Sales of electric vehicles (xEVs) more than doubled in the first half of 2026, while overall automotive industry sales declined by 11 percent as elevated fuel prices continued to dampen demand.

Based on the latest joint report of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), total vehicle sales of member firms fell to 204,557 units from January to June, compared with 230,912 units in the same period in 2025.

Commercial vehicles, which accounted for over 80 percent of total sales, declined by 11 percent to 164,054 units from 185,265 units last year.

Passenger car sales likewise dropped by 11 percent during the same period to 40,503 units from 45,647 units a year ago.

While total sales were lower, xEV sales expanded by nearly 133 percent to 31,381 units by the end of June from 13,488 units last year.

CAMPI-TMA data showed that the market share of xEVs increased by 9.5 percentage points (ppts) to 15.3 percent from 5.8 percent a year ago.

Within the xEV segment, hybrid EVs (HEVs) recorded the highest sales volume in the first half, reaching 17,148 units, up 58 percent from 10,889 units last year.

Sales of battery EVs rose by 257 percent to 8,602 units from 2,439 units. Plug-in HEV sales surged by 3,357 percent to 5,531 units from 160 units a year ago.

Among CAMPI-TMA members, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) accounted for 49.33 percent of total sales, equivalent to 100,909 units sold.

This was followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) with 17.76 percent, Suzuki Philippines Inc. with 4.53 percent, Ford Motor Co. Philippines Inc. with 3.63 percent, and Nissan Philippines Inc. with 3.38 percent.

For June alone, total vehicle sales of CAMPI and TMA declined by eight percent to 37,231 units from 40,483 units in the same month last year.

However, on a month-on-month basis, vehicle sales in June increased by 11 percent from 33,532 units in May.

This made June the highest-selling month so far for CAMPI and TMA this year.

Total xEV sales in June jumped by 129 percent to 6,995 units from 3,057 units in the same month last year.

CAMPI president Jose Maria Atienza said the strong demand recorded in June provides the local automotive industry with optimism for a stronger second half.

“The auto industry’s June performance brings a more optimistic second semester outlook, as vehicle sales are projected to exceed last year’s second half monthly levels,” he said.

Atienza said the debut of new vehicle models, particularly in the xEV segment, during last month’s Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) is expected to add momentum to the industry.

He earlier said some automotive firms were unable to meet the strong demand for xEVs amid rising adoption driven by higher fuel prices resulting from the conflict in the Middle East.

CAMPI initially set a sales target of 500,000 units this year, but the group has since said it expects to miss the target by five to eight percent.

The industry’s total vehicle sales eased by 0.8 percent to 463,646 units in 2025 from the record 467,252 units sold in 2024, based on CAMPI-TMA data.