A quieter year ahead
THE total industry volume of Malaysian automotive sales this year from January to October saw a downward spiral since September.
This could be partly due to the slower economic output in the country caused by the Voluntary Separation Scheme offered by local multinational companies, which include the national oil and gas giant, Petronas.
Malaysians have become prudent in their spending and banks have generally started following stricter guidelines for loan approvals.
Car companies reacted by having numerous campaigns with some giving out massive discounts, which in turn may affect the value of cars in the coming years.
This includes sales campaigns and even launches of either a new model or sales initiative.
Proton and Mercedes-Benz launched new models, which may see their sales figures increase before the year ends. Proton launched four new models – the Perdana, Persona, Saga and its first Suzuki-based model, the Ertiga.
Mercedes-Benz’s SUVs – the GLC, GLS, G-Class – launched in October will help the German brand to continue its control over Malaysia’s premium vehicle market.
Honda Malaysia will also be launching its new seven-seater crossover, the BR-V, and its sales is expected to be even higher by end of December.
Even UMW Toyota has a new weapon up its sleeve – the new Innova MPV.
The sales of the MPV have never been remarkable but the strength of the modern Kijang in Malaysia may prove to be surprising.
Car companies are now trying their best to ensure sales do not plunge further. However, if the current track record is any indication, it is safe to expect a sombre year ahead.
It is anticipated that the Government and industry will give a lower sales forecast for next year, too.
Maintaining its reign
Perodua continues to be the No.1 car brand for Malaysians as the Rawang-based company is still the king of national car sales; a title it has held for 10 years.
Good products and a steady sales campaign, resulting from a more experienced team, saw Perodua topping the charts with 167,037 units of vehicles sold from January to October this year.
Honda Malaysia is a far second at 71,466 units. This Japanese brand is currently doing what many in the world would consider impossible – beating Toyota in a sales war.
Honda is the market leader in almost all the segments, except the mid-sized SUV category where its CR-V loses out to the Nissan X-Trail.
The Honda Jazz, City, Civic and Accord are all market leaders with Toyota trailing behind in the non-national race.
Proton is at third spot with 57,731 units but the national car brand has a reason to celebrate as its sales figures jumped 26%.
The introduction of the new Perdana, Persona and Saga has certainly helped in getting the numbers up for Proton. The newly launched Ertiga MPV is expected to push numbers higher in the month of November and December.
UMW Toyota saw its sales figures take a dive as its sales number from January to October this year hovers at 50,020 units, which is 21,446 units lower than Honda.
It is important to note that the figures for Toyota include its sale of commercial vehicles, which Honda Malaysia does not sell.
Edaran Tan Chong Motor keeps the Nissan brand floating at fifth position with 32,852 units sold. While this may be a shock to those in the Federal Territory, Mazda is sixth with 11,088 units.
Mazda’s sales concentration is mainly at the central region, which is why residents in that area may assume that Mazda sold more cars than just slightly more than 11,000 units.
Dominating Asean
The Toyota brand might be in the fourth position in Malaysia but for the first half of this year, it was the No.1 car brand in Asean. Toyota sold the most number of cars in the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.
Indonesia continues to be Toyota’s strongest market with 131,334 units sold in the first half of this year.
Below are the top four Asean brands with their respective market shares (figures are from the Asean Automotive Federation).
Malaysia continues to be the unique market in Asean, thanks to its own two national brands. Toyota is down to the fourth spot in Malaysia after Perodua, Honda and Proton.
Suzuki is now no longer in Malaysia, working with Proton by allowing the national brand to rebadge its models as seen in the newly launched Ertiga Compact MPV.
In Thailand, Toyota is at the top of the sales chart with 108,669 units being sold in the first half of this year, followed by Isuzu with 72,292 units, Honda with 53,952 units and Mitsubishi with 28,592 units.
The No.1 model in Thailand, however, is not from Toyota. Instead, it is the Isuzu D-Max pickup at 61,946 units with the Hilux trailing at 54,864 units.
The Philippines will be Toyota’s darling country as sales for the brand went up almost 18% in the first half of this year. Toyota sold 69,169 units, ahead of Mitsubishi at 31,818 units. The Vios happens to be Toyota’s No.1 model in the Philippines.
According to WardsAuto, the car sales in Asean in the first half of this year amounts to 1.47 million units, which is 3.2% of the global total of 45.47 million units.
Indonesia sold the most number of vehicles with 531,929 units for the first half of this year, one third of the total amount in Asean.
This is followed by Thailand at 368,639 units, Malaysia at 275,459 units and the Philippines at 167,481 units.
The figures for the whole year are bound to get interesting as car companies re-strategise their business plans. However, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are expected to show a marked increase while Thailand will show a stabilised volume.
Malaysia will be the only country marking negative growth, unless something significant is done to the general economic state of the country.