More than 39,000 vehicles added to PH roads in August

Over 39,000 vehicles were added to Philippine roads in August, largely driven by commercial vehicle sales during the month, data released by local manufacturers on Tuesday showed.

A joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMI) showed that total new motor vehicles for the month stood at 39,155 units.

This is 0.4% lower than the 39,331 units sold in July, and 6.7% higher than the 36,699 units sold in August 2023.

Commercial vehicles continued to account for 75.66% of the sales for the month with 29,626 units, while passenger car sales stood at 24.34% or 9,529 units.

Sales of Asian utility vehicles (SUVs) stood at 6,829 units, light commercial vehicles at 21,812 units, light-duty trucks and buses at 628 units, medium-duty trucks and buses at 312, and heavy-duty trucks and buses at 45 units.

Year-to-date sales were recorded at 304,765 units, reflecting a 10.3% increase from the 276,200 units sold in January to August of 2023.

CAMPI earlier said it expects sales to grow by 9% to 468,000 units this year, from the 429,807 units sold in 2023. It also said this might increase to 500,000 as the group hosts the Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) this year. —VAL, GMA Integrated News