New vehicle sales in the Philippines rose by 4% to 31,645 units in January from 30,425 units in the same month of last year, according to member data released jointly by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines and the Truck Manufacturers Association.
The data did not include some significant brands, such as Hyundai, Chevrolet and Subaru.
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The associations welcomed the positive market news, especially after the market spiked in December ahead of changes to the country's excise tax system.
The member automakers reported record combined vehicle sales of 425,673 vehicles last year, up from 359,572 units in 2016, driven by an economy that expanded by an average of 6.7% in 2017.
The market in January was driven higher by a 12.4% rise in commercial vehicle sales to 21,855 units, while passenger vehicle sales fell by almost 11% to 9,790 units.
Toyota sold an estimated 13,200 vehicles last month, based on market share data released by the associations, followed by Mitsubishi with 6,760 units; Ford 2,740 units; Honda 2,125 units; and Nissan 1,995 units.
