ABSTRACT
The 2008 financial crisis has been an extremely challenging one for many businesses
worldwide. Malaysia has not been spared from the difficulties posed by this economic disaster
even though we were supposed to be somewhat isolated from being hit very hard. This paper
examines the challenges faced by the Malaysian companies, in particular Automobile
manufacturers or sometimes known as the Automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers
(OEMs). This paper will also try and single out the least affected companies in Malaysia and
try to understand what are the best practices in having a sustainable competitive advantage.
The study has shown that car sales in Malaysia have seen a sharp decline especially
nd st
between in the 2 half of 2007 and the 1 half of 2008. This is mainly attributed to the global
economic condition which has also had an affect on Malaysia. Nevertheless, some
companies have been harder hit than others and this is what the author has tried to study. It is
been found that while short term strategies may have had some influence on the performance
of automotive companies in Malaysia, the long term strategies have a more profound
influence over the performance of companies even during the more difficult times. Companies
which have been steadfast in their long term strategies and have not been swayed by the
different conditions have been less affected than those which have chosen to adopt short
term strategies which are not well coordinated. The paper will also share some possible
lessons that can be learnt from other OEMs in trying to become competitive players in the
Malaysian automotive Industry.
INTRODUCTION
The economic crisis facing the world today may be attributed to the sub-prime lending in the
USA. Quite simply put, subprime lending is when a financial institution lends out money to a
borrower who does not have a good credit rating, and charging higher interest rates due to
the higher risk of defaulting.
RESEARCH PROBLEM
The situation in Malaysia, though not as bad, is still relatively poor. When the economy slows
down, consumer spending also reduces drastically, more so on the big ticket items such as
the purchase of property, leisure holidays and cars. Due to this correlation, it would be safe to
say that the automotive industry is one of a few key indicators to predict the economic health
of a country. The number of new vehicles registered is one of the lagging indicators
1
prescribed by the Malaysian Department of Statistics.
On this note, it was a clear signal that the Malaysian economy was on a slight decline when
the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) announced that the Total Industry Volume (TIV)
for 2009 would contract by approximately 12.2%. Passenger car TIV (new registered
vehicles) in 2008 was 497,459 units, but in 2009, the figure is only 436,800 units. This was
compounded when the car sales for the month of January 2009 was significantly lower as
compared to the corresponding period the year before. Total passenger car sales for January
2008 was 36,396 units while it was only 30,189 units in January 2009, corresponding to a
17% drop in sales.
1
Lagging indicators tell us what had happened to the economy. It measures the performance of cyclical
movements of the leading and coincidental indices – “Malaysia Economic Indicators – Leading,
Coincident and Lagging Indices”; Department of Statistics, Malaysia; December 2008
LITERATURE REVIEW
2
CSI is a nameplate study, which means that performance is reported at the manufacturer level (i.e.,
Proton, Perodua, Toyota, etc.), rather than at the model level (i.e., Saga, Myvi, Vios, etc.).
http://www.jdpower.com/faqs-auto/ March 8, 2009
3
The 2008 Malaysia Initial Quality Study (IQS) is based on evaluations from approximately 3,200
owners who purchased their new vehicle between September 2007 and May 2008. Vehicles evaluated
included 52 passenger car, pickup and utility vehicle models covering 15 different brands. The study
was fielded between March and July 2008.
The Turnaround
Proton began to embark on a Business Turnaround in 2006. After the new management took
over, various changes were immediately effected. There were a list of 11 main initiatives
ranging from “Enhancing the Product Portfolio”, “Improving Quality”, “Improving Sales and
Distribution” and “Enhancing Human Capital” just to name a few. In the initiative “Enhancing
Product Portfolio”, several sub-initiatives were developed such as establishing a „New Product
Introduction‟ or NPI process. This process had several gateways that had to be met diligently.
By complying to this process, the management at Proton could ensure that the products
developed met the necessary quality standards and equally important, Proton could sustain
the manufacture of the components since the vendors in turn had to comply with the NPI.
Additionally, Proton was to follow a new product development process and an element called
Voice of the Customer or VOC was introduced. A new division called the Marketing Division
was introduced and this division took on the daunting role of facing customers and identifying
exactly what it was that they liked about Proton cars and also more importantly, what they did
not like about the car. The list of dislikes was obviously very high. All these findings were then
compiled and the information was then fed back to the Research & Development Division in
order for the development of the new car to begin. Due to the product development efforts
and the positive response to customers‟ needs and complaints, new models such as Persona,
Proton Saga with the 1.3 litre Campro engine which was developed in house and Exora which
enhanced customer‟s trust in the product and in the brand.
