Toyota Philippines Posts Record Sales of 45,915 Units in 2008

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP), the country’s largest car manufacturer, announced yesterday that it recorded an all-time high sales of 45,915 units in 2008 despite the general slowdown in global consumer demand.

“Aside from recording an all-time high sales of 45,915 units since the start of our operations, we have also captured our 7th consecutive triple crown, number one in passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and overall sales,” Raymond Rodriguez, TMP’s First Vice President for Vehicle Sales said in a statement.

“We have also experienced an upward trend market share towards the last two months of 2008. Our November and December shares posted highest for the year at 42.2 percent and 39.6 percent respectively due to the strong sales of our Vios, Innova, Fortuner, Avanza, Hilux and Camry models, which are all leaders in their respective segments,” he added. Read more

Toyota Upbeat on Lexus Sales Despite Crunch

Targeting just 1 percent of the population, Toyota Motor Corp. recently brought in to the Philippines five models of its luxury brand Lexus with a price range of P2.9 million to P8.2 million.

Even with the difficult economic situation, Daniel Isla, president of the newly created Toyota subsidiary Lexus Manila Inc., said the company is confident of doing well in its initial year of operations in the country by selling 200 to 300 units.

“The luxury market will not be severely affected during the financial crisis, not as compared with the volume segment,” Isla told the BusinessMirror at the sidelines of the grand inauguration of the Lexus Manila Inc. facility at the North Bonifacio in Taguig. Read more

Toyota to Bring Hybrid Cars to the Philippines

The Philippines needs it.

Akira Okabe, senior managing director of Toyota Motor Corp., affirmed the giant car manufacturer’s commitment to bring energy-efficient and environment-friendly vehicles to the Philippines.

While Okabe would not reveal the timetable for the Philippine introduction of Toyota’s hybrids – including the Toyota Prius and the high-end Lexus hybrids – he said developing countries like the Philippines need hybrid vehicles that will meet the country’s growing transport needs as well as environmental demands such as lower carbon dioxide emissions. Read more

No Suspension of Production for Toyota Philippines

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) said yesterday they will not suspend local production despite a decision of Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) to suspend production at all of its Japanese plants for 11 days between February and March in response to a slump in sales.

“We have no plans as of now to suspend operation. Japan operation is a separate and independent matter,” TMP vice president for Corporate Affairs Rommel T. Gutierrez said in a telephone interview.

Yesterday, TMC announced that it will suspend production at all of its Japanese plants for a total of 11 days in January, February and March because of low global demand as a result of the global financial crisis. Read more

Toyota Tops After-Sales Customer-Satisfaction Study

Toyota Motor Phils. (TMP) ranked number one in customer satisfaction with regards to after-sales service in authorized dealerships, according to the J.D. Power Asia-Pacific 2008 Philippines Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) study that was conducted in September.

J.D. Power Asia-Pacific General Manager for Philippines Taku Kimoto presented the award to TMP President Hiroshi Ito during the company’s customer service committee meeting held on November 28, TMP revealed in a statement.

TMP scored 843 points, six points above industry average. Read more

British Research Firm Bullish on RP Vehicle Mart

PHILIPPINE auto sales may grow at a rate that is higher than what the local industry expects, according to a new study by the Business Monitor International Ltd.

The study also indicated that the relatively unserved market segments would boost growth prospects for 2009.

The London-based market research firm said sales could grow by 8 percent, to more than 127,000 units. The projected growth rate, however, is lower than the 18.3 percent posted in 2007.

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association said they were expecting to sell only 125,000 units this year, or a growth rate of 6 percent. Read more

Toyota Phils Not Poised to Undertake Major Investments in 2009

Market leader Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) is only looking at equaling its 2008 performance for next year and is not expected to undertake new major investments.

This, as car companies in the country are said to be “cautiously optimistic” of industry prospects in 2009, projecting a 2-percent to 4-percent growth in sales volume.

Elizabeth Lee, president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi), said the industry is aiming for a high of 130,000-unit sales volume for 2009. This will be 4-percent higher than the estimated 125,000 units that Campi is expecting to sell this year. Read more

Toyota Philippines Forecasts Zero Growth in 2009

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), the largest automotive seller in the country, expects a zero growth rate in car sales next year as a result of the expected drop in global demand for cars.

“We will have flat growth for next year,” TMP vice president for corporate affairs group Rommel T. Gutierrez told The STAR in an interview. Read more

Toyota Philippines Launches Face-Lifted RAV4

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) Corporation announces the launch of the new and improved 2008 RAV4.

The enhancements of the compact SUV aims to further strengthen Toyota’s position as the number one automotive company in the country and in the Commercial Vehicle (CV) segment.

The new 2008 RAV4 is still equipped by the powerful yet fuel efficient 2.4-liter VVT-I engine, as acquired from the 2006 model. Both the 4WD and 2WD variants are hauled with a maximum output of 170ps/6,000rpm and maximum torque of 224Nm/4,000rpm. Read more

Toyota to Focus on Boosting CKD in 2009

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) announced over the weekend that it is strengthening the local completely knocked down (CKD) segment in the country.

“We are going to focus on CKDs,” TMP vice president Rommel T. Gutierrez told The Star in an interview.

According to him, this would be the focus of the car company’s initiative next year. Read more