Published May 11, 2021, 4:16 PM
The automotive industry posted a gargantuan 13,315 percent year-on-year increase in sales in April, the highest sales growth ever in the domestic industry’s history, but only because April 2020 was the height of the first lockdown where all businesses practically stood still.
A joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed total vehicle sales for April 2021 reached 17,843 units translating to a mammoth 13,315 percent increase from the 133 units sold in April 2020.
It could be recalled that the first enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) took effect on March 16, 2020.
Naturally, all industry segments posted positive in April compared to April 2020 sales. Commercial vehicles contributed 12,273 units with light commercial vehicles (LCVs) generating the most number of sales with 9,546 units, while the passenger segment sold 5,570 units.
BusinessWorld
January 17, 2021 | 6:15 pm
Special Features Writer
Optimism expressed by the automotive sector for 2021
The country’s automotive industry felt the grave impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic last year. Yet, with the economy gradually opening up and the industry eventually surviving the bumps from earlier months, it takes a positive outlook this year while it is set to embrace significant disruptions among consumers.
As the lockdown caused showrooms to close, the joint total vehicle sales of Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) reflected the pandemic’s impact.
The drop started in March 2020, when 11,029 units were recorded, much below 29,790 units in February. Then, in April a month after the lockdown started car sales plunged to only 133 units, apparently the lowest monthly sales output to date.
Reporter
THE LEGAL representatives of industry groups affected by safeguard duties on car imports are questioning the validity of the petition for the protection measure filed by a labor group.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) applied safeguard duties after it confirmed the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance’s (PMA) claim that employment in the industry sank after imports spiked.
The Safeguard Measures Act or Republic Act No. 8800 allows domestic producers to ask the government to conduct an investigation into their import competitors if they claim to have been injured by excessive imports.
“PMA is a national union of automotive, iron, and steel workers in electronics and electrical sectors. They do not represent the domestic industry,” Rodolf C. Britanico, the legal representative of the China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said at a conference with the Tariff Commission on Wednesday.
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TMP invested PHP4.5 billion for the logistics hub located in its 32-hectare facility near Batangas Port, the gateway to imported vehicles. (File photo by StaraBlazkova at Czech Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)
MANILA – Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) announced Saturday that it will start operations of the Batangas Vehicle Logistics Hub for imported vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2021.
TMP invested PHP4.5 billion for the logistics hub located in its 32-hectare facility near Batangas Port, the gateway to imported vehicles.
The logistics hub will be used for pre-delivery inspection and post-production installation with an annual capacity of 160,000 units.
The facility also has a stockyard that can accommodate at least 4,500 cars at a time.