DATUK AMINAR RASHID SALLEH

PRESIDENT AND CEO PERUSAHAAN OTOMOBIL KEDUA SDN BHD (PERODUA)

How is the company coping in the current economic climate without compromising its brand presence?

While the economic outlook seems rather weaker than expected, we believe that there will be positive growth for the automotive industry this year and in the coming years.

Based on our estimate, the total industry volume between January and September this year has increased by 7% to 455,300 vehicles from less than 425,700 vehicles sold in the same period in 2017.

For Perodua, our sales performance has also been positive with sales between January and September this year increasing by 11% to 168,200 vehicles from 151,600 vehicles in the same period last year.

We attribute this increase to the strong demand for all our models, especially the new Perodua Myvi.

Based on these numbers, we believe our year-to-date market share has risen to 36.9% from 35.6% recorded last year.

Should brands be packaged differently, not only demographically but emotionally?

It’s not a question of either/or but rather, how to align both demographics in the business as well as emotional sense to appeal to our customers. As cars are very personal objects, these two packaging methods go hand-in-hand.

If Perodua were to be tied to an emotion, it would be peace-of-mind as our cars are built with quality, reliability and cost-efficiency in mind.

They have been designed to give you the best overall ownership experience in the market.

Malaysians are generally quite passionate about their cars. That is not surprising seeing as the car is the second-largest investment an individual can make in this country.

With this in mind, every brand wants to appeal to their customers. For Perodua, the appeal of our brand is our endeavour to offer the best value for our products and services.

In an increasingly transparent world, how can brands strengthen their brand equity?

Brand equity, or in other words, customer perception, must be open to the public. As part of our communications approach, we have always been open to members of the media and our customers. We welcome any questions from them on anything relating to our brand.

We openly share our numbers and direction plans and encourage feedback for us to improve. This has worked as our brand is well-accepted by the market, having been number one for 12 consecutive years in Malaysia.