Mitsubishi sales surge in January, regains midsize SUV leadership with the Montero Sport

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) closed the first month of the year registering a significantly improved sales of 4,867 units. Compared to last year’s January sales of 3,243 units, total vehicle sales for January increased by 50.1%. Combined reports from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed that MMPC took 20.4% market share keeping its strong position as the second industry leader. This figure accounts for a modest improvement versus last year’s market share of 17.4%.

Reflected in MMPC’s remarkable start of the year were increases on the passenger cars (PC), light commercial vehicles (LCV), and buses sales. Sales for PC totaled to 1,472 units, LCV sales reached 3,292 units and 5 units of buses were sold. PC sales dramatically increased by 86.6% versus same month last year while LCV sales improved by 40.1% and buses sales increased by 400%.

MMPC’s robust sales is highly attributable to the strong PC and LCV sales. The Montero Sport, Mirage (hatchback) and Mirage G4 continue to be the bestselling models. With a total sales of 1,622 units the Montero Sport regained its market dominance in the midsize SUV segment. This accounts for 806 units of the all-new Montero Sport and 816 units of the previous generation of the Montero Sport. The Montero Sport has been the country’s bestselling midsize SUV from 2009 to 2013. January 2016 Montero Sport sales accounted for one-third of MMPC’s total sales. During the last quarter of 2015, MMPC announced the start of the pre-order of the all new Montero Sport which instantly excite and captured the market looking for an SUV with top-class features and great value for money. MMPC received more than 3,000 pre-orders and has started delivery of the unit since December last year. MMPC FVP for Marketing Mr. Froilan Dytianquin strongly believes that the sales of the Montero Sport will continue to soar given its superb styling and best in class features. The all new Montero Sport is now equipped with the world’s first clean diesel engine equipped with Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control (MIVEC) technology. The automatic variants are equipped with an 8-Speed automatic transmission with Sports Mode which is designed for quick sprints and relaxed highway cruising while the manual variant is equipped with a new 6-Speed Manual transmission. It is loaded with an array of safety features which makes it a recipient of the 5-star rating for the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) and also the Latin NCAP. These are just some of the features that differentiate the all-new Montero Sport compared to other available midsize SUVs in the market.

MMPC is looking forward to a continued robust sales through-out the year. With the all new Montero Sport, new models and model upgrades that will be released this year, MMPC is highly optimistic that it will achieve another record breaking year.