven-month period, with sales rising 55.9 percent to 20,716 units from 13,290 units.
BEV sales, meanwhile, jumped 300.3 percent to 10,476 units from 2,617 units, while PHEV sales surged 2,363.2 percent to 7,094 units from just 288 units.
For July alone, HEVs accounted for 41.83 percent of xEV sales, followed by BEVs at 35.56 percent and PHEVs at 22.61 percent.
The figures cover BEVs, HEVs and PHEVs recognized by the Department of Energy as of August 10.