Quality Assurance
Another common practise among OEMs is to have Resident Engineers at the Vendor‟s site
during the initial stages of production, just to ensure that the vendor complies with the basic
quality requirements. A resident engineer is usually an experienced engineer from the OEM,
typically from the Quality, Procurement or Production divisions, and is stationed at the vendor
premises for a pre-defined period of time. The resident engineer will advise the vendor about
the specific requirements of the OEM which the vendor may not already be familiar with. The
Resident Engineer will normally ensure that the vendor production has stabilized before
returning back to base.
Having seen the various strategies employed by the companies mentioned above, it is a good
idea to summarize what we have observed so that other OEMs can benefit from this research.
The findings are discussed below.
For most of the Automotive OEMs, the current economic turmoil is a very alarming and
troubling time. However, product development initiatives must never be neglected. Although
product development poses a huge cost outflow where the typical product development cost
including tooling, jigs and dies is about RM500 Million, it cannot be sidelined, especially
during economic slowdowns. This is because when the economy begins to improve, car
companies need a fresh product to entice buyers. Only the car OEMs with the right products
at the right time will be able to capitalise on the positive economic climate. By declaring huge
losses, some companies such as Toyota may have already taken into consideration the
capital expenses on its product developments even though potential revenues may not be
able to support that cash outflow in the same year. But the benefit is a ready and fully
developed range of models as soon as the economy picks up again. All the top 5 companies
OEMs also need to be concerned about their suppliers. During the development process,
some suppliers may have difficulty with financing. Especially during these trying times when
the revenues are fast reducing due to shrinking demands. Credit lines tend to become a big
problem due to the poor credit rating of the automotive industry in general. At this time, the
OEM must be firmly behind the supplier to ensure that the new model is developed as per
design intent or else, certain components may not be ready at the time of launch and this
would not be acceptable at all. The problem is that the financial distress is not only being
experienced by the smaller suppliers but even by the big global players such as Delphi,
Continental and Denso just to name a few.
For Malaysian National Car maker Proton, where product development is carried out
holistically in Malaysia, getting the full support from the suppliers is very crucial. Fortunately,
the economic slowdown in Malaysia has yet to reach its peak. Nevertheless, many suppliers
are already in desperate times, trying to secure financing and extending credit lines. Without
the sufficient funds, product development may not be comprehensive. Hence, Proton would
have to lend an extra hand to cover for some of the vendor related product development costs.
The main problem here is that the cash situation of Proton as a company will also be under
severe threat. This activity may potentially result in the product development costs escalating
well beyond the RM500 Million mark, which can be financially impossible. This is where the
government funds become extremely important to ensure the complete automotive eco
system is sustained. The recently announced Automotive Development Fund (ADF) is one
such government initiative from the Malaysian government with primary intent of saving the
automotive vendor community in Malaysia.
Toyota has a system called “Kieretsu” whereby the vendors are part of the “Toyota family”. In
this way, Toyota is able to capitalise on the economies of scale and procurement can be
centrally controlled from Japan for all its manufacturing outfits including subsidiary companies
such as Daihatsu and Perodua. In doing so, raw materials can be purchased as prices
significantly are lower than any competitor is able to get. This gives Toyota the upper hand to
reduce the Bill or Material (BOM) costs even further.
Currently, since most customers have concerns about making purchases on big ticket items,
it does not mean they will not make the purchase at all. Instead, they may start to scout
around and compare products on offer from various OEMs. When their financial status
permits, they will quickly make the purchase based on the decisions made earlier. This
means, the purchase is merely delayed. Therefore, OEMs cannot afford to stop offering the
products just because the economy has slowed down. Rather, entice the customers so that
the moment they can afford the car, the first one they consider is the one which has won their
hearts when they were in the financial difficulty.
Inventory Management
Most car manufacturers have to keep some level of inventory. This is because the time it
takes between the cars being produced to when the cars are delivered to the customers may
take at least 2 weeks. Some companies forecast what the customers will want to buy and
produce the cars in advance. In this way, a potential customer may get delivery of the new car
very quickly since the car is already in stock. However, this approach has its limitations. For
example, it takes at least 3 months lead-time for the automotive suppliers to order raw
materials in order to produce the component. This is especially true when the component
requires raw materials to be ordered from overseas. When the OEM has ordered these
components, it has to assemble the vehicles quickly since some of these components have a
shelf life and also once these components have been ordered, the OEMs need to honour the
orders come what may. It is when the forecast goes wrong that all the plans go haywire.
