Imported car sales down 15% in Feb

Sales of imported cars contracted by 15 percent in February, data from the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors Inc. (AVID) showed.

In a report, AVID said imported car sales reached 5,401 units during the month, down from the 6,342 units sold in the same month last year.

Sales of passenger cars fell by 23 percent to 1,518 units from 1,982 units.

Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) likewise went down by 13 percent to 3,728 units from 4,299 units while commercial vehicle sales went up to 155 units from 61 units. Also included under LCVs are sports utility vehices.

Sales last month, however, went up by 3 percent from the 5,262 units sold in January.
AVID attributed the growth to the increased sales in passenger cars.

Year-to-date imported car sales dropped by 10 percent to 10,663 units from 11,890 units last year due to the decline in passenger and light commercial vehicle sales.

Sales of commercial vehicles, however, grew by 217 percent to 273 units from 86 units in 2020.

“AVID ended 2020 on a high note. And while we acknowledge that recovery will not come quickly, we remain focused on taking ‘baby steps’ at all fronts of our respective businesses and count on government to heed our call for a more comprehensive, long-term approach to reopening the economy by creating more job opportunities, upgrading infrastructure and logistics, and improving the ease and cost of doing business,” AVID President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo said.