The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) has released new vehicle sales data for the month of May 2016, sorted by brand. After a rocky start to the year for the automotive industry as a whole, we’re seeing a little bit of improvement as last month’s sales inched past April’s lacklustre numbers.
As we reported on Tuesday, 38,699 passenger vehicles and 5,970 commercial vehicles ended up in buyers’ hands in May, resulting in a total sales figure of 44,669 units. Although that last number is slightly higher than in April (42,177 units), it’s still some ways below the 51,252 units sold in the same month last year, and year-to-date sales for 2016 trail 2015 as a result (193,953 units vs 235,914).
Leading the charge as always is Perodua, which sold 15,247 cars in May – a paltry 2.3% up from the previous month’s 14,898 units. Meanwhile, Proton pushed 5,064 cars out of its dealers’ doors last month, a 13.1% increase from the 4,477 units it sold the month before.
Proton’s impressive sales increase hasn’t stopped Toyota’s phenomenal charge, however – the latter raised eyebrows by posting a staggering 2,052 unit increase to 6,141 units, more than doubling (+50.2%) its sales.
This strong showing from the world’s largest carmaker be attributed to the launch of the new Hilux – sales of Toyota’s commercial side jumped from 489 units to 2,216 units – and has enabled it to overtake Honda to return to the top of the non-national segment, and second overall.
Speaking of Honda, the H brand struggled last month – its sales dropped 5.1% to 5,659 units, although the launch of the new Civic this month should see its numbers surge back up. Mind you, May’s figure was still enough to keep it in front of Proton, pushing the national carmaker down to fourth place.
Down the order, Nissan saw a 3% increase in sales to 3,106 units, keeping it in its usual fifth position, while Mazda sold 8.5% fewer cars at 1,194 units – still enough to put it in sixth. In the premium segment, Mercedes-Benz remains the class leader with an increase in sales of 6.9% to 1,128 units, while BMW sales saw a 8.9% jump to 725 units.
Elsewhere, gainers were led by Renault (+65.4%), Subaru (+43.1%) and Kia (+23.7%), while at the other end of the spectrum, it’s bad news for Volkswagen (-27.5%) and Audi (-18.6%). Volvo was especially hard-hit last month, dropping 60 units to just 15 units sold – largely due to the fact that the tax-exempt XC90 T8 Twin Engine has been sold out until CKD units go on sale next month.
In terms of year-to-date sales up to last month, Perodua still leads the pack with 35.8% market share (77,326 units), followed by Honda (30,400 units) and Proton (28,766 units). Behind them, Toyota (20,466 units) has started to pull away from Nissan (16,894 units), on the back of last month’s success.
UPDATE: Mitsubishi sold 363 passenger vehicles in May. Table below has been amended.
Click on the table below to view an enlarged version.
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AI-generated Summary ✨
The comments primarily focus on the dominance of Toyota and Perodua in the Malaysian market, with Toyota regaining the top spot in non-national segment and Perodua's continued popularity due to affordability. There is criticism of Proton's declining sales and quality, with some expressing skepticism about Proton's future and government support. Discussions highlight the importance of price, perceived quality, and brand reputation in consumer choices. Some comments touch on the lack of modern features and safety in local cars, and there’s speculation about upcoming models and market shifts. A few off-topic comments involve unrelated topics like political opinions and unrelated brand critiques, but overall, sentiments are geared towards confidence in Toyota's position and concerns over Proton's struggles.