More official sales figures from the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), and this time it’s numbers from last month. As noted in our earlier 2015 Total Industry Volume report, it wasn’t the smoothest of years for the automotive industry as it mirrored the national economy, but a late surge powered total sales to 666,674 units, the highest ever in Malaysian history.
Sales volume in December 2015 was 69,401 units, 23.7% or 13,309 units higher than in November. It was by far the highest monthly total in 2015. MAA attributes the performance to aggressive promo campaigns and the customary “year end sales” in conjunction with the Christmas and New Year festive period.
Also contributing was the unusual pattern of consumers buying forward in anticipation of higher car prices in 2016. In October 2015, UMW Toyota Motor started the ball rolling by announcing that prices of Toyota and Lexus vehicles will go up from 4% to 16% effective January 2016. Honda Malaysia followed suit with a similar announcement.
So, who did well in December? At the expense of who? Most major brands gained in December with the exception of Mercedes-Benz (2015 premium segment sales champ), Subaru, Peugeot, MINI and Porsche.
Nothing can touch 10-year market leader Perodua at the top, but Proton wasn’t in its customary No.2 spot. The national brand sold more in December than November, but by a margin of less than 1,000 units, the smallest increase in the top 5.
Honda is the new non-national leader, but Toyota put up a very good fight. The latter’s strong showing in the final round of the bout (13,150 units in December vs Honda’s 10,747) meant that we had a photo finish for total 2015 sales, which stood at 94,902 for Honda and 93,760 for Toyota. The margin was just 1,142 units. Armed with three IMV heavy weapons – Hilux, Fortuner and Innova – this year’s battle for non-national bragging rights will be intense.
For a bigger picture, view the overall 2015 sales chart and MAA’s outlook for 2016.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
ben yap
on 
Bungkus
on 
Pak Kapak
on 
john
on 
Desperate Desperate Donkey
on 
Rashuk_Khan2
on 
ptoton ceo official
on 
Loo
on 
malaysian
on 
Same L0rrrr
on 
John Beng
on 
Captain Potong
on 
Kakaka
on 
DonkeyKong
on 
john
on 
Blame game
on 
Eric
on 
kzm (Member)
on 
nomone
on 
Sammy Loo
on 
alldisc
on 
Firdaus
on 
King Kong
on 
Good riddence
on 
sohhai
on 
Jobless
on 
Jason Lim
on 
Karma is good
on 
Einstein said
on 
Koxc
on 
Escape route
on 
Martian
on 
We
on 
mat
on 
Andrekua
on 
salim
on 
Movingcoffin
on 
Axxx
on 
Duty free nonsense
on 
Ollie
on 
DK
on 
seelor
on 
4thisluck
on 
roslan
on 
Wasting good steel
on 
Later
on 
Comic failure
on 
Sammy Zaik Loo
on 
Penampar buaya
on 
Vios is ultimate junk
on 
Cakap besar
on 
Schmuck
on 
Loler
on 
Boros
on 
Guzzler
on 
Pengguna Bijak
on 
nabill (Member)
on 
Asian Jaguar
on 
ken
on 
Citreon
on 
AI-generated Summary ✨
The comments mainly express disappointment with Proton's sales performance, predicting its decline to fourth place or worse, and criticizing management and product quality. Many highlight Proton’s lack of innovation, poor R&D, and outdated technology compared to competitors like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia. There is support for local brands like Proton and Perodua, but also frustration over low sales, poor RV, and limited market appeal. Some comments mock Proton supporters and criticize government protection giving Proton an unfair advantage. Overall, the sentiment is negative, urging Proton to improve and warning that continued complacency will lead to further decline, with many advocating for the company's shutdown or significant overhaul to remain competitive.