KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — UMW Holdings Bhd expects minimal sales for vehicles for the month of July for both UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) and Perodua, president and group chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Fuaad Kenali said.
He said the ongoing Full movement control order 3.0 (FMCO), which began on June 1, 2021 has adversely impacted the domestic automotive sector with only 1,921 units registered for the month of June.
Of the total, UMWT delivered 85 vehicles while Perodua sold 1,009 units.
“The online showrooms are proving to be a viable alternative for customers during the FMCO. The Toyota, Lexus and Perodua online showrooms are gaining traction as consumers are gradually moving towards e-platforms during the lockdown phase.
“To offset the absence of walk-in customers due to closures, both UMWT and Perodua have no alternative but to pivot to online marketing and sales. Currently, both marques have a healthy level of outstanding bookings that can be fulfilled once lockdown restrictions are eased,” he said in a statement.
He said the group remains hopeful that the lockdown restrictions will be eased and conditional upon strict compliance to the Covid-19 standard operating procedures.
It remains confident of the growth potential for the automotive industry in Malaysia. UMWT recently announced it will be investing RM270 million in local manufacturing of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) in a move to advance its carbon neutrality initiative as well as to offer customers a wider range of vehicles, including technically advanced HEV.
“Barring continued lockdown and prolonged disruption in the global semiconductor chips, UMW expects the automotive sales momentum to continue, especially with the extension of the sales tax exemption,” he said. — Bernama
