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Proton sales keep trending upwards with boost by sales tax exemption

With the government providing the incentive of exempting sales tax (10% for locally-assembled models, 5% for CBU models), it seems that there is strong interest in buying new cars despite the gloomy situation we are experiencing.

Companies selling new as well as used cars are reporting strong sales and for Proton, the volume in October was reported to be 11,392 units (including exports), which it estimates to be a 21.3% share of the market’s Total Industry Volume (TIV).

The volume was a 20% increase over the same month in 2019 although it was 4.6% lower than September’s. However, according to Proton, three of its models were leaders in their respective market segment – in the B-segment with the Persona (2,360 units); SUV segment with the X70 (2,216 units); and the Exora which retains its customary position as the best-selling C-segment MPV.

*The Exora remains the most popular model in its segment despite being around for many years now.*

Strong H2 performance overall
“The recovery of Malaysia’s automotive market is continuing to gather pace judging by the number of new model launches and total sales in October. We estimate the Total Industry Volume to be the second highest in 2020 with over 57,000 units sold, proof that the car industry is rebounding strongly,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar, adding that the numbers could have been better for Proton.

“Looking at the numbers, we noticed a significant drop in East Malaysia sales while the Central region was static compared to September. Part of this was due to the implementation of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) to limit the movement of people, thus affecting retailers. But there was also a sense of customers holding back before the launch of our newest model, the Proton X50. Regardless, PROTON is confident of ending the year well and using the results as a base to aim even higher in 2021,” he explained.

*The X50 has made a strong impact on the market which has responded with over 27,400 bookings to date.*

Bookings for Proton X50
The long-awaited X50 SUV was officially launched towards the end of October and over 27,400 bookings have already been received nationwide. The first 447 units have already been delivered to customers and further deliveries are ongoing.

We are pushing to ensure fulfilment over the last three months of 2020, while continuing to emphasise product quality,” Encik Roslan assured.

How fast & powerful is the 2020 Proton X50?

More MyTukar branches opened around the country under expansion plan

Two years into its business, myTukar Sdn Bhd is accelerating its growth with the opening of three new branches in Peninsular Malaysia. The ambitious growth plan is supported by CARRO, a Singapore-based Southeast Asian technology-enabled automotive marketplace.

To date, myTukar’s 2,000-strong dealership network has transacted over 23,000 vehicles with an estimated value of RM750 million. Digitalisation of the purchasing process has enabled it to serve the used car industry efficiently.

Fong Hon Sum, CEO of myTukar said: “The opening of multiple new branches is the most significant milestone for myTukar since we began operations in 2018. We are driven by our mission to digitalise and transform the traditional way of selling used cars. And I am proud to say that myTukar was built by the people in the used car industry, to empower and support other used car dealers using technology.”

Mr. Fong, who has over 20 years of experience in the used car industry, is keen to bring positive changes, technological improvements and transparency to the industry. His deep knowledge of the inner workings within the industry brought together over 2,000 dealerships in which myTukar works in partnership to support their needs.

Four more branches before year-end
After the three new ones in Malacca, Penang and Ipoh, another four more branches will soon open, bringing the total branches nationwide to sixteen. The additional four branches include a second Johor Bahru branch which will also be myTukar’s Southern Logistics hub and a major hub for car inspection. Mr. Fong said that more branches will open in 2021 to cover more cities around the country.

Each new branch can accommodate up to 3 cars at any given time and are equipped with basic amenities in a waiting lounge. There are qualified and professional inspectors to provide a comprehensive 158-point inspection and evaluation within 30 minutes or less. When in full operation, the 16 branches will be able to handle up to 300 vehicles per day.

“This nationwide expansion strategy is aligned to and complements CARRO Group’s strategy to continuously expand and digitalise car trading for the South East Asia Region. CARRO Group is SouthEast Asia’s largest car marketplace and currently has a presence in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia,” he said.

Collaboration with Sime Darby Auto Selection
The latest collaboration for myTukar is a platform integration with Sime Darby Auto Selection to enable the company’s efficient inventory management of trade-in cars as well as the transfer of knowledge by myTukar to integrate Sime Darby Auto Selection’s inspectors into the process of strengthening used car trade-in services.

Financial services programme to support 1,900 used car dealers

Perodua sets a monthly sales record again with 26,852 units sold in October

In spite of what is a very bad year for virtually all industries, Perodua reported that its total vehicles sales last month were its highest-ever. 26,852 vehicles were delivered in October 2020, and this came after the all-time monthly sales record of 25,035 units just a month earlier.

