MANILA – Sales of vehicle importers in the country continued to post growth in July after the easing of the community quarantine measures in Metro Manila and other areas in the past months.
The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) reported Monday that its vehicle sales in July 2020 increased by 38 percent to 5,100 units from 3,697 units in June this year.
Sales of passenger cars in July improved by 47 percent to 1,764 units from 1,199 units in June.
Light commercial vehicle sales also went up by 35 percent to 3,317 units last month from June’s sales of 2,462 units.
On the other hand, commercial vehicle sales decreased by 47 percent to 19 units in July from 36 units in June.
“The entire industry is undergoing rapid digital transformation to meet the evolving needs of consumers, employing innovative and disruptive selling tactics to win back customers, and the agility to adapt to a more complex and unpredictable business environment,” said AVID President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo.
However, the seven-month sales of AVID declined by 50.9 percent to 24,607 units this year from 50,151 units in January to July 2019 period.
For the same period, passenger cars’ sales dropped 55 percent to 7,890 units this year from 17,701 units last year.
Sales of light commercial vehicles plunged by 48 percent to 16,561 units from January to July 2020 from 31,873 units in the same period in 2019.
Commercial vehicle sales also decreased by 73 percent to 156 units this year from 577 units in the previous year.
“Given that we have already bottomed out in the first semester, we believe the second half of the year will be better assuming there are no further lockdowns past August 18. We understand the government’s decision to shift back to MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) since we need to prioritize lives over livelihood. We anticipated such scenarios and are therefore prepared to adapt and respond, keeping in mind the needs and safety of our customers,” Agudo said. (PNA)
