More discounts are also to be had on new Toyota models during its upcoming ‘Countless Rewards’ promotion.
While Toyota sales were slipping in the first quarter of 2020, the story for the three months prior tells an entirely different story as local sales for the Japanese automaker has jumped by a staggering 62%.
With over 17,000 Toyota (and Lexus) models leaving dealerships within January to March 2021, the Japanese auto giant now accounts for approximately 12.1% of the local market share. Or to put it in another (more competitive) sense, these strong sales figures have since placed the company as being a firm favourite to snatch the top non-national sales title from its arch-rival Honda this year.
Much of these healthy sales numbers can be attributed to Toyota’s expansive lineup. Most of which incidentally has been refreshed to some degree within the last year.
Its Yaris for instance, which received a facelift late last year, continues to hold on to the top spot within the non-national hatchback segment for the last three months with an estimated market share of 73%. The newly updated Hilux too continues to lead its segment locally. Accounting for more than half of the pickup trucks sold in Malaysia over the last three months.
Continuing on the topic of sales successes, the recently revised Vios also looks to have went down a storm with Malaysians. Selling a combined 5,600+ units of the normal and sporty GRS variants over the first quarter of 2021.
For Toyotas that really sold like hot cakes in recent time however, there is probably nothing that comes close to the GR Yaris that was open for (a limited number of) bookings locally. That is because it only took less than a month since the order books were open for all 127 units of this WRC homologation special to be allocated for.
Then again though, this is without having considered the existence of the newly launched Corolla Cross yet. While definitely not as flashy as the Japanese pocket rocket, this crossover has perhaps received an even more enthusiastic welcome over here. Such is evidenced by the fact that all of the Thai-imported 1.8 G variants have found new owners within a week of its official launch.
Speaking of the Corolla Cross, the latest model to join the Malaysian Toyota lineup will soon arrive in locally-assembled form sometime towards the end of the year. UMW Toyota however would like to remind customers that bookings for this popular crossover however are still being accepted by all of its dealers nationwide.
On the subject of dealers, UMW Toyota will soon be launching a ‘Countless Rewards’ promotional campaign in conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya festive season. Expect big savings on various models that are on top of the existing SST exemption which runs till the 30th of June 2021.
PRESS RELEASE: Early response to the all-new Toyota Corolla Cross launched in March indicates that it is a winner, and members of the media who tested it agree. With the strong demand, UMW Toyota Motor will continue its order-taking for both the 1.8G and 1.8V variants of the all-new Toyota Corolla Cross with the locally assembled units available for delivery towards quarter four.
“Malaysia, has seen strong Toyota sales this year due to improving conditions of the pandemic. With our wider line-up of models and exciting offerings, we are confident that our sales volume will grow steadily this year and certainly exceed the volume recorded in 2020. As always, we thank our loyal customers and also welcome those who are owning a Toyota for the first time,” said Akio Takeyama, Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor.
UMW Toyota Motor, the sole importer, distributor and assembler of Toyota vehicles in Malaysia, has seen a strong growth in sales for the first quarter (Q1) of 2021. The total number of new Toyota and Lexus vehicles sold in the first three months of the year were more than 17,000 units with a market share of approximately 12.1%, an increase of 62% year-on-year compared to the sales volume for the same period in 2020.
Commenting on the achievement, President, Ravindran K., said: “During the first quarter of 2020, the market was already declining due to the pandemic. This year, it’s a different story; with the situation easing as well as the support by the government through the PENJANA program that exempts sales tax partially or fully until June 30 this year, new vehicle sales have been consistently high. In fact, for Toyota, our momentum started in December when we launched the Toyota GR Yaris and Vios GR-Sport which excited the market and set a positive note to enter 2021,” he added.
The bestselling Toyota models were the Toyota Vios and the Toyota Hilux who continues to be the market leader, accounting for approximately 56% of the pick-up truck market for the first quarter. The updated versions of the Toyota Innova and Toyota Fortuner were also introduced early in the year with fresh new styling and extra value-added features.
The Toyota Yaris has been consistently No. 1 in the Non-National hatchback segment with Q1 estimated market share of 73%. The Vios and Vios GRS has also achieved positive response with approximately 5,600 numbers sold since their launch. With the addition of the sporty, enhanced performance GR-Sport version, the appeal of this model is expected to increase. Furthermore, the Vios Challenge One-Make Race Series that is now entering its fourth season has left a strong impression on the public with regards to the dynamic side of the model.
Sales of the GR Yaris exceeded expectations. Most of the units allocated for the Malaysian market (out of 25,000 units for worldwide sales) were booked within a month of launch. The strong response mirrored that in other markets as enthusiasts could not resist owning the competition-ready hatchback which is a fine example of how Toyota is making ever-better cars.
The GR Yaris is one of three models in Toyota’s high-performance GR brand which are available in Malaysia. The other models are the GR Supra and Vios GR-Sport. These models are exclusively sold through dealerships with the GR Garage that is dedicated to the brand.
Money-saving promotions
With the Hari Raya festive season coming up during the second quarter, UMWT will be running the ‘Countless Rewards