United Asia Automotive Group (UAAGI) retained its position as one of the country’s top-selling car brands in 2019. This was revealed by President Rommel Sytin at their annual Dealers Appreciation Night.

Mr. Sytin revealed that in 2019, Foton sold an impressive 4,430 units over a 12-month period or a 4 percent growth compared to 2018. This is in tune with the growth of the rest of the automotive industry. According to the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines or CAMPI, total vehicle sales rose 3.5 percent vis-à-vis 2018 to 369,941 units.

Foton ended 2019 as the ninth best-selling brand among CAMPI members and tenth overall, says Sytin.

Commercial Vehicles or CVs drove majority of Foton’s growth in 2019. In particular, its Tornado M light-duty trucks proved to be successful not just because it offered a combination of technology and performance, but because it also responded well to the need of Filipino business owners.

“Many of the updates are in direct response to customer feedback, while we’ve introduced elements to provide an even comfortable and safe driving experience,” said Mr. Sytin.

Some of the notable features of the Tornado M include a Cummins Blue Energy Euro 4 engine, standard anti-lock braking system (ABS), a high-strength steel chassis, and a rivet-less upper-frame chassis making it easier to adopt various cargo body configurations.

Last year, Foton increased its Tornado M variants to three: the Tornado M2.6C, Tornado M4.2C, and the Tornado M5.2C. These are available in a wide array of body configurations including Dropside, F-Van, Ref Van, Crane Trucks, and MPV which can carry up to 25 passengers.

This year, Mr. Sytin says they are confident of achieving a double-digit growth which will be driven by the introduction of new models including a new van and a pickup truck. In addition, they are augmenting their production line to meet the growing requirement for the government’s PUV Modernization program.