TOYOTA, LEXUS SALES SURGE 62PC

Over 17,000 vehicles sold in first three months of this year

SALES of new Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Malaysia have been solid in the first quarter of this year. UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd said the total number of new Toyota and Lexus vehicles sold in the first three months of the year exceeded 17,000 units, with a market share of 12.1 per cent, an increase of 62 per cent year-onyear.

UMW Toyota also said early response to the all-new Toyota Corolla Cross launched in March indicated that it was a winner.

“With the strong demand, UMW Toyota will continue its order-taking for both the 1.8G and 1.8V variants of the all-new Toyota Corolla Cross, with locally assembled units available for delivery towards the fourth quarter,” it said in a statement yesterday.

The company attributed the strong sales to the improving conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“With our wider line-up of models and exciting offerings, we are confident that our sales volume will grow steadily this year and exceed the volume recorded last year,” said UMW Toyota deputy chairman Akio Takeyama.

UMW Toyota president Ravindran K. said during the first quarter of last year, the market declined due to the pandemic.

“This year, it’s a different story. With the situation easing as well as the support from the government through the sales tax exemption until June 30, new vehicle sales have been consistently high.

“For Toyota, our momentum started in December when we launched the Toyota GR Yaris and Vios GR-Sport, which excited the market and set a positive note for this year.”

The best-selling Toyota models are the Vios and Hilux, which continues to be the market leader accounting for 56 per cent of the pick-up truck market for the first quarter.

Updated versions of the Toyota Innova and Toyota Fortuner were also introduced early this year.

UMW Toyota claimed that Toyota Yaris has been consistently the No. 1 in the non-national hatchback segment, with an estimated market share of 73 per cent in the first quarter.

The Vios and Vios GR-Sport also achieved positive response with 5,600 units sold since their launch.

“Sales of the GR Yaris exceeded expectations. Most of the units allocated for the Malaysian market (out of 25,000 units for worldwide sales) were booked within a month of its launch.

“The strong response mirrored that of other markets as enthusiasts could not resist owning the competition-ready hatchback, which is a fine example of how Toyota is making ever-better cars,” said UMW Toyota.