KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 19): Malaysia’s September vehicle sales contracted 2.5% from August as consumers practised a “wait-and-see” approach ahead of Budget 2027.

Total industry sales volume of sales declined to 69,609 units compared with 71,428 units in August, according to a statement from the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA). 

However, MAA expects sales to pick up in October, driven by year-end promotions.

Passenger vehicles saw a year-on-year spike in sales of 22%, at 64,835 units compared with 53,352 a year ago. This brought cumulative sales in the nine months of the year to 564,919, a 5% rise from 536,122 in the same period last year.

September's passenger vehicle production saw a more modest rise of 12% at 61,134 from last year's 54,738. In the nine months of the year, 230,860 passenger vehicles have been made, compared with 521,243 in the same period last year.        

Commercial vehicles declined in both production and sales in September. Sales fell by 7% to 4,774 from 5,138 in the same month last year. Meanwhile, production fell by 9% year on year to 3,348 from 3,675.

Cumulative sales for both segments up to September rose by 4% to 602,633 units, compared to 579,336 in the same period last year.