Stockyards pile up with “the wrong cars”, cars which were built but nobody wants to buy.
Typically, the ultimate stock level for an OEM should be about 1.5 months worth of stocks.
For example, if an OEM sells 4,000 cars a month, then there could be up to 6,000 cars in
stock at any given time.
However, the current stockpile of most OEMs the world over is very much higher than this.
Due to this, production has been slowed down to curb the number of unsold cars in inventory
from growing to an uncontrollable figure. In some European and Japanese car factories,
production has ceased since December and some companies have even given extended
4
Christmas holidays .
4
“Today, it was reported BMW’s Mini plant had quietly let slip about 90 more temporary workers over
the Christmas break and Honda extended its Christmas holiday shutdown all the way to June.” – “THE
January 2009 saw a very bad sale figure for most OEMs in Malaysia. In February onwards,
car advertisements have been more aggressive and airtime on local radio and television
media channels have also been more prominent. Customers are all concerned about cash
flow. Having a new car also means the loan repayments will have to continue and the
maintenance will be an issue. The typical gimmick of „Zero Down-payment‟ has lost its bite. In
the past, salesmen have been able to offer a vehicle of slightly lower specifications, and
processed the loan documents for a vehicle with the highest specifications available. In this
way, when a customer buys a vehicle such as the Perodua Myvi for say RM45k, the
salesman will process the loan for the same vehicle but with the higher specifications, at
RM50k. The RM5k difference will be used to pay for the down-payment of the vehicle or in
some cases be given back as a “rebate” to the unsuspecting customers. In the end, the
customer has to pay for a loan which is more expensive than it could have been. Since the
financial crisis, banks have been more stringent in their loan approvals, and this kind of
manipulation of the system has been more closely monitored. Hence, salesmen have to be
more knowledgeable about their products and how they fare against competitors.
Among the problems facing a car owner, especially during these difficult economic slowdowns
is car maintenance. When someone owns a second hand car, especially a relatively older car,
there will always tend to be a problem or two which requires fixing. More often than not, these
small repairs can be costly especially when they recur. Due to this, some car owners tend to
opt for a brand new car. The only problem is that these new cars require the periodical
maintenance carried out religiously. It is essential that these maintenance jobs are done on
time and at the authorized service centres in order to maintain validity of the manufacturer‟s
warranty. This may burden the car owners since authorized service centres may charge a
little more than the independent service workshops.
In November 2008, Honda Malaysia launched a promotion called “Low Maintenance”. In this
st
promotion that lasted 2 months, until 31 December 2008, selected models such as the
Honda Stream and Honda Civic came with free maintenance for 18 months or 30,000
kilometres. That means that for up to 30,000 kilometres or 18 months, the owner will not have
to worry about paying for any maintenance.
This promotion is very similar to other car promotions especially in Europe and the USA.
However, most promotions of this sort give only up to three years of free service. There have
yet to be car manufacturers which offer up to five years of free maintenance.
If a car manufacturer were to launch a car in this current economic scenario, then one
possible way to do it with a “Big Bang” would be to launch a new model (at least some minor
facelifts) with a revised price to incorporate the cost increase to offer free scheduled
maintenance for up to five years. Although there could be a minor price increment, the end
result is a value proposition that would be highly attractive. If the OEM is confident about its
product quality and reliability, then it could also promote its five year warranty. Instead of
selling a car, the OEM unique value proposition could be tuned and marketed as selling
“Peace of Mind”. These are several benefits of having the five year maintenance programme.
Firstly, the customer‟s car would be better maintained since the owner would most definitely
try to send in the car as soon as the scheduled maintenance is due. Secondly, the owner
WEEK THAT WAS: Buckle up for a long rough ride”; Graeme Roberts, just –auto.com editorial team,
16 January 2009; retrieved from http://www.just-auto.com/article.aspx%E2%80%A6 on April 3, 2009
Organizational Strength
Like any other industry, the automotive industry is plagued with a host of management
concerns. Due to the complexity of the business it is imperative that these concerns, ranging
from the product development, raw material purchases, manufacturing, sales and distribution,
have to be carefully orchestrated in order to support the smooth running of the business.
