Malaysia’s new vehicle market rose slightly to 73,041 units in August 2025 from strong year-earlier sales of 72,580 units, according to registration data released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA). The association said the market last month was supported by improved inventories, recent new model launches, and aggressive dealer promotions.
The latest economic data showed the Malaysian economy expanded by 4.4% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025, following similar growth in the first quarter, underpinned by strong domestic consumption. The central bank lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.75% in July to support the domestic economy, its first rate cut since it last hiked in April 2023.
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In the first eight months of 2025, the vehicle market declined by 4% to 516,862 units from a record high of 537,532 units in the same period last year, with light passenger vehicle sales falling by 3% to 478,824 units, while commercial vehicle sales dropped by 16% to 38,038 units.
Separate industry data showed that battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales in the country increased by 63% to 23,396 units year-to-date, driven mainly by China’s BYD and its Denza brand with 8,176 units combined, the recently-launched Proton e.MAS7 with 5,455 sales, and Tesla with 3,162 units.
Total vehicle production in the country fell by 9% to 493,176 units in the first eight months of the year.
Market leader Perodua saw its sales decline by 2% to 231,700 units year-to-date, slightly outperforming the overall passenger vehicle market, underpinned by its popular Bezza and Axia models.
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By GlobalDataProton’s global sales fell slightly to 100,902 units in the first eight months of 2025, including 3,144 exports. The Saga was by far its best-selling model with 44,676 sales, followed by the Geely-based X50 compact SUV with 17,705 units – with an all-new model launched in July.
UMW Toyota reported a 4% decline in its eight-month sales to 62,246 units, with the Vios its best-selling model, followed by the Hilux pickup truck.
