As reflected in the vehicle sales data sales by brand breakdown that is published every month, sales figures provide a good indicator of how things are shaping up for every player in the local industry. So, when companies stop reporting them to the association representing their interests, it does leave everyone guessing as to who leads a particular field and, at the end of the year, where they stand in the annual charts.
This has been the case with the premium segment, which last year saw an end to the monthly observation of the long-term rivalry between BMW and Mercedes-Benz. BMW Malaysia said it was switching to a quarterly reporting system of its BMW and MINI sales numbers, and though that delivery was patchy, the company did eventually report its full numbers for the year to the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) decided to stop reporting its figures completely. It wasn’t just to the MAA, because there was no mention of its annual volume in its 2020 recap earlier this year, leaving everyone wondering if the brand – which was the leader in the segment from 2015 to 2019 – was still ahead of its Bavarian rival for a sixth year running. In the end, it was not.
Last August, we asked MBM why it had decided to stop furnishing its sales numbers, and the company had responded by saying that there was a reason for that omission. It said it wanted to see a more accurate reporting of numbers than that presently in place, in which the numbers released by the MAA are declared or reported directly from manufacturers.
This, the company said, may not reflect actual numbers of vehicle registrations as carried out by the road transport department (JPJ), which it felt painted a more accurate picture.
“While proactive reporting of sales figures by brands to MAA is an easy option, we believe a more accurate way of assessing total industry volume (TIV) is to have it based on total cars registered under the JPJ. We have shared this point of view with MAA and are happy to collaborate to ensure we consider the actual JPJ registration figures for TIV,” MBM president and CEO Claus Weidner had said then.
At the media Q&A session following its 22nd annual general meeting last week, we asked the MAA if there were any updates to the matter. MAA president Datuk Aishah Ahmad said that some changes had come about in the reporting process to ensure accuracy in the furnished figures.
“Mercedes-Benz said (last year) that it would prefer MAA to use JPJ registration numbers to reflect sales figures more accurately, and wanted us to check with JPJ on the numbers to see whether what is provided by the members is as per what is being reported by JPJ. Now, what we have done is, when all MAA members report their sales figures to us, it has to be backed up with the registration number (from JPJ),” she said.
Aishah said that this has resulted in improved veracity of actual numbers, despite there being a slight need to wait. “While we have found that JPJ figures in the last two or three days in a month do not capture the numbers as per what our members have been reporting, it is eventually accurate (when they are added in to the final figures),” she explained.
With actual registration numbers now being used to determine TIV, there should surely be no reason for MBM to not return to the reporting fold. According to Aishah, the company has said it would. “We have checked with Mercedes-Benz, and they said they will report again, but did not say when,” she explained.
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Goes to show how crap our automotive industry is. We can’t even properly report monthly sales figures and yet we want to be the leader in automotive technology in ASEAN.
Inb4 calculator + Excel sheet…
Reporting is only as good as the data.
Data accuracy is only as good as the provider.
If provider are unreliable, then it is not MAA fault.
In this age,when a nuke can be launched in 30 minutes to wipe out a nation as big as France,do we need this rocket science for MAA to liase with JPJ to present a monthly summary for the public to digest?
Even a form 3 dropout,if properly trained,can collect monthly sales figures.Whats the hurdle ?
Is it red tape at our “efficient’ JPJ?
It is not MAA job to get the data since they represent the interest of the brandholders so the data must come from these brands.
Habeslah now P2 sales numbers will tumble down when MAA discovered many of their sales are to driving schools.
It should not matter right? As long as the car is sold to someone who cam register it.
Being truly popular with road users or just merely a learners car is a big contrast bcoz P2 fanboys have been kipasing their cars.
Ghani,according to you .10,ooo units of perodua sales go driving schools? Comeon,stop this shit analogy.
The difference in reporting may be in the 2-5% category.
MAA can directly work with JPJ to collect actual numbers of vehicle registrations. Itu jer … simple giler.
Why MAA needed to complicated things up.. and kacau the premium carbrands. If MAA themself not able to talk to JPJ…. how then the carbrands us can depend on MAA to represent our interests in the auto industry, MAA no added value to us.
Optimus prime,
MAA is just an association.Each car distributor only concerned for its sales,After looking at the figures,they will have their marketing dept to come out with promotions to kill the competition.
Other than that,it is just a syiok syiok organisation.
The real value we should target is the transport ministry.
But as usual,we cant harap from the gomen dudes.
MB is right in way.Seeing lots of prereg cars with one luxury brand.They simply register to own company and sell it later on. This does not construe as actual sales and producing fake numbers to MAA. maybe they are not to be blamed as it could be direction from Dealer Principal to meet their sales target in order to keep their Dealership.
Big kudos to MBM and Mr. Claus Weidner for taking a stand and pushing for more media transparency in our auto industry ! Yet again, it took the efforts of a foreigner to bring real change and progress, while our government officials backtrack and procrastinate.
This is a huge deal because for the past 60 years or so, Malaysians have been depending on the car companies to tell us how many cars they sold each month and year. Naturally, not all of the car companies report accurate sales figures, and as hinted by MAA, some have even tampered with their figures to one-up their competitors. Now with JPJ in the picture, the car companies will have to tell it as it is.
Still, JPJ itself is no paragon of integrity… they have their own ‘problems’, but nonetheless this is still a big step in the right direction. The next big step will be the return of monthly car models data… man, I miss those days in 2010 when Paultan and Motortrader used to share monthly model sales info… and then it all stopped in 2012 thanks to that retarded MyCC law. sigh
MAA is not affiliated to the government. It is their own association to liaise with the government much like an NGO.
Is time the car companies setup a new association MAC to represent their interests. since MAA cannot do the job.
JPJ will make money from this for sure. Even road tax disc cannot supply adequately.
Not JPJ fault. cuz many officers work from home,