Therefore having an organization that works together between divisions well is definitely an
advantage. In most cases, working in silos is a problem. Divisions find it difficult to cooperate
and get a cross functional task done efficiently and effectively. However, in Toyota, the
workforce culture is second to none. The culture of „Kaizen‟ or continuous improvement has
been the foundation for the sustainable continuous improvements. The „Ohno‟s Circle‟ is
where a manager is asked to stand within a circle drawn out of chalk. The circle is just big
enough to stand in. The idea is that the manager has to look at the production line as it is
running and note every little detail which could be improved. This may go on for two hours
and the superior will then ask for a detailed report the following day. This is to ensure that the
manager is in touch with the shop floor.
To counter the concern by customers that the service and maintenance costs of a vehicle are
too high, an OEM may offer service vouchers at the point of sale of the vehicle. This set of
vouchers may be for as long as three years. Instead of giving the vouchers for free, the OEM
may offer the vouchers to the customers for a fraction of the total price of maintenance. In this
way, the customer does not have to worry about maintenance costs escalating over the years.
Proton Edar could offer the customer to buy the service package as a pre-paid deal at a
discounted rate. Assumng the total cost of maintenance is RM1,500 for the given period, the
customer could opt to purchase the service vouchers at a 40% discount at say RM900 only.
Since the vouchers explicitly mention the parts and labour carried out at each service interval,
the customer no longer has to be concerned about escalating maintenance costs since for the
given period, the cost has been paid for upfront. In this way, Proton Edar will be able to offer
the customer peace of mind. In addition, this system will also guarantee that the customer will
come back to service the car at the recommended mileage intervals. It also provides cash
upfront to Proton Edar and this is something very much needed at this juncture. Although the
vouchers are sold at a discount, the typical profit margins for parts and labour are 40%
anyway, which means that the vouchers can be sold either at cost or even slightly higher than
cost and yet please the customers with a large discount. In economic slowdowns, customers
typically try to avoid periodical maintenance on their vehicles. This can impact car
manufacturers in two ways. Firstly, the throughput into service centres will decrease resulting
in a contraction of revenues. The second impact is that since the customers do not maintain
their vehicles, these cars may ultimately break down in the middle of the road and this will
give a negative connotation to other motorists about the particular brand of car.
SUMMARY
Based on the case study of car manufacturers in Malaysia it is evident that each automotive
manufacturer has its own set of strategies that can improve sales to a certain extent during
the economic uncertainties. However, the long term strategies which effectively executed
such as the case with Toyota will give the maximum benefit to the organization. For this to be
realised, a strong leadership coupled with succession planning is essential to ensure the long
term strategies remain executed even though there is a change of leadership. In many OEMs,
the strategies are designed to bring short term gains. This will ultimately look good for the
current leadership. However when there is a change in leadership, the strategies take on a
slightly different course and whole workforce becomes confused and lethargic due to the
frequently changing directions.
It is also important to point out that due to the dynamic nature of the automotive industry, and
since the article was written in 2009, some facts may have already become obsolete.
Reader‟s discretion is therefore highly sought.
Bernama News Agency. (March 10 2009). Muhyiddin upbeat to woo RM26 bln FDI this year.
Retrieved on March 29, 2009, from http://web6.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_
business.php?id=395236
Cole D, McAlinden S, Dziczek K, & Menk, D.M., (Nov 4 2008). CAR Research
Memorandum: The Impact on the U.S. Economy of a Major Contraction of the
Detroit Three Automakers. Center for Automotive Research. Retrieved July 14, 2009,
from http://www.cargroup.org/documents/FINALDetroitThreeContractionImpact_
3__001.pdf
Aishah Ahmad, (March 28, 2009). Excerpt from Goh, TE. Malaysia takes pole position
in regional car sales. Business Times. Retrieved on March 29, 2009, from http://www.
btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/maa27/ Article/index_html
Najib Tun Razak, (November 26, 2008). Malaysia‟s stimulus package will work. Wall Street
Journal. Retrieved on March 29, 2009, from http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB122763736171857009.html
Economic Planning Unit, PM‟s Department(March 30, 2009). Malaysia‟s Current Economic
Position and Short Term Prospects. Retrieved on April 3, 2009, from
http://www.epu.gov.my/bajet/MRR_216_teks_kp.pdf
Graeme Roberts, (January 16, 2009). The week that was : buckle up for a long rough ride.
Just –auto.com editorial team. Retrieved on April 3, 2009, from http://www.just-
auto.com/article.aspx%E2%80%A6
Ishak, N.K., Mutum, D., Ghazali, E. & Fan, C.K(2006). An exploratory study of the
implementation of customer relationship management by Malaysian Automobile
Distributors. Journal for Business and Entrepreneurship Development. 3 (1/2), 41-56.
