Toyota Philippines Forecasts 8% Sales Growth in 2010
Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) Corp. is eyeing a modest 8 percent increase in sales this year to 50,000 units from 46,193 units in 2009 on positive economic signs in the automotive market and the launch of new models this year including new hybrid cars to beef up its existing fleet.
Newly-appointed TMP President Michinobu Sugata told reporters during the company’s annual Media Thanksgiving Party on Friday of the encouraging positive signs of the local automotive market this year.
“There are many positive signs in the auto market,” said Sugata.
For one, he said, Asia including the Philippines was not hit by the global financial crisis and the automotive sector has shown recovery since October last year.
Growth this year is also anchored on robust sales of the company’s two CKD vehicle models: Innova and Vios.
TMP has introduced a tougher version of the country’s best-selling commercial vehicle, the Innova Sport Runner. All the passenger car-like comfort offered by the Toyota Innova is packed in this new variant, with an improved sportier exterior.
The Innova SR is available in 2.5-liter diesel manual and automatic transmissions at P999,000 and P1.064 million, respectively.
The new variant is expected to solidify Innova’s position as the country’s best selling multi-purpose vehicle, which has been consistently selling 900 units a month since its 2005 introduction.
Its passenger car Vios is also the best seller in its class averaging 1,000 units a month. Sugata said there is no plan yet to add more CKD models saying they are concentrating on the assembly of Innova and Vios.
The Japanese car company assembled 22,000 unit vehicles last year at its Sta. Rosa, Laguna plant, which has a full production capacity of 25,000 units.
Sugata also said the company is going to introduce more hybrid cars this year. Last year, the company sold 20 units of its hybrid car Prius and expecting to sell the same number of vehicles this year. “I want as many customers as possible to experience Prius,” said Sugata.
Sugata, who served Toyota Motor Thailand for three years and Toyota Motor Asia Pacific in Singapore for year prior to his TMP appointment, said that the sale of the expensive hybrid vehicles needs government support.
By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT, Manila Bulletin
Related posts:
