New vehicle registrations in Malaysia rose 13% to 55,208 units in August, from 48,937 a year earlier, according to data released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).
The market was lifted by continued low interest rates, strong economic growth and high production volumes in July – ahead of the annual Hari Raya holidays in August.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Despite the seasonal boost, the market’s rate of growth has slowed compared with the almost 20% increase in the first half of the year – reflecting tougher year-earlier comparisons.
Sales of passenger cars rose by 12.5% to 49,806 units, from 44,135 units a year earlier, while sales of commercial vehicles were 15.9% higher at 5,566 units, compared with 4,802 units.
Cumulative sales for the eight-month period were up by 16% to 409,806 units, compared with 351,846 units in the previous year.
Sales in September are expected to be lower than in August due to a lull in the market following the recent pre-holiday delivery rush, the Association said.
