Up-Down Sales Trend Continues in Malaysia in April

Malaysia’s new-vehicle market edged up 1.3% year-on-year in April to 42,746 units, the Malaysian Automotive Assn. reports.

The result left the 4-month total ahead 5.8% at 183,586 units.

The April tally was down 20.4% from the previous month, but the MAA says this was due to of end-of-the-financial-year buying in March and a recent tightening of hire-purchase loan-approval criteria.

The MAA says it expects May deliveries to change little from April.

“Consumers are expected to continue to face difficulties in getting hire-purchase loans,” it says in a statement quoted by The Star newspaper. “Consumer spending is to remain cautious.”

All this is producing an up-and-down market.

“The see-saw continues,” industry analyst Paul Tan says on his website, noting a good showing in March followed a sluggish February.

Passenger-vehicle sales in April of 37,741 units were flat with the prior year. Commercial-vehicle deliveries jumped 13.3% to 5,005 units.

This left 4-month passenger-vehicle sales up 6.7% at 165,271 units and CV sales down 1.5% at 18,315.

Manufacturers cut their vehicle production 16.0% in April to 37,650 units.

Passenger-vehicle output fell 15.9% to 34,542 units, while the CV build dropped 16.4% to 3,108.

Year-to-date, Malaysian production is off fractionally from year-ago at 162,825 units.