Toyota Vios, Innova Most Popular Vehicles in 2009

The Toyota Vios was the best-selling car in 2009, accounting for almost a quarter of the 46,021 vehicles sold by top auto maker Toyota.

Preliminary data from Toyota showed that 11,981 units of its locally-assembled sedan were sold last year.

Toyota’s van, the Innova, also assembled in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, was the second biggest seller with 10,311 units sold in 2009.

All in all, the two models accounted for nearly half of Toyota’s sales in the Philippines last year.

Including the sales of Toyota’s luxury brand, Lexus, which sold 172 units last year, the Japanese car maker sold a total of 46,193 units in 2009.

Toyota accounted for nearly a third of the industry’s sales of new vehicles for last year, but has been losing share to the likes of Honda and Mitsubishi as well as Korean and Chinese auto makers.

The company ended 2008 with 38.2 percent of local new-vehicle sales, up from 36.9 percent in 2007.

Preliminary estimates give Toyota 34.9 percent market share in 2009.

Earlier, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. said it aimed to grow sales by 4 percent this year, to 132,000 units, on increased demand for new vehicles sustained by remittances from abroad and the stable financing environment.

The chamber’s president, Elizabeth Lee, said during the group’s yearend briefing that the automotive industry exceeded its sales target of 125,000 units for 2009 by 2,000 units.

“We grew 2.3 percent in 2009. The strong sales started in September and the trend was sustained up to December.,’’ Lee said.

“A faster replacement rate due to typhoon Ondoy, sustained remittances, and the stable financing environment coupled with aggressive marketing by dealerships helped boost industry sales amid the difficult environment.’’’

by Elaine R. Alanguilan
Manila Standard Today

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