Malaysia’s new vehicle market surged by 32% to 69,785 units in June 2026, up from weak year-earlier sales of 52,790 units, according to registration data released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA). The market last month rebounded from a 12% decline in May, which had fewer working days due to a high number of public holidays.
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In the first six months of 2026, the country’s vehicle market expanded by 3% to 385,353 units, up from 372,636 units in the same period last year, driven by a 4% rise in passenger vehicle sales to 361,635 units, while commercial vehicle sales declined by 11% to 23,718 units.
Sales by domestic brands rose by 9% to 256,304 units, reflecting a strong performance by Proton, while sales by overseas brands fell by 2% to 129,049 units. Overall vehicle production in the country increased by 1% to 356,946 units in this period, from 352,626 units a year earlier.
Separate industry data show that sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) surged by 85% to 31,740 units in the first half of the year, led by Proton with 13,530 sales, followed by BYD with 5,675 units and Chery’s iCaur with 2,570 units.
Market leader Perodua’s sales fell by almost 5% to 158,300 units in the first six months of 2026, according to local reports, despite the recent launch of the new Toyota Yaris Cross-based Traz compact SUV and the company’s first BEV model, the QV-E.
Proton reported a 38% jump in global vehicle sales to 100,346 units year-to-date, from weak levels a year earlier, with the Saga by far its best-selling model with 44,375 units, followed by the Geely-based X50 compact SUV with 15,345 units and the battery-powered e.Mas 5 with 10,793 units.
Toyota’s first-half registrations declined by 12% to 50,591 units, despite the recent introduction of the new Vios Hybrid and the updated Corolla Cross HEV models.
The MAA has raised its full-year 2026 total market forecast to 800,000 units, up from its previous forecast of 790,000 units, following the market’s strong performance in June. GlobalData forecasts an almost 7% drop in light vehicle sales to 773,000 units this year, down from record sales of 827,000 units last year, with volumes rising slightly to 781,000 units in 2027.
