The sale of new vehicles jumped 3.9 percent last year, reaching 36,112, with Korean-made, Kia, in the lead. The figure includes pickups but excludes large trucks.
With the sale of 6,494 cars, Kia’s dealer, NATCO, secured almost 17.98 percent of the market share, slightly ahead of Rasamny Younis, the dealers of Nissan, which sold 5,988 vehicles, representing 17.64 percent of the market. The dealers of Toyota, BUMC, witnessed a loss in their market share from 15 percent to 10 percent, as the sale of Toyota cars declined by 26.7 percent, to 3,669 vehicles. The sale of Hyundai cars jumped 76 percent reaching 4,315 vehicles.
“The strong showing of the Korean cars was largely due to their low cost and low fuel consumption,” said Cynthia Zeilah, of BLOM. “Durability and luxury proved less important to consumers,” she said.