THE car manufacturers on Thursday announced that sales for December last year went up by almost half compared to same period in 2011.

Chamber of Automotive Manufacturer of the Philippines (Campi) President Rommel Gutierrez said that vehicle sales on December 2012 increased by 48 percent to 15,369 units compared to the 10,358 units sold during the same month in 2011.

Figures showed that passenger cars sales reached 5,390 units, 76 percent higher than the 3,062 units sold in December 2011.

Commercial vehicles sales posted a significant 37 percent increase, from 7,296 units to 9,979 units.

Annual industry sales grew by 11 percent for 2012, registering a total of 156,649 units versus 2011’s 141,170 vehicles sold.

The group said that the growth was supported by a 12.2-percent increase in commercial vehicle sales and a more than 8-percent increase in passenger vehicle sales from 2011.

Gutierrez said that they are “very pleased with the industry’s strong showing for the year [2012].”

”Moreover, this sales performance is a sign that car companies’ supply was able to meet the growing demand,” he said.

Gutierrez added that for this year, customers “can expect more from Campi and its members as it looks to introduce more exciting models which will propel the local automotive industry to grow further.”

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) still has the lion’s share of the market, cornering 41.7 percent. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) followed with 22.3 percent.

Honda Cars Philippine Inc. (HCPI) regained the third spot with 8.1 percent, wresting that it from Isuzu Philippines Corp., which had a 7.5-percent share. Ford Philippines came in at fifth with a 6-percent share.

Last month’s strong sales were attributed to the influx of new model introductions and the country’s growing economy, which have driven demand, along with the strong consumer holiday spending during December.

For the twelve-month period, TMP dominated the market with a share of 42 percent, followed by MMPC with 22 percent, and HCPI with 8 percent.

Campi said that vehicle sales growth could have been much better if not for the supply constraints experienced by most brands during the first quarter of 2012, which was caused by the short supply of vehicles coming from Thailand.

The other members of Campi are Asian Carmakers Corp. (BMW), CATS Motors, Inc. (Mercedes Benz, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge), Columbian Autocar Corp. (Kia), CMANC, Eurobrands Distributor Inc. (Peugeot), Nissan Motor Philippines Corp. and Suzuki Philippines Inc.