“In September, we sold more vehicles in a month than in our entire 27-year history and now, we have gone even further,” said a delighted Perodua President & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

“This milestone is important to us in many ways; it underscores our commitment towards delivering our vehicles to their rightful owners as fast as possible while at the same time doing our part to rejuvenate the automotive eco-system,” he added.

Supporting automotive eco-system
He also mentioned that, in October alone, the carmaker purchased some RM600 million worth of parts from local suppliers, creating an enormous economic multiplier effect on the local auto eco-system which has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The automotive eco-system includes direct and indirect sectors, such as automotive component suppliers, authorised dealers, stockists, agencies and contractors. Indirect, yet crucial partners include financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies.

“In terms of production capacity, we are on average at 98% in October 2020 with 26,362 vehicles – which is also our highest-ever monthly production figure,” Dato’ Zainal revealed. “These achievements were accomplished under the new standard operating procedures (SOPs) followed by Perodua and our partners. These include working from home and mandatory testing for those in red zones – on top of the original SOPs introduced in May.

“With the commitment of the suppliers, our authorised dealers were able to sell more vehicles and more importantly, ensure our customers’ happiness as their Perodua vehicles were delivered in the best possible time,” he added.

*The Myvi is still the most popular car in the country.*

Three bestsellers
During October, Perodua sold 8,052 Myvis, 6,738 Axias, 6,895 Bezzas, 3,193 Aruz and 1,974 Alzas. The top three models remain Malaysia’s best-selling cars so far this year, according to Perodua.

Dato’ Zainal also gave assurance to owners that they need not worry about replacement parts for their vehicles. “We have sufficient parts to every need as most of them were made locally,” he said.

November promotions
For this month, Perodua has a promotion whereby customers can receive a cash redemption of up to RM1,500 for the Aruz on top of the current tax exemption amount (terms and conditions apply). In addition, Perodua is also offering cash rebates of up to RM2,000 for its pre-owned vehicles until 31 December 2020 (only available at the Perodua KL sales outlet located on Jalan Pahang in Kuala Lumpur).

*Perodua Pre Owned Vehicle (POV) outlet in KL*

Visit www.perodua.com.my to know more about the models available and ongoing promotions as well as the locations of showrooms nationwide.

Malaysia’s three bestselling models help Perodua achieve 42% market share

Volvo Cars to develop electric motors in-house

As carmakers make the transition to electrically-powered cars, demand for electric motors is rising. In most cases, the motors come from other companies that have specialised in such powertrains. While this arrangement is cost-effective in some ways. It does not necessarily fully optimise performance in the way the carmaker may want it.

Therefore, in order to have electric motors that are perfectly suited to its own vehicles, Volvo Cars is making significant investments that will allow for in-house design and development of such powertrains. These will be for the next generation of Volvo models as the company continues to move towards becoming a fully electric carmaker.

*The new electric motor lab in Shanghai, China.*

Addition to global network
The first step is the recent opening company of a brand new electric motor lab in Shanghai, China. This joins the global network of facilities for the development and testing of electric car components. The lab comes in addition to ongoing e-motor development in Sweden and state-of-the-art battery labs in China and Sweden.

Taking over the role of the internal combustion engine in car engineering, e-motors are a fundamental building block of electric cars, together with the battery and power electronics. The interplay between these three component areas is crucial in developing premium electric cars.

Bringing the development of electric motors in-house will allow Volvo Cars engineers to further optimise electric motors and the entire electric driveline in new Volvos. This approach will allow engineers to make further gains in terms of energy efficiency and overall performance.

Fine-tuning e-motors
“Through in-house design and development, we can fine-tune our e-motors to ever better levels,” said Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer at Volvo Cars. “By constantly improving their overall performance levels in terms of energy efficiency and comfort, we create an electric driving experience that is unique to Volvo.”

E-motors enable features that electric cars are known for, such as instant acceleration and so-called One Pedal Driving, whereby drivers use the accelerator pedal both for acceleration and deceleration, depending on whether they push in or lift their foot off the pedal.

*The XC40 Recharge P8 is the first of many all-electric models that will be coming.*

The newly opened electric motor lab in Shanghai became operational last month. It will mainly focus on electric motor development for use in fully electric and hybrid cars based on Volvo Cars’ forthcoming SPA 2 modular vehicle architecture.

