With commercial vehicles showing year-on-year increases of 8% in production and 13% in sales for December, this has helped the market to remain ahead of the curve against 2020. This has helped 2021 in ending 28% and 16% ahead of 2020 in terms of production and sales in figures released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).
Industry Insiders Relieved by Recovery Shown in 2021
Starting with production, December showed a 8% increase, with 4,265 new vehicles, as opposed to 3,943 units from December 2020. The 8% increase was the icing on the cake for the yearly figures, with the final figures for 2021 amounting to 35,220 units, against 27,431 vehicles from 2020, which corresponds to a boost of 28%.
Sales for December recorded a 13% rise with 7,581 units sold, against 6,729 from the previous year. The year-to-date figures reveal a 16% improvement with 56,248 units against 48,543 from 2020.
The MAA has confirmed that December was the highest month of the year for sales, with companies fulfilling backdated orders in time for the end of the financial year. Equally, important was the sales push from companies with targeted consumer campaigns. In January, there will be a minor dip, due in part to the sustained shortage of chips. However, recent disruption caused by floods in the Klang Valley and East Coast will also disrupt supply. In better news for the industry, there will also be new promotional campaigns in preparation for the Chinese New Year, which, based on the success of the campaigns in December could be a factor in driving sales.
