Malaysian Sales Up; Biodiesel on Way

Malaysian light-vehicle sales rose 12.6% year-on-year in February to 50,718 units.

Deliveries included 45,704 passenger vehicles and 5,014 commercial units.

Malaysian Automotive Assn. says the month’s growth was driven by better performances from national automakers Proton and Perodua.

The result left year-to-date sales at 100,991 units, up fractionally from year-ago’s 100,112. The year had started slowly with January sales down 8.7%.

The industry built 47,600 vehicles in February, the MAA says in a statement, down fractionally from 40,785 units a year earlier.

The passenger-vehicle build jumped 19.6% to 43,092 units, more than offsetting a 3.3% decline in commercial-vehicle production to 4,588 units.

After two months, Malaysian production was up 6.4% at 103,183 units. The passenger car segment saw production rise 8.5% to 93,966 units, but the CV output was off 11.5% at 9,217 units.

The MAA says March sales should top the February result thanks to a longer working month, a rush of deliveries by automakers with a financial year ending March 31 and the introduction of new models.

The Bernama news agency says the MAA has reiterated its forecast that full-year sales will rise 2.1% to 670,000 units from last year’s record of 655,793.

It quotes MAA President Aishah Ahmad as citing positive economic conditions and the revised National Automotive Policy for the predicted growth.

Meantime, the Malaysian government says that as of July 1 all 3,877 gasoline stations in the country will be required to sell B5 biodiesel – 5% palm oil blended with 95% petroleum diesel.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Douglas Uggah Embas tells Bernama the government plans to boost this to 7% palm oil by January and is getting feedback from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Assn., Malaysian Automotive Assn., vehicle manufacturers, SIRIM Technical Committee and the Malaysian Biodiesel Assn.