The investments in e-motor design and development represent yet another step towards Volvo Cars’ climate ambitions and electrification strategy. It aims for 50% of its sales to be fully electric vehicles by 2025, with the rest hybrids.

Volvo takes a different approach to helping reduce distractions to drivers

Malaysia’s Sime Darby Auto ConneXion wins awards in prestigious categories in Ford awards programme

Ford’s annual Chairman’s Award programme – launched regionally in 2016 – saw its 2019 winners announced recently, with those distributors deemed at the top of their Customer Satisfaction game honoured.

“These awards are not only the ranking of a survey result: they are a measure of leadership, of commitment, and of hard work,” said Randy Krieger, President Ford Direct Markets. “These are the crucial characteristics of high-performing organisations; organisations such as this year’s winners who deliver outstanding performance to their customers, employees, and shareholders.”

Recognising hard work in promoting Ford
The Chairman’s Award has continually evolved, ensuring the Sales and Services Customer View Point (CVP) is of paramount importance, and an integral part of core criteria in deciding annual winners. New Vehicle Sales, Parts Purchases Sales, and Ford Standards Financial Reporting also play a crucial role in recognising the hard work of distributors in promoting the Ford brand.

Complementing the Chairman’s Award, for the second year running, Ford presented the President’s Award for managers in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, crowning some of the Best Sales Director/Manager for CVP, Best Service Director/Manager for CVP, and Best Parts Director/Manager for Part Sales with top honours.

In all, across Ford’s vast Direct Markets business unit, a total of 14 winners were announced, hailing from Angola, Egypt, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, New Caledonia, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Western Samoa.

Though there were 18 President’s awards titles going, and six coveted Chairman’s winners, Al Tayer Motors in the UAE, Oceanic Motors in the Seychelles, and Sime Darby Auto ConneXion in Malaysia top-scored in both prestigious categories and were honoured with at least one trophy from each, while SCAMA in Morocco continued its storied history of exceptional customer service, winning a Chairman’s Award for an incredible ninth time.

Ford owners can now do real-time service booking with Sime Darby Auto ConneXion

Honda Malaysia introduces HondaTouch application for owners and customers

Honda Malaysia has introduced its new HondaTouch application to enhance convenience for Honda owners and other customers. Available on Apple iOS and Android smartphones, the application is a that can be shared by customers, Honda Authorised Dealers and Honda Malaysia.

The app has 10 ten distinct features which are particularly useful for owners, providing them with accessibility to their vehicle and its information wherever they are. These features include Service Appointment Booking, Service Appointment Reminder, Real-Time Service Status Tracking, Service History, and Find Your Nearest Dealer.

Through a complete dealer listing in the application, Honda owners can directly make service appointments with their preferred dealers in any part of the country. The respective dealers will be alerted, and confirmation of appointments will be sent to the owners via the application.

Manage service matters by phone
Additionally, an owner can keep tabs on all information about his or her Honda vehicle such as service appointment reminder, service status tracking as well as monitor the progress of the car servicing status through the application. The service history is also stored, making it easy to refer to previous visits to the service centre.

An important feature of the HondaTouch application is Emergency Assistance. This is useful in the event of a breakdown or accident as owners can contact the roadside assistance service for immediate assistance. Honda owners will also receive notification on their Insurance Renewal Reminder through the application – great for those who are forgetful!

Also for non-owners
For those who are not owners of vehicles, it is possible to register to use HondaTouch too. Through the application, they can be informed of Promotions, Events and Updates and other activities by Honda Malaysia.

Through HondaTouch, it is also possible to make a New Car Pre-Booking. With this feature, customers can easily place a booking for their preferred model from Honda Malaysia’s line-up from anywhere at anytime.

*The application can be used to manage service appointments with dealers.*

Commenting on digital platform introduction, Honda Malaysia’s Managing Director & CEO, Toichi Ishiyama, said: “The HondaTouch application is designed to provide convenience and ease of communication between Honda Authorised Dealers and customers, allowing easy access to obtain vehicle service information; vehicle assistance, and updates from Honda Malaysia. Ultimately, it is our vision to create value for mobility and to improve the daily lives of our customers through regular engagement; and the intuitive HondaTouch application does exactly that.”

The HondaTouch application is free for download via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. For information on Honda vehicles, visit www.honda.com.my.