Malaysia’s new vehicle market expanded by 2% to 72,704 units in March 2025 from 71,199 units a year earlier, according to registration data released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA). Compared with February, the market was up by 12%, which the association attributed to the annual “Hari Raya” festivities and dealer discounts.
In the first quarter of the year the vehicle market declined by over 7% to 188,122 units, from 203,137 units in the same period last year. This follows a strong rebound in the last three years from the pandemic lows – with the market hitting a record high of 816,747 units in 2024. A significant market pull-back, therefore, has been widely anticipated this year, despite still strong economic growth in the country. The latest government data showed year-on-year GDP growth of 4.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024, down slightly from 5.3% in the third quarter.
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Sales of passenger vehicles fell by 5% to 176,470 units year-to-date, while commercial vehicle sales plunged by 33% to 11,652 units. Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales increased by 46% to 6,827 units in this period, driven mainly by China’s BYD Auto and the recent launch of the Proton e.MAS7.
Total vehicle production in the country fell by 16% to 177,603 units in the three-month period.
Proton’s global sales fell by over 10% to 35,068 units in the first quarter of 2025, including 1,853 units of its newly-launched e.MAS7 BEV. The Saga remained by far the company’s best-selling model – despite deliveries falling by 14% to 15,775 units; followed by the Geely-based X50 compact SUV with 5,117 units; and the Geely-based S70 sedan with 4,465 units. Exports amounted to 807 vehicles in this period. The company confirmed that production of the Saga model began at its CKD plant in Egypt in the final week of February, with the aim of supplying markets across North Africa.
UMW Toyota Motor reported a 15% decline in first-quarter sales to 19,944 units, while separate registration data from the Department of Transport shows Perodua’s domestic registrations amounted to 85,091 units in this period.
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