We’re sorry, we have run out of cars

Tax holiday sees car sales soaring with sales and bookings having doubled and there is a long waiting list for many models. Some car dealers are now facing a shortage.

IPOH: Car dealers here are trying to rev up their stockpile as bookings are coming in fast and furious.

A check at various showrooms showed that the models in demand include Toyota Vios, Honda HR-V, Proton Saga and Exora.

Proton distributor Gerak Roda Services Sdn Bhd’s sales manager Justin Ong Boon How, 42, said he received over 255 bookings last week alone.

“There is a currently a long waiting list for the Proton Saga, which is our best seller while the Exora is out of stock at the moment,” he said.

“Our supply is barely keeping up with the demand, he added.

Ong said customers could save between RM2,200 and RM4,000 with the 0% GST.

“For the Saga, the price is now only RM34,680.

“With the Hari Raya discount, it is priced at RM31,180,” he added.

G-Mart Ipoh Motor Sdn Bhd’s branch manager Jerry Chan, 40, said three months’ worth of Toyota vehicles were already ordered. “It’s an unexpected number. “We have already sold out the stock for June as well as July and the Vios, which contributes to 40% of our total sales, has also sold out up to August,” he said.

“The prices of vehicles have gone down by between RM4,000 to RM30,000, depending on the model,” he said, adding that customers were also getting a further RM1,000 to RM3,500 in discounts from the Hari Raya promotions.

Kym Looe, 47, executive director of Honda Ban Hoe Seng Sdn Bhd, said she was expecting a 10% drop in sales when the Sales and Services Tax ( SST) starts in September.

“It is being speculated that the prices of cars will increase.

"We hope the market will return to normal when the people have adjusted to the SST,” she said.

Kym also said there would be promotions to soften the blow.

“There will be a National Day promotion in September with savings of up to RM14,000, depending on the car model.

“We also have a year-end promotion with discounts of between RM3,000 and MR15,000,” she added.