The government’s campaign against the registration of illegally imported mini vans and Japan Domestic Market (JDM) kei cars has gained support from a local vehicle body manufacturers’ group, citing safety and economic concerns.
The vehicles include imported variants of the Suzuki Jimny, Hustler, Spacia, Palette, Wagon R, and Stingray—units not brought in through official distributor channels but imported via used-vehicle auction exporters, according to the Automotive Body Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (ABMAP).
Many of these vehicles, the group said, are right-hand-drive (RHD) units converted to left-hand drive (LHD).
In a statement on Friday, ABMAP said the “unchecked gray market undermines road safety, government revenue, and the Philippine automotive manufacturing ecosystem.”
The group cited Republic Act No. 8506, which bans the use of right-hand-drive vehicles in the country. While some importers convert RHD units to LHD, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and safety regulators have raised concerns about the structural integrity and crashworthiness of such modifications.
“Conversion is not simply flipping the steering wheel. If improperly done, it can affect steering geometry, braking systems, crash structure, and overall safety performance,” ABMAP Executive Director Edgar Manuel said, adding that strict enforcement by the LTO is justified.
ABMAP also highlighted the economic impact of illegal imports, noting that the automotive sector contributes an estimated 1.5 percent to 2 percent of gross domestic product and supports 250,000 to 300,000 jobs nationwide.
It said each illegally imported vehicle can evade P300,000 to P600,000 in duties and taxes, resulting in estimated annual revenue losses of P3 billion to P6 billion.
“These vehicles do not undergo proper homologation, emissions testing, or safety certification,” Manuel said. “Gray imports reward non-compliance and penalize legitimate manufacturers that invest in quality and compliance.”
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