UMW Group sells 29,679 vehicles in April, higher Toyota sales

KUALA LUMPUR: UMW Holdings Bhd’s automotive sales dropped 9.1 per cent to 29,679 units last month from 32,663 units in March, due to lower sales from its associate company Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua).

UMW Group said Perodua’s lower sales were primarily dragged by the shortage of semiconductor chips.

However, the lower sales in April was offset by continued healthy contribution from iUMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd.

UMW Group president and group chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Fuaad Kenali said it was pleased with the continuous strong sales recorded by UMW Toyota and Perodua.

“The newly-launched models have been well received by our customers, leading to higher sales as well as an improving order bank.

“We are doing our best to increase production to ensure timely deliveries to our customers,” he said in a statement today.

However, Ahmad Fuaad said the semiconductor chips shortage had impacted Perodua’s production and the car manufacturer was exploring various means to overcome the problem.

UMW Group said new model introduction, festive campaigns and the sales tax exemption had driven demand.

UMW Toyota’s sales rose 12.7 per cent to 9,280 units from 8,232 units in March.

This was supported by strong demand for the recently-launched Toyota Corolla Cross with Toyota Harrier, Vios, Yaris and Hilux continuing to be its best-selling models.

The improved Toyota Fortuner and Innova also contributed to the April sales.

Year-to-date (YTD) April, UMW Toyota sold a total of 26,431 vehicles, significantly higher than the 10,596 units registered in the corresponding period of 2020, which was impacted by the imposition of the first Movement Control Order (MCO 1.0).

UMW Toyota has set a sales target of 62,000 units in 2021.

Perodua’s sales in April were 16.5 per cent lower to 20,399 units from 24,431 units in the preceding month, mainly due to the semiconductor chips shortage, which had adversely affected the automotive industry.

Nevertheless, it said demand for Perodua Ativa that was launched on March 3 remained strong with an average daily booking of 290 units.

Perodua delivered 4,624 units of Ativa in April, bringing the total since launch close to 9,000 units.

For the first four months of the year, Perodua delivered a total of 78,304 vehicles, 73.9 per cent higher than the 45,034 units registered in the corresponding period of 2020.

Perodua has targeted to sell 240,000 vehicles this year.

Source: NST