Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. celebrates a new milestone after achieving an all-time high hatchback sales record with the introduction of the second generation Honda Jazz. After its successful premiere during the 2nd Philippine International Motor Show, the new Jazz generates a total of 394 unit sales in October basing from the report recently released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI). This is not only the highest monthly sales performance of the Jazz since its local introduction in 2004. More importantly, 394 units mark the highest monthly hatchback sales throughout the entire Philippine automotive industry history.

The entry of the Jazz triggered the emergence of the hatchback market, foreseeing the demand for smaller and fuel efficient vehicles. From 4% in year 2004, the hatchback market ballooned to 17% of the car segment by the end of 2007. Today, the Jazz continues to make new records to fortify the presence of hatchbacks in the motoring industry.

Being in the market in less than two months, the new Jazz already registers cumulative sales of almost 600 units. The public’s warm reception on the Jazz helps boost Honda’s performance in the passenger car (PC) segment by 9% with 1,123 PC units sold in October (as compared with 1,027 passenger car unit sales in September). This puts Honda in a stronger position with 29% market share.

The all-new Jazz officially commenced sales in September, a month after its debut in the local market. Touted as the country’s Fun Utility Vehicle or F.U.V., the new Jazz presents dynamic and refreshing features that surely bring pure fun and excitement in one’s driving experience. On its first month, a total of 203 unit sales were initially posted as customers eagerly awaited the release of the Jazz. This is even higher than the initial 145 unit sales of the first generation Jazz back in 2004. Attesting the Jazz craze in the market, record shows that a total of 162 units were remarkably released in just one day. Ordinarily, releases only average to 15 units per day.

A recipient of the prestigious 2008 Japan Car of the Year Award, the All-New Honda Jazz has been widely acclaimed for its dynamic styling, spacious interiors, versatile utility and remarkable fuel economy. Now powered with the renowned i-VTEC engine, the Honda Jazz realizes more spirited driving while maintaining its outstanding fuel economy to deliver more fun-filled driving to every liter of gasoline.

The All-New Jazz is readily available at any Honda dealership near you. Schedule a testdrive and get first-hand experience of its advanced and innovative features. Discover what the craze is all about.

Despite the financial tsunami that nearly wiped out Wall Street and the subsequent crosscurrents it created that had thrown big and small economies in disarray, the Philippines included, Kia has defiantly cruised to its 10-month steady ascent to the top of the sales charts.

Columbian Autocar Corp., distributor of Kia in the Philippines, recorded a convincing 63-percent sales growth in the last 10 months, the highest in the industry, and laid claim to being the fastest-growing automotive brand in the country today.

Kia vehicle sales grew by 63 percent from January to October, according to data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Phils. Inc. Kia was followed by Nissan which posted a 37.2-percent growth and Hyundai at 34.4 percent, rounding off the top three. General Motors took the fourth spot at 24.5 percent, tailed by Mitsubishi at 19.7 percent, while Audi got the sixth spot at 18.3 percent, followed by Suzuki at 14.9 percent. The eighth spot went to Isuzu at 7.0 percent with Mazda on the ninth spot at 6.5 percent. Toyota and Ford tied the tenth spot at 6.1-percent growth.

Felix Mabilog Jr., CAC president and chief operating officer, attributed Kia’s impressive growth to the aggressive sales effort of the expanded Kia dealership network with more than 50 dealers nationwide.

“People now perceive Korean cars, especially Kia, to be a wise and practical choice. This is especially true today because car buyers are wary of buying expensive cars due to the unstable economic climate. Apart from opting for inexpensive and fuel- efficient cars, they also give high marks for value for money. We have used these advantages with our wider product line offering and continuous promotional efforts,” Mabilog says.

Kia’s sales performance in the first 10 months of the year reflects the local auto industry’s upbeat outlook despite the US recession and the fluctuating cost of fuel.

Within the Kia global distribution network, CAC’s performance in the Philippines also received rave notice. CAC has recently been named to Kia’s elite Zenith Club, a distinguished and highly esteemed group whose membership is limited only to winners of Kia Distributor of the Year distinction. CAC was the recipient of this award for the Asia Pacific Region in May this year. The award recognized Columbian Autocar Corp.’s “outstanding contributions and excellence of the highest degree as one of Kia Motor’s top distributors in 2008.”

The Zenith Club Award was presented Mabilog by Euisun Chung, president of Kia Motors Corp. CAC joined 14 other fellow awardees that included distributors from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Sweden, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Algeria, Morocco, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.

CAC distributes and markets locally the Kia Sorento, Carnival, Sportage, Carens, Rio, Picanto for the passenger car segment and the K2700 for the light commercial vehicle.