The local automotive industry’s sales declined by more than 10 percent from January to July, but electrified vehicles (xEVs) continued to be the standout performer, registering 136-percent growth.

Combined sales data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed total vehicle sales falling to 241,725 units from 269,207 units in the same period last year.

Commercial vehicles, which account for 80 percent of CAMPI and TMA’s total volume, dropped 10 percent to 193,869 units in the first seven months from 215,440 units a year ago. Sales of passenger cars declined further by 11 percent to 47,856 units from 53,767 units.

Despite the overall market contraction, xEV sales more than doubled to 38,286 units during the seven-month period from 16,195 units last year.

Based on CAMPI-TMA data, the surge expanded xEV market share to 15.84 percent from 6.02 percent a year earlier.

Within the xEV segment, hybrid EVs (HEVs) accounted for more than half of all sales, reaching 20,716 units, up 56 percent from 13,290 units last year.

In terms of growth rate, plug-in HEVs (PHEVs) posted the steepest rise, surging 2,362 percent to reach 7,094 units at end-July from just 288 units last year.

Meanwhile, battery EVs (BEVs) expanded 300 percent to 10,476 units in the first seven months from 2,617 units sold a year earlier.

Among CAMPI and TMA members, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. maintained its position as the country’s top automotive firm, capturing a 49.11-percent market share on 118,706 units sold through July. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. followed at 17.63 percent, Suzuki Philippines Inc. at 4.53 percent, Ford Motor Company Philippines Inc. at 3.55 percent, and Nissan Philippines Inc. at 3.27 percent.

For July alone, total vehicle sales reached 37,319 units, down 2.5 percent from 38,295 units sold in the same month last year. However, compared with June’s 37,079 units, vehicle sales posted a minor 0.6-percent sequential gain.

According to CAMPI, July marked the third consecutive month of month-on-month improvement.

“With this continuous growth, the industry is riding good momentum. We are hopeful that the positive trend will continue for the remainder of the year,” said CAMPI President Jose Maria Atienza in a statement.

Atienza noted that July’s growth was driven largely by fresh xEV inventory arriving to meet stronger demand from consumers seeking relief from rising petroleum prices.

“The shift to electrification continues to accelerate, with xEVs accounting for 29.5 percent of the market last July. This is up 18 points from the same month last year,” he said.

Data showed xEV sales in July reached 7,086 units, up nearly 162 percent from 2,707 units a year ago.

Within the sub-segments, BEVs accelerated 1,315 percent to 2,520 units in July from 178 units last year. PHEV sales surged 1,151 percent to 1,602 units from 128 units, while HEV sales grew nearly a quarter to 2,964 units compared with last year’s 2,401 units.