Just-auto.com editorial team, (January, 2 2009). Malaysia: Dealer group wants more
support. Retrieved March 28, 2009,from http://www.just- auto.com/ article.
aspx?id=97361
Just-auto.com editorial team, (March 27, 2009). GERMANY: Scrapping incentive still
working. Retrieved on March 29, 2009, from http://www.just-auto.com/article.
aspx?id =98669&lk=dm.
Just-auto.com editorial team, (March 27, 2009). US: Ford ships 100 Euro-spec fiestas for
'movement' promotion. Retrieved on April 2, 2009, from http://www.just-
auto.com/article. aspx?id=98651&lk=dm
Liker, J.K., & Hoseus, (2008). Toyota culture: The heart and soul of the Toyota way. New
York: McGraw Hill.
Magee, D, (2007). How Toyota became #1: leadership lessons from the world's greatest car
company. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.
Martin Khor(January 18 2004). Revisiting how Malaysia overcame the financial crisis. Third
world network. Retrieved on March 29, 2009, from http://www. twnside.
org.sg/title2/gtrends1.htm
Masami K & Magda L(2001). Coordinating transport, environment and energy policies for
urban air quality management. World Bank Perspectives. Washington D.C.
Mathew Saltmarsh, (March 12, 2009). BMW and Volkswagen reflect difficulties facing
carmakers. New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from http://www.nytimes.
com/2009/03/13/business/worldbusiness/13bmw.html
Mohd. Rosli, (2004). Entrepreneurship, economic development and the automobile industry:
a study of the Asian model and Malaysian experience (Doctoral Dissertation). Kuala
Lumpur.
Subprime Mortgage Crisis. Wikipedia article. Retrieved on March 29, 2009, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subprime_mortgage_crisis
The Star online (December 15, 2008). Toyota likely to cut forecasts further, post H2 loss.
Retrieved on April 3, 2009, from http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file
=/2008/12/15/business/2807327&sec=business.
USA Federal Reserve‟s Table B.100. Balance sheet of household and non profit
organizations. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from http://www.federalreserve.
gov/releases/z1/ Current/z1r-5.pdf.
Zakaria F., (October 20, 2008). There is a silver lining. Newsweek (Electronic Version).
Retrieved on March 29, 2009 from http://www.newsweek.com/id/163449
Table 1
Registered Sales of Cars in the “A” Segment for 2007
2007
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Kancil 2463 2600 2604 1946 1576 1216 1323 961 728 658 699 914 17688
Kelisa 1192 847 2061 1722 450 201 76 17 4 3 3 1 6577
SEGMENT A
Kenari 591 691 424 590 607 466 473 468 419 394 367 335 5825
Atos 328 110 295 199 663 173 384 180 110 15 1 234 2692
Picanto/Suria 581 437 347 318 523 449 432 384 269 262 219 220 4441
Smart 70 75 90 94 35 52 8 13 3 12 35 79 566
Savvy 924 722 532 325 226 288 470 725 582 430 321 297 5842
Spark 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sutera 479 410 294 221 298 199 216 169 139 143 89 127 2784
Viva 0 0 0 0 3131 6827 5860 6710 6132 5711 5254 6592 46217
Others 6 5 16 7 33 48 21 31 26 21 22 12 248
Monthly Total 6634 5897 6663 5422 7542 9919 9263 9658 8412 7649 7010 8811 92880
Table 2
Registered Sales of Cars in the “A” Segment for 2008
2008
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Kancil 1182 613 688 705 466 475 600 606 554 369 510 347 7115
Kelisa 24 179 7 1 0 0 2 2 0 33 4 79 331
Kenari 207 201 367 351 341 429 447 353 310 232 265 123 3626
SEGMENT A
Savvy 308 252 210 294 364 327 232 207 368 221 220 175 3178
Atos 40 153 143 80 29 38 79 9 101 11 7 7 697
i10 0 0 0 0 0 0 215 410 80 0 80 105 890
Sutera 103 52 51 77 72 0 0 232 39 8 12 8 654
Picanto/Suria 277 182 194 240 361 396 346 207 239 139 120 90 2791
Viva 5156 4232 5142 6088 5681 6597 7440 6506 6294 4379 4880 5178 67573
Smart 11 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23
Forza 16 15 14 36 91 0 0 219 49 23 18 4 485
Others 15 3 10 5 6 1 3 1 0 1 0 0 45
Monthly Total 7339 5888 6830 7879 7411 8263 9364 8752 8034 5416 6116 6116 87408
Table 3
Registered Sales of Cars in the “A” Segment for 2009
2009
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Viva 4373 5200 6007 15580
SEGMENT A
This data shows the sales of A-segment cars in 2007 through to 2009. A segment cars are
defined as the small cars such as the Perodua Kancil, Proton Savvy and Naza Sutera.
