In the latest Total Industry Volume (TIV) statistics released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), Perodua took top honours as the manufacturer with the highest sales figures in 2015. Honda on the other hand, finally dethroned arch rivals Toyota to claim the title for best non-national make.
Perodua’s success is applaudable considering how big a blow the automotive industry suffered in 2015, following the implementation of GST and the Ringgit’s volatility which subsequently maimed vehicle sales. As per our previous report, the Axia was introduced right when customers started tightening their belts, and the Axia makes up a whopping 46.7 percent of Perodua’s total sales. Its success in 2015 had cemented Perodua’s position as the number one car manufacturer in Malaysia for a decade.
As for Honda, 2015 proved to be a pivotal year for the Japanese carmaker. The company continued its momentum gained in 2014 (thanks to the new Honda City and Jazz) with the introduction of the HR-V compact crossover. While other compact crossovers such as Ford EcoSport and Peugeot 2008 drew little success, the HR-V scored big among buyers, charting a record number of bookings just one month after its introduction. The well-specced Honda City contributed 40 percent of Honda’s sales as well.
On the other hand, Toyota, a winner in the non-national segment for years, played second fiddle (thanks to healthy commercial vehicle sales) to Honda by a whisker, followed by Nissan and Mazda. The latter jumped from ninth last year to sixth; a good improvement thanks to new products (the Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 CKD) launched last year. Just like Honda, Mercedes-Benz had a stellar year after the three-pointed star sold a historic 10,845 units, firmly sitting at the 10th spot, making them the leader in the premium segment.
Overall, the TIV in 2015 is 666,674 units, a marginal increment of 187 units (0.03 percent) compared to 2014. However, for 2016, MAA has lowered its TIV forecast to 650,000 following global economic uncertainties and the fall of crude oil prices. Hopefully, Proton’s upcoming products and a potential new sedan from Perodua could support better TIV figures in the coming years.
For more info on the top selling manufacturers in Malaysia, do click on the screenshots below:
