JLR Gaining Traction in Malaysia

Jaguar Land Rover is seeing strong demand in the Malaysian market.

JLR Malaysia Managing Director Mudzhar Ali says the Malysian luxury market will post a steady performance this year in contrast to other car segments that have slowed.

“We see the market maintaining its positive momentum, driven by Malaysians' financial capabilities,” he tells reporters after the launch of the new Range Rover Sport.

The government’s Bernama news agency reports that when asked about the promised government spiffs for automotive companies investing in the manufacture of energy-efficient vehicles, Mudzhar says the decision on incentives is still at the policy level and automakers are awaiting the details.

The government in January announced it will offer incentives and ease curbs on the production of small, energy-efficient cars as it seeks to compete for investment with neighboring Thailand and Indonesia.

Mudzhar says JLR is aiming for sales this year of 1,200 Land Rovers and 200 Jaguars.

“For the all-new Range Rover Sport, we expect to sell 90 units by year-end, and so far we have 20 pre-book orders,” he says.

The New Straits Times newspaper reports the Range Rover Sport sells from 859,888 ringgit ($268,426) to slightly more than MYR1 million ($312,167) in three variants, with both gasoline and diesel engines available.

“It is destined to continue the outstanding success of its predecessor, which quickly became one of Land Rover’s most popular models following its introduction in 2005, with global sales exceeding 380,000 units to date,” Mudzhar says.

“We are cautiously optimistic about the automotive industry,” he says. “In the luxury car market segment, the demand is still very strong as people have the money for these cars.”