UMW Toyota sold 72,394 vehicles in 2021, putting them in third place behind Perodua and Proton.
For many years, UMW Toyota has been trying to reclaim the no.1 non-national car brand spot from Honda Malaysia. According to their latest figures, it looks as if that has finally happened. In 2021, UMW Toyota Motor sold 72,394 vehicles, including both passenger and commercial vehicles. While Honda Malaysia has yet to disclose their final sales tally, Toyota says that they’re back on top as the country’s favourite non-national automotive brand.
Tough Battle for Toyota
2021 was particularly tough for the automotive industry. Plants were closed nationwide for months on end and the global semi-conductor shortage made things tough during the recovery phase. For Toyota in particular, they had to contend with a new Isuzu D-Max in the pick-up truck segment, where the Hilux has long been dominant. Throughout 2021, they also had to fight off a new Honda City and Nissan Almera along with a refreshed Proton Persona in the B-segment. The Vios and Yaris managed to pull through with strong sales though.
But ultimately, it was the arrival of the CKD Corolla Cross that probably tipped the numbers in Toyota’s favour as it did battle against aging products like the Honda HR-V and Subaru XV and took sales away from the Proton X50, with its small size and long waiting list.
UMW Toyota Motor says that they will be pushing hard to introduce more hybrid vehicles in the country going forward.
Here’s the press release with more.
PRESS RELEASE
As Toyota continues to innovate and transform the mobility ecosystem with new age innovations, the renowned mobility brand wraps up 2021 on a high note being the top non-national automotive brand in Malaysia.
Its leadership extends across several categories including the overall non-national, B-segment, pick-up and hatchback segments. The Vios continues to reign as Toyota’s bestselling model which accounts for 31% of sales, while the Hilux remains uncontested as the bestselling pick-up truck in Malaysia since 2005.
For the whole of 2021, UMW Toyota Motor achieved a total sales volume of 72,394. This is an amazing feat as it shattered its 2020 total sales volume record of 59,320 by 22%. The total sales volume for December 2021 also shows a tremendous growth of 0.5% with 9,289 units sold as compared to the 9,246 sold from the same period last year. Month-on-month, UMW Toyota Motor surpassed the 8,487 sales volume for November by 9%.
“We would like to thank Malaysians and our loyal customers for their continuous support towards our brand and choosing Toyota as their preferred road companion. We are driven by their love and passion towards our brand. Despite the most of 2021 being a rather challenging year for most sectors, including automotive, the team at Toyota showed resilience by continuously innovating to offer only the best mobility solutions to our customers who are eager to get back on the road upon the lifting of the lockdown in August,” said President of UMW Toyota Motor, Ravindran. K.
With the closing of 2021, UMW Toyota Motor is revving up for an exciting 2022 with impressive plans in the pipeline including innovating the future of mobility focusing on sustainability.
SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY IS THE FUTURE
The demand for sustainable vehicles is on the rise with the global transition towards clean and sustainable practices. Locally, the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) focuses on propelling our country into a carbon-neutral nation by 2050 and achieve sustainable growth.
Toyota is on track with this green agenda, leading the forefront of Hybrid Electric technology with more than 18 million vehicles sold to-date and offering 45 different Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) in the market. This also includes the highly-anticipated UMW Toyota Motor’s first locally assembled hybrid vehicle, Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid which is scheduled to launch very soon.
“Malaysians are in support of green technology and environmental sustainability, and this is evident as the orders for the new Corolla Cross Hybrid are continuing to rise since we opened for bookings in October. This shows that sustainable mobility is the way forward as the world collectively shifts towards clean and renewable fuels, as well as innovative and intelligent vehicles,” said Akio Takeyama, Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor.
“The launch of the new Corolla Cross Hybrid will mark a significant milestone for UMW Toyota Motor which will also pave the way for the energy-efficient vehicle (EEV) manufacturing industry in Malaysia. As Toyota continues to innovate, we aspire to position EEVs as a
mainstream in mobility in the near future,” added Takeyama.
