AUTOMOBILE SALES notched another record high in November, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) reported on Wednesday, adding that the latest tally brought the entire industry closer to a 410,000-unit sales projection for the entire year.

CAMPI-TMA data showed vehicle sales totaling 34,465 units for November alone, up 10.3% from the 31,258 units sold a year ago.

The 11 months to November saw both groups selling 336,226 units, 3.27% more than the year-ago 325,569 sales.

Commercial vehicle sales, which contributed 72.29% to the total in November, grew 12.9% year-on-year to 24,914 units, while passenger cars, which accounted for 27.71%, increased by 3.8% to 9,551 vehicles.

Year-to-date, commercial vehicle sales, which contributed 70.27% to the total, went up 4.7% to 236,275 units, while passenger cars, which made up 29.73%, edged up just 0.1% to 99,951 vehicles.

The groups said in a news release that the nearly flat 0.2% month-on-month increase from October’s 34,397 units sold “is still a positive sign of… sustained demand” and that November saw “the highest monthly sales for the industry so far this year.”

It was also the second straight month that CAMPI and TMA posted record-high sales, they added.

“We are continuously working double time to achieve the industry’s overall sales target of 410,000 units which we believe remains achievable,” the release quoted CAMPI President Rommel R. Gutierrez as saying.

CAMPI and TMA account for 89% of the projection, while the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors, Inc. accounts for 11%. — JPI

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