10 Best-selling cars in the Philippines 2020

The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) released their results back in January, revealing that the Philippine automotive industry took a 40% hit in terms of volume. All manufacturers felt the sting because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there was a large drop in terms of sales, some nameplates endured and still came out on top, while other brands also stood their ground. In 2020, the industry shrank a sizeable margin. Many people have resorted to keeping their purchases scarce in order to combat the economic downturn that the Philippines experienced in the year prior. 

However, now that things are starting to pick up again, here’s a list of the top 10 best-selling cars during the year of the pandemic in the Philippines brought to you by CAMPI. 

The 10th best-selling car in the Philippines is the Toyota Fortuner, with a total of 8,494 units sold in 2020. The midsize SUV got a major refresh last year, and it was clear that the updates were long overdue. Last year, we said that entry-level mobility would rise in the Philippines, giving way to more affordable options to shine. This could be a reason why the Fortuner ranked quite a bit lower this year. In hindsight, it even overtook the Toyota Vios, in terms of sales, a consistent number 1 performer for Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), but to see the SUV finishing strong during the pandemic is still a feat in itself.

However, in 2019, the Fortuner was able to finish in 4th place, and it has since dropped 6 places down. It used to be that the model would sell 19,865 units, and now that number is now less than half of what it was in the year prior. 

Sticking to 9th place from 2019 to 2020, the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 still makes the list for the best-selling Mitsubishi in the Philippines. The car was able to sell 8,638 units in 2020. Seeing it continue its reputation is great and all, however, the model is getting to be a bit old. We assumed that an update would have happened in 2020, which could have brought the Mirage’s overall sales figures up a notch perhaps catapulting it a few spaces up. 

Historically speaking, however, and like the Fortuner that it overtook, it only has about half the amount of sales it had in 2019 which was 17,835 units sold. Sadly, the little sedan took a hit, but still retained its top 10 spot. 

Dropping 2 places from 2019, Nissan sold a total of 9,164 Nissan Navaras in the year 2020. The diesel pickup is known to be one of the most comfortable if not the most comfortable in its class, and it still made its way in the 10 best-selling cars for the Philippine market in 2020. No updates were made for 2020, and the pickup continued to shine in the technology department, often being chosen because of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility suite of features which headlines a 360-degree camera as one of its hallmark features. 

The midsize pickup, like the other models in the list, managed less than half of its sales back in 2019. The year prior saw Nissan’s pickup get 19,034 sales, however, this is down to over half as a little over 9,000 units signal an over 50% reduction in sales volume. Not stellar to see, but still good news that the Navara endures as a well-loved nameplate in the market. 

Out of nowhere, however, we get the Ford Ranger. In 2019, the model was nowhere to be found on the top 10 list of 2019. However, that changed in 2020 since it was able to sell 9,767 units, eclipsing the Navara and thereby holding 7th place in the list for 2020. 

Also, another surprise is the Toyota Rush, which jumped from number 10 to number 6 on the list. First launched in 2018, the baby Fortuner was able to make sell 15,172 units in 2019, and in 2020, it was able to sell 10,194. It was able to beat the industry shrinking with only a 32% reduction in sales, which is not bad considering that CAMPI estimated that the industry shrank by 40%. 

This could be attributed to the fact that the Rush is an entry-level SUV/MPV offering from the number 1 brand in the Philippines. This means that it should endure for a while thanks to its highly-attractive price point and its brand’s reputation for reliability and longevity. 

Breaking the top 5 and managing to surpass its ranking back in 2019, the Toyota Hiace climbed 2 spots to place in the upper half of the 2020 best selling list. Whether it was a Hiace Commuter, Grandia, or Super Grandia, the model performed well in 2020, but unfortunately, its sales figures shrank along with the industry. 

In 2019, the full-size van saw 18,656 units sold, while the year 2020 saw 10,362 units leave showroom floors and into houses during the lockdowns that took place in the first half of 2020. The volume sales of the Hiace shrank by about 45% from 2019 to 2020. 

Meanwhile, in 4th, the Toyota Innova was able to sell 10,551 units. The Innova only dropped down 1 spot from its 2019 ranking for the year 2020. Still coming at a bit over P1,000,000, and with local manufacturing, the Innova still retains a strong spot on the list despite a few setbacks. 

In 2019, the MPV managed to sell 20,794 units, and the total sales volume was reduced by more than half in 2020. 

Like we mentioned earlier in 2020, entry-level mobility made a dent in the market. More affordable and value-oriented models became big sellers on the AutoDeal platform, and apparently in the Philippine market. The Toyota Wigo is the most affordable nameplate in the Toyota lineup. While it is not the most luxurious, the price point that it comes at was the main attraction point, and let it go up from 7th place back in 2019, to the top 3 in the year 2020. 

As for the numbers, The Wigo managed to get 18,183 units sold, however in 2020, we see that the number was reduced to 11,853 units. The Wigo managed to beat the industry average volume reduction, netting a 35% volume reduction in sales from 2019 to 2020. 

In the second place, we see another Toyota, but this time it is the legendary Toyota Hilux with 13,637 units sold in 2020. Compared to the 2019 result, the Hilux retained its spot on the list. The pickup was also updated in 2020, which could have helped it retain its spot in the market. 

2019, saw a 20,846 performance from the pickup truck, but the 2020 result shows us that the nameplate’s sales figures shrank by only 34.5%, which means that the Hilux managed to keep its top spot, and also beating the industry shrinking rate. 

While it comes as no surprise that the Toyota Vios is still the number 1 best-selling car in the Philippines, it’s even more surprising that the model still managed to sell 25,290 units in the year 2020. In the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of lockdowns and economic depressions, the Vios endures. 

Just looking at the 2019 figures make you feel that nothing’s really changed with the model. It came out on top back then and it continued to do so for 2020. It also managed to beat the industry reduction only taking a 23.7% sales volume hit, making it the still undisputed king of the segment, and of the Philippine automotive market.