ISUZU Phils. Corp. (IPC) last week reported it posted a 20-percent growth in the first 10 months of 2012 compared to the same period last year.

In a statement, IPC also said it had secured the spot as the country’s third-biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. Citing figures from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), IPC said it sold 9,595 vehicles from January to October, bagging 11 percent of the country’s automotive market, compared to the 7,968 vehicles it delivered during the same months in 2011.

IPC President Ryoji Yamazaki said that the “upturn of Isuzu Phils.’ sales in the first 10 months of 2012 is a clear indicator of the brand’s performance for the entire year.”

“In the final two months, we expect the company’s performance to even improve as sales will likely be boosted by increased consumer spending during the coming holiday season and by remittances from overseas Filipino workers, as well as several economic factors that would spur market confidence,” Yamazaki said.

Sales of truck models have pushed IPC figures from January to October as the company garnered a 55-percent share in the country’s medium-duty truck category. Also, the N-Series light-duty trucks, which have been on the top spot in its category for 13 consecutive years, sold 1,372 units in the first 10 months of the year—a commanding 70-percent market share.

Meanwhile, 2,297 units of the D-Max pickup, 688 units of the Alterra SUV and 4,936 Crosswind AUVs were sold from January to October.

IPC attributed the positive results to the “known strengths of the brand, which have continually appealed to and have earned the trust of Filipino consumers through the years.”

“Isuzu models have built a solid reputation for the supremacy of their diesel technology, reliability, durability, fuel efficiency and environment-friendliness,” Yamazaki said. “Isuzu models’ proven high resale values are also among the key factors that help boost IPC’s overall tally.”

Earlier reports said that IPC posted a 20-percent increase in the third quarter this year as compared to the same duration in 2011. IPC Senior Vice President for Sales Arthur Balmadrid said that as of the January to September 2012, Isuzu sold 8,562 units as compared to 7,136-vehicle tally during the same months in 2011. He added that the company has also taken an 11-percent market share in the commercial vehicle segment this year, up from the 10 percent it managed in 2011 within the same period.

Further, Balmadrid said that the positive result “posted by most of its products have buoyed its total in the first nine months of the year.” He cited the exceptional performance of Isuzu Crosswind models, which accounted for 4,422 units—more than half of the company’s total sales from January to September.