PETALING JAYA, Jan 20 — The total industry volume (TIV) of new motor vehicles for 2009 eased marginally by two per cent to 536,905 units compared with the 548,115 units registered in 2008, said the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) today.
Its president Datuk Aishah Ahmad said the auto industry was badly hit by the economic downturn in the first half of 2009 but the situation begun to improve, particularly during the last quarter of the year.
“The TIV in 2009, however, exceeded our regional projection and even the revised forecast of 500,000 units, announced in July,” she said at the media briefing on motor traders and manufacturers performance for 2009 here.
MAA had originally forecast a TIV of 480,000 units for 2009.
The year-on-year sales volume in December surged by 20 per cent while that for month-on-month, expanded by 5.5 per cent due to improved consumer sentiment and business environment.
It was also in line with the introduction of several new models and increased sales activities in last quarter of 2009.
Aishah said the government’s pro-active stance and pre-emptive measures taken to tackle the economic downturn helped improve sentiment in the automotive market.
She noted that the better performance in 2009 was also supported by the introduction of stimulus packages and liberalisation of the services sector, as well as the capital market, to attract more investment into the country. — Bernama
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
