2010 Vehicle Sales Volume To Reach All-Time High; MPV Sales Surge

Recession? What recession? Malaysians are not holding back when it comes to their rides, as the data just released suggests. 2010 is on track to become the best year for automakers in Malaysia: the total industry volume (TIV) is projected to reach a new all-time high of 570,000 vehicle units this year, surpassing the current all-time high of 552,316 units achieved in 2005.

The main reason of improving economic conditions aside, a key driver of sales is the surprising expansion of the MPV segment, whose new-found popularity can be attributed to the Proton Exora and Perodua Alza, both of which present an affordable entry point for MPV buyers. The two new additions compete in a segment which used to be dominated by Toyota Avanza and Nissan Grand Livina.

For the first half of 2010, local MPV sales surged by 90 percent compared with a year ago, reaching 56,843 units—a figure close to the 63,757 MPV units sold in 2009 and more than the 55,108 units in 2008.

AboutSeow Yaohan

Seow Yao Han strives to bring you the latest and the most comprehensive information on cars available in Malaysia. But it's never easy for him to talk and write cars in this part of the world because what you lust after is often not what you drive home. When the euphoria of test-driving that branded, super-expensive sports car dies down, he just goes home in his less-than-glamorous ride.