KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): Compact car manufacturer Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) records its highest number of monthly vehicle sales and vehicles produced with 27,858 vehicles sold and 29,803 units produced in October 2021.

In a statement on Tuesday, Perodua — the associate company of listed UMW Holdings Bhd — said this new record came on the back of improved production and swift deliveries of vehicles to customers as it aims to deliver as many vehicles as possible in the fourth quarter of 2021.

In terms of vehicle sales, Perodua president and chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said the achievement is the company’s commitment towards its customers and represents a 90.67% increase from the 14,160 units sold in September 2021.

“We are now working to further improve production especially for the rest of the year. Of the 27,858 Perodua vehicles registered, 8,761 were Myvis, 5,973 were Axias, 5,257 Bezzas, 3,973 Ativas, 2,553 Alzas and 1,341 Aruz units,” he added.

For production, Zainal Abidin said the 29,803 unit achievement was beyond the car manufacturer’s current production capacity.

“Yet the staff [were] able to boost their productivity with the same level of quality without new people, equipment or machinery.

“We also are always mindful of both the safety and health aspect of our entire operations by ensuring that all our employees follow the Covid-19 prevention guidelines while at the same time ensuring that we go beyond all quality requirements,” he added.

From a year-to-date perspective, Perodua sold 146,951 vehicles from January to October 2021, 14.5% lower than the 171,861 achieved in the same period in 2020.

Additionally, Zainal Abidin noted that the recently announced extension of the sales tax exemption is most welcomed as it will allow the automotive ecosystem more room to recover from the recent lockdown as well as catch up with demand.

“The extension of the [sales tax] exemption will also benefit everyone, from consumers to original equipment manufacturers to suppliers who are also affected by the global semiconductor supply shortage,” he said.