Vehicle sales in the country continued a strong showing for the third month running as a result of the government’s move to zero-rate the goods and services tax (GST) for three months before the return of the sales and services tax (SST) on September 1.

Sales in August totalled 65,551 units, which was 4% or 2,914 units less than the 68,465 units achieved in July, but it was ahead of that managed in June when 0% GST kicked in, as consumers continued to take the opportunity to snap up vehicles during the tax holiday period.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how most brands peformed in August. Despite the overall volume going down last month compared to July, most brands actually saw an increase in sales, save the top two. Perodua’s total numbers for the month dropped by 25.3%, while Honda saw a 15.8% decrease in sales in July. Toyota also saw a 3.7% dip in numbers for the month.

In this case, it wasn’t for lack of demand, but a case of inventory not being able to keep up, effectively tapering off the pace. Elsewhere, things were more positive. Gainers included Proton (+17.3%), Nissan (+6.0%), Mazda (+62.3%), Isuzu (+95.4%), Mitsu (+43.7%), Subaru (+47.6%), Volkswagen (+26.8%) and Ford (+59.0%).

In the premium segment, BMW (+22.8%) outsold Mercedes (-14.4%) for the month, while Lexus saw a 157.1% increase in sales from July. Volvo also had a good month, increasing its sales volume by 40.7%. Again, Audi’s sales figures were not available.

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