E-vehicles selling faster than gas-powered cars

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March 19, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Vehicle sales slid by nine percent from January to February compared to a year ago, but sales of electrified vehicles bucked the trend, surging by 67 percent over the same period.

A joint report of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed their combined sales reached 69,538 units in the first two months, lower than the 76,768 units in the same period last year.

CAMPI and TMAs’ passenger car sales dropped by 16.7 percent to 13,225 units as of end-February from 15,883 units in the previous year.

The two groups’ combined commercial vehicle sales also went down by 7.5 percent to 56,313 units in the first two months from 60,885 units in the same period in 2025.

Total electrified vehicle sales of CAMPI and TMA from January to February rose by 67 percent to 5,701 units from 3,416 units in the same period last year.

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales jumped by 77 percent to 594 units as of end-February from the previous year’s 335 units.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales surged by 1,083 percent to 556 units as of end-February from just 47 units in the same period in 2025.

Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) sales rose by 50 percent to 4,551 units in the first two months from 3,034 units in the same period last year.

The data does not include sales of BYD Cars Philippines for the first two months, which were not immediately available yesterday.

For   February alone, CAMPI and TMA’s combined vehicle sales declined by 8.5 percent to 35,842 units from the previous year’s 39,164 units.

Compared to the 33,696 units sold in January, CAMPI and TMA’s February vehicle sales rose by six percent.

CAMPI and TMA’s passenger car sales went down by 13.6 percent to 7,047 units in February from 8,154 units in the same month last year.

The groups’ commercial vehicle sales also slid by seven percent to 28,795 units in February from 31,010 units in the same month in 2025.

Electrified vehicle sales in February grew by 71 percent to 3,098 units from 1,816 units in the same month last year.

BEV sales in February surged by 80 percent to 340 units from 189 units in the previous year.

Sales of PHEVs jumped by 634 percent to 279 units in February from just 38 units a year ago.

HEV sales increased by 56 percent 2,479 units in February from 1,589 units last year.

Based on CAMPI, TMA and other industry data, total automotive industry sales reached over 37,700 units in February.

Of CAMPI and TMA’s sales from January to February, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. accounted for the biggest share at 49.33 percent, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with 20.65 percent and Suzuki Philippines Inc. with 4.68 percent.

“We experienced an expected drop in January, partly caused by the leaner supply as an effect of the strong buyer demand we saw in December,” CAMPI president Jose Maria Atienza said.

However, he said the Middle East conflict, which is triggering uncertainty, is affecting how Filipino motorists choose and use their cars.

To offer more economical options, Atienza said CAMPI members are expanding their product lineups by offering energy efficient and electrified options.

In 2025, CAMPI and TMA’s combined sales declined to 463,646 units from 467,252 units in 2024.

BYD Cars Philippines, which is not part of CAMPI, sold 26,122 units last year, 446 percent higher than the 4,780 units in 2024.