Montero

MANILA, Philippines -- The Mitsubishi Montero Sport continues to lead the SUVs in the local market, that’s according to the sales figures of Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corp. which recorded 4,115 units sold in the first four months of 2011. The Montero Sport, which was introduced to the Philippine market in 2008, has sold a total of 25,832 units. The Montero Sport topped the SUV category in 2009 and 2010.

The Montero Sport’s impressive sales performance has been recognized in the Mitsubishi world, with sales of 1,378 units in 2008, after it was introduced in the local market only in September of that year. In 2009, Mitsubishi’s bestseller sold 8,092 units, and in 2010, there were 12,247 units sold.

Another bestseller model of MMPC is the Strada pickup which was introduced to the local market in September 2006, and has sold a total of 13,488 units. The Strada held on to the title of No. 1 in the 4x4 pickup category in 2007, 2008 and 2010. In 2010, 3,978 units of the Strada were sold.

In the first four months of the year, MMPC recorded a 7.4 percent growth with a total of 10,945 units sold. The company increased its sales in several industry categories. In the light commercial vehicles (LCV) category, Mitsubishi increased by 9.3 percent with 10,238 units sold, and in the trucks segment, its Fuso truck sales also increased by 72 percent.

Cornering 22.8 percent market share, MMPC keeps its rank as the second best-selling automotive brand in the country, based on reports from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association.

In a press statement, MMPC said “this favorable performance is due to the strong demand of its best seller models such as the Montero Sport and Strada pick up models which recently had its upgrade with the variable geometry turbo technology which has significantly improved its performance and value for money proposition.”

Sales of the Adventure and L300 models, which are both locally produced, were sustained by the summer high-season trend. “Adventure sales increased by 18.4 percent with sales of 2,469 units while the L300 sales also increased by 13.2 percent with 1,972 units sold,” the MMPC statement disclosed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hikosaburo Shibata, the new MMPC president and CEO, commented on the “limited effects on MMPC’s production” of the East Japan earthquake on Japanese automakers. “The parts shortage in Japan brought about by the devastating earthquake and tsunami last month has less impact on us especially for our CKD models such as the Adventure and L300 which comprises 40 percent of our total sales.”

He explained that the Adventure and L300 which are produced in MMPC’s Cainta plant have high local content of more than 50 percent.

“And for CBU models coming from Thailand, so far we are getting continuous supply,” Mr. Shibata added. MMPC imports the Montero and Strada from Thailand. Both models contribute around 50 percent to MMPC sales.