UMW Toyota sold 7,528 units in Jan 2022, 96% up y-o-y – over 40% of Corolla Cross sales are hybrids, so far

Fresh from reclaiming its No.1 non-national brand title after six years as runner-up, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) is off to a great start in the new year. The company sold 7,528 units of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in January 2022, a whopping 96% higher than in the same month last year (3,845 units).

The company says that among its passenger car models, the Vios was the top seller with 28% of Toyota’s total sales. A significant portion of Toyota’s sales comes from commercial vehicles, which include pick-up trucks, something that previous No.1 non-national brand Honda doesn’t have in its range. The Hilux contributed 38% of last month’s sales.

“We are thankful for the government’s decision to extend the SST exemption incentives for passenger vehicles. This has greatly helped automotive players like us to recover from the impact of the pandemic during the last two years. We encourage Toyota fans to take advantage of the extended tax exemption to purchase their dream car, coupled with the value for money deals UMWT is offering such as the ongoing Stay Ahead sales campaign,” said UMWT president Ravindran K.

The Stay Ahead campaign is offering savings up to RM4,500, with the Vios starting from RM540 a month (RM2,216 SST savings) and the Yaris from RM493 a month (RM2,192 SST savings).

A note on the CKD locally assembled Corolla Cross Hybrid, which was launched on January 14. UMWT says that the hybrid version of the SUV accounts for more than 40% of Corolla Cross sales, with the rest being the ICE-powered variant.

Now 40% is very high for a hybrid, and it remains to be seen if this is just an initial spurt or if UMWT can sustain the trend for the RM136,550 car. Honda, the brand that has been the most consistent with offering hybrids in Malaysia, usually sells no more than 10% of hybrids for a model range. Another difference between T&H is that the Corolla Cross Hybrid sits at the top of the range (1.8G RM123,000, 1.8V RM129,000), while Honda sometimes slots in the hybrid in the middle of the line-up, although the current City RS e:HEV is the range-topper.

UMWT is confident on the resale value of its hybrids, pointing out that the residuals of its last hybrid model, the Camry Hybrid, is higher than the petrol variants of the D-segment sedan.

Sales aside, in early January, UMWT partnered with Yayasan Raja Muda Selangor to extend a helping hand to Malaysians affected by the December 2021 flood. Through its ‘Back On Your Feet’ programme, the company contributed RM10,000 to Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Lui, which was partially damaged by the flood. UMWT also donated essential home appliances such as rice cookers, kettles and gas stoves to the affected community in Sungai Lui.

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