Typically the engine sizes of these cars are below 1.3 litres.
Getz 486 277 308 100 86 601 238 269 230 340 405 243 3583
Jazz 81 77 101 60 95 71 68 124 96 70 53 32 928
C3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Swift 139 108 76 39 114 52 188 320 318 290 296 214 2154
206/Bestari 97 141 68 82 106 88 76 58 56 67 38 45 922
Accent 101 96 97 117 81 80 66 87 84 108 51 46 1014
Aveo/Notchback 27 29 25 58 79 15 8 8 3 7 3 0 262
Myvi 6704 6454 7453 6469 7264 8040 7830 7640 7072 6727 7216 5837 84706
Yaris 36 46 49 50 41 44 48 42 39 14 26 24 459
Colt 4 2 26 21 6 4 7 2 0 1 0 0 73
Sephia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Punto 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
March 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3
A160 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 6 7 20
Others 2 0 5 9 9 4 9 9 16 10 0 5 78
Monthly Total 11803 10803 13877 11997 13813 15622 15948 17151 14272 13082 12937 10713 162018
Table 5
Registered Sales of Cars in the “B” Segment for 2008
2008
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Myvi 8354 6663 7157 7530 7386 7185 8450 6515 8489 6500 7267 6729 88225
Iswara 3715 2371 2360 1375 435 142 14 21 11 6 2 2 10454
Wira 342 229 185 170 85 71 241 318 183 143 133 55 2155
Satria/Neo 263 258 253 408 425 263 239 347 501 234 339 316 3846
SEGMENT B
Saga 276 3269 5605 6173 6028 6180 7335 6275 7634 5861 6263 5634 66533
Getz 349 211 330 117 155 126 160 310 305 26 101 123 2313
Jazz 38 48 52 61 55 47 59 107 182 90 70 59 868
Swift 334 248 314 381 357 365 358 346 392 267 265 189 3816
Bestari 36 33 30 38 63 0 0 166 52 46 28 84 576
Accent 55 31 29 30 47 17 16 32 45 55 45 39 441
Yaris 21 15 12 15 9 9 9 13 11 18 7 5 144
Cooper 16 13 12 12 15 22 18 25 17 28 13 12 203
Rio 7 7 13 9 5 4 2 4 5 4 2 0 62
SX4 58 43 27 61 42 75 92 29 81 60 45 57 670
Others 4 0 13 40 55 50 27 18 24 20 13 7 271
Monthly Total 13868 13439 16392 16420 15162 14556 17020 14526 17932 13358 14593 13311 180577
Table 6
Registered Sales of Cars in the “B” Segment for 2009
2009
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Myvi 7049 6435 7454 20938
Saga 5054 5015 5671 15740
Satria/Neo 288 231 277 796
SEGMENT B
Table 7
Registered Sales of Cars in the “C” Segment for 2007
2007
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Waja 1357 995 1093 924 635 1092 1207 970 1005 932 985 875 12070
City 895 945 693 751 1032 618 812 858 880 661 820 742 9707
Civic 1100 786 712 616 976 747 829 1025 857 562 530 551 9291
Sentra 399 406 429 381 345 333 316 342 345 268 186 175 3925
Altis 193 138 187 149 166 272 283 379 460 475 330 42 3074
Focus 51 53 26 19 15 10 0 0 11 13 11 7 216
Lynx 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Xsara 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
406 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SEGMENT C
Table 8
Registered Sales of Cars in the “C” Segment for 2008
2008
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Waja 775 527 535 999 974 1047 917 365 288 137 333 512 7409
Persona 4146 3130 3367 4356 3399 3530 3993 3697 4452 2495 2628 3117 42310
Vios 3336 2152 2779 2682 2649 2978 3045 2982 2420 2439 2642 2606 32710
Gen2 784 521 339 426 314 219 264 216 277 144 241 398 4143
City 985 674 1049 776 1072 1285 1064 643 698 554 557 386 9743
Civic 996 650 727 685 698 776 849 872 726 394 723 526 8622
SEGMENT C
Sentra 156 142 228 260 259 154 136 105 169 146 157 120 2032
Spectra/5 68 43 42 50 48 100 105 41 133 176 225 259 1290
Altis 4 0 327 939 862 960 900 468 508 397 390 524 6279
Lancer/ GT 164 140 99 100 102 147 202 222 163 74 70 51 1534
RS Lynx/Focus 20 26 5 15 26 8 5 25 0 33 3 3 169
Matrix 891 156 213 125 139 218 20 56 467 77 63 104 2529
Mazda 3 34 10 9 8 4 4 39 13 16 7 24 3 171
Elantra 36 94 67 89 79 72 57 38 39 26 12 14 623
Golf 26 39 38 37 32 38 24 17 19 8 14 22 314
Latio 334 308 344 367 390 388 350 151 219 187 143 205 3386
MC Accent 117 65 69 89 115 108 67 61 58 46 38 43 876
Sylphy 0 0 0 0 0 70 512 438 308 250 194 150 1922
Others 28 18 43 46 24 31 43 49 115 27 32 54 510
Monthly Total 12900 8695 10280 12049 11186 12133 12592 10459 11075 7617 8489 9097 126572
This data shows the sales of C-segment cars in 2007 through to 2009. C-segment cars are
defined as the upper medium sedans and hatchback cars such as the Proton Persona,
Toyota Altis and Honda Civic. Typically the engine sizes of these cars are above 1.3 litres and
below 2.0 litres. Note that there is a very wide range of on-the-road (OTR) prices of the cars
in this segment.
Table 10
Registered Sales of Cars in the “D” Segment for 2007
2007
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Camry 58 190 1220 752 607 863 849 1054 960 979 1099 892 9523
Accord 374 292 161 184 160 172 179 193 246 254 188 347 2750
Perdana 165 420 412 229 234 226 252 142 140 270 259 400 3149
SEGMENT D
Cefiro 16 6 17 7 9 9 29 7 16 14 16 17 163
Optima 20 26 19 7 17 17 13 26 25 35 11 19 235
C5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sonata 51 120 53 66 96 157 37 22 22 43 23 23 713
Mazda 6 3 10 8 7 13 11 4 7 5 5 11 5 89
Picasso 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Passat 0 22 8 7 4 9 10 12 11 8 9 5 105
Jetta 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 3 3 1 1 2 14
Others 1 7 7 12 6 6 10 0 0 0 0 0 49
Monthly Total 696 1094 1905 1271 1146 1472 1384 1466 1428 1609 1617 1710 16798
Table 11
Registered Sales of Cars in the “D” Segment for 2008
2008
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Camry 922 881 1452 1415 1149 1192 1305 904 995 855 782 922 12774
Accord 370 149 34 319 1257 733 995 939 851 593 743 366 7349
SEGMENT D
Perdana 202 127 185 134 116 80 95 199 227 163 120 104 1752
Sonata 37 25 20 30 22 18 12 6 13 5 13 5 206
Cefiro 63 14 13 18 10 1 6 4 1 10 2 0 142
Optima 29 17 16 19 14 18 8 44 14 12 13 6 210
Passat 11 6 13 10 7 11 8 9 3 3 4 4 89
Jetta 2 2 2 1 2 4 3 1 3 0 0 1 21
Mazda 6 8 5 7 3 9 14 33 38 24 33 38 10 222
Others 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 41 0 24 32 39 138
Monthly Total 1644 1228 1742 1949 2586 2071 2465 2185 2131 1698 1747 1457 22903
The data shows the registered sales of cars in the D-segment. This is the luxury sedans and
include the likes of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord This is the largest segment in the
Malaysian TIV.
Table 13
Registered Sales of Cars in the “MPV” Segment for 2007
2007
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Unser/Innova 342 382 405 451 400 506 665 752 610 468 428 378 5787
ERV/APV 23 25 26 23 29 35 50 24 15 14 10 23 297
Serena 47 40 58 32 36 31 23 37 35 29 27 26 421
Kangoo 28 22 39 61 50 52 40 29 26 10 7 15 379
Scenic 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
Espace 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Space Gear 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Evasion 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MPV below 2000cc
Berlingo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Citra/Carens 973 725 565 403 214 776 833 1015 893 948 530 474 8349
Stream 23 35 28 28 32 24 37 36 26 5 16 88 378
C8 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Premacy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Avanza 1.3 780 563 1156 1268 1045 2111 1202 1408 1164 1065 913 923 13598
Avanza 1.5 921 581 792 844 1032 85 1189 1163 948 759 1265 1010 10589
Nabira 1.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Trajet 7 39 63 33 30 147 4 0 0 0 0 0 323
Multipla 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ulysse 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Scorpio 8 6 8 8 6 0 3 2 0 0 2 0 43
Mazda 5 21 11 16 8 14 7 14 14 27 32 13 13 190
Wish 128 134 94 64 58 0 83 101 130 94 47 37 970
Livina 1.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 97 97
Livina 1.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 74 74
VW Touran 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
MPV above 2000cc
Odyssey 4 10 9 6 6 9 10 5 10 7 5 5 86
Ria/Carnival 208 175 96 133 697 206 189 199 234 339 191 159 2826
Nabira 2.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Stavic 6 4 4 1 1 3 3 1 1 0 17 0 41
Previa/Estima 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Grandis 1 2 67 6 7 0 3 0 1 37 15 22 161
Others 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 12 2 1 1 20
Monthly Total (MPV) 3522 2757 3429 3372 3659 3993 4348 4788 4132 3810 3487 3345 44642
Odyssey 0 3 9 6 5 2 2 4 8 0 4 1 44
Previa/Estima 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 5
Grandis 61 31 80 76 87 63 64 32 65 31 53 28 671
Cherry Eastar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 76 162 165 463
Others 0 1 19 7 1 1 3 0 7 7 1 7 54
Monthly Total (MPV) 4334 3957 4415 5235 5197 5274 5110 4660 5056 3519 3504 3483 53744
Table 15
Registered Sales of Cars in the “MPV” Segment for 2009
2009
Model Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Avanza 1.3 310 401 462 1173
Avanza 1.5 614 641 870 2125
MPV below 2000cc
Grandis 65 40 56 161
Cherry Eastar 159 93 106 358
Others 1 8 8 17
Monthly Total (MPV) 2956 3152 4148 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10256
This data shows the sales of MPV-segment in 2007 through to 2009. The MPV segment is
defined as a people mover or multi-purpose vehicle. It is the fastest growing segment in
Malaysia due to the affordability of these vehicles as well as the choices available. The newly
launched Exora will face competition from the soon-to-be launched Perodua MPV later in the
year. Engine sizes for this segment are typically 1.6litres and above.
Table 17
Registered Sales by OEM for 2008
Registered Sales by OEM
2008
OEM Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
PERODUA 14961 11907 13373 14684 13885 14779 17045 14116 15698 11532 12937 12476 167393
PROTON 10824 10693 13049 14353 12160 11878 13357 11659 13952 9413 10297 10323 141958
TOYOTA 8153 6707 9327 9851 9214 10009 10051 8288 7760 6993 7499 8009 101861
HONDA 2909 1856 2516 2503 3673 3309 3511 3086 3126 1934 2456 1598 32477
NISSAN 2183 2307 2353 2577 2725 2780 3146 3157 2813 2391 2261 1951 30644
INOKOM 1410 604 746 475 359 333 276 430 960 167 208 334 6302
NAZA 1198 944 971 1198 1368 1030 949 1336 1122 640 653 651 12060
MITSUBISHI 682 533 619 707 680 709 1056 894 955 646 721 653 8855
DAIHATSU 453 282 426 518 516 475 614 494 475 399 396 358 5406
SUZUKI 412 351 390 491 447 511 502 411 515 349 350 295 5024
ISUZU 367 300 348 474 420 378 542 477 581 406 441 525 5259
MERC 362 307 371 402 350 370 533 365 342 486 370 379 4637
HYUNDAI 255 252 193 318 307 507 412 668 386 164 273 207 3942
HICOM 243 264 390 429 348 420 503 438 392 378 371 356 4532
BMW 238 325 280 321 370 395 310 326 320 377 133 320 3715
KIA 207 160 172 188 173 247 262 188 233 245 382 367 2824
FORD 189 195 189 114 110 78 51 103 122 241 178 127 1697
HINO 181 206 226 179 314 260 295 229 321 297 288 207 3003
CHEVROLET 111 48 74 95 76 69 41 54 71 44 42 37 762
MAZDA 92 60 67 63 43 68 123 92 121 75 134 47 985
VOLKSWAGEN 71 72 102 92 67 88 81 70 68 36 46 111 904
VOLVO 58 65 84 70 98 76 69 94 73 70 62 42 861
OTHERS 269 149 170 177 228 221 255 252 323 229 367 452 3092
TOTAL 45828 38587 46436 50279 47931 48990 53984 47227 50729 37512 40865 39825 548193