No recall yet for Toyota Prius cars in Philippines

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) has yet to determine if its newest Prius model will still be sold in the Philippines, following news of a safety recall conducted by its parent company, Toyota Motor Corp.

The company confirmed, however, that its 2010 Prius cars are sourced from Japan, where a recall of the said model is currently in place.

"Toyota Motor Philippines is still waiting for the official announcement specific to the Philippines. We will release an official statement as soon as we get more information. The Prius sold by TMP in the Philippines are sourced from Japan," TMP said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Toyota announced a recall of its newest Prius model and 3 other models in Japan owing to brake problems, the latest in a string of issues to hit the auto giant. The recall concerned approximately 223,000 vehicles in Japan

"With myself taking the lead, all of us at Toyota will tackle the issue in close cooperation with our dealers and our suppliers. Together, we will do everything in our power to regain the confidence of our customers," Toyota president Akio Toyoda said in a separate statement.

About 400,000 of the vehicles subject to the latest recall have been sold worldwide. Toyota assured that it will "take remedial measures as soon as possible" in the United States, Europe, and other regions.

Philippines not affected?

Toyota Motor Sales USA earlier suspended sales of 8 models while it examines problems with sticking accelerator pedals. The move came after the world's largest automaker recalled 2.3 million Toyota cars and trucks in the US because of the accelerator problem.

TMP, however, has repeatedly said that their cars are not affected by the recent safety recall in the US. The company made it clear that Toyota cars in the Philippines are either locally manufactured or sourced from Indonesia, Japan, or Thailand.

"So iba ang specifications namin (So our cars have different specifications compared to those in the US)," TMP vice president for customer service operations Engr. Vitaliano Mamawal III told radio dzMM last week.

TMP sold 3,871 units last month, accounting for the largest share of the Philippine market at 33%, data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) showed.

The company is closely followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. and Honda Philippines Inc., with sales of 2,411 units and 1,319 units, respectively.

CAMPI has yet to make a statement as to whether the recent safety recalls of both Toyota and Honda in other countries will affect local car sales.