The Philippines is the world’s most expensive country for purchasing a new car, according to a new report.
The latest report by the research company Marketing Intelligence Research Inc. (MERRI), which surveyed nearly 1,000 Filipinos in 18 cities, found that the country’s most popular car brand was Mazda.
The report also showed that the Philippines ranked second in the world for the number of new vehicles purchased annually.
The survey found that in 2016, the average Filipino owned a car valued at $2,300.
The top-selling brand was the Mazda3, with a value of $7,500.
The Mazda3 is a crossover with an EPA-rated combined fuel economy of 30.5 mpg, which is better than the Nissan LEAF and Toyota RAV4.
The SUV category saw its share of the new vehicle market decline from 12.6 percent in 2016 to 6.9 percent in 2017.
The largest brand category was the Toyota Highlander, with the average price of the car at $31,800.
The Honda Civic is the largest brand in the segment, with an average price at $26,000.
The Ford Focus is the smallest, with its average price valued at just $9,000 and a combined fuel-economy rating of 23 mpg.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW M3 are the next-biggest brands in the luxury-car segment, according the report.
The most popular new car brand in 2017 was the BMW 4 Series, with sales in the Philippines growing by 21.4 percent, to 2,965,735.
The E-Series and M3 were the only brands to lose sales.
