Phl remains laggard in auto, motorcycle production in Asean

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines remains Southeast Asia’s laggard in terms of motor vehicle and motorcycle production, according to latest data from the ASEAN Automotive Federation (AAF).

Statistics show the Philippines manufactured 23,105 motor vehicles from January to April this year, down 2.4 percent from 23,679 units last year.

The number of vehicles produced by the Philippines for the period was the lowest among the five Southeast Asian countries with assembly operations.

Thailand manufactured 891,960 motor vehicles, Indonesia assembled 388,883 units, Malaysia produced 196,778 units and Vietnam had 25,744 units during the same four-month period.

By sales, Philippine motor vehicle sales for the period reached 56,586 units, 26 percent higher than the 44,912 units sold last year.

This figure, likewise, was below Thailand’s 522,929 units, Indonesia’s 398,108 units and Malaysia’s 210,153 units.

However, the country sold more motor vehicles for the period compared to Vietnam’s 28,653 units.

In terms of production of motorcycles and scooters, the Philippines saw the number of assembled units rise more than a fourth to 210,266 units as of end-April compared to 166,183 units in the same period the previous year.

Despite the year-on-year increase, the country still had lower numbers compared to most of its peers.

Indonesia, the top producer of motorcycles and scooters in the region for the period, assembled 2.649 million units while Thailand, which came in second, made 764,395 units.

The Philippines beat Malaysia though, which produced 170,548 units for the four-month period.

Philippine sales of motorcycles and scooters in the January to April period reached 216,363 units, up slightly from 215,034 units sold a year ago.

The country’s sales were again much smaller than Indonesia’s 2.631 million units and Thailand’s 718,098 units, but higher than Malaysia’s 176,231 units.

The AAF which was first established in 1976, seeks to promote automotive market integration, growth, cooperation, as well as investments in the ASEAN region.

While ASEAN is getting closer to the region’s economic integration by 2015, Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) president Rommel Gutierrez said the release of the road map for the local automotive industry would be necessary as the Philippines has trailed behind neighboring countries.

The road map is expected to provide a clear policy direction as well as identify measures to support the domestic automotive industry.

“Government support is deciding factor in future investments,” Gutierrez stressed. –Louella D. Desiderio (The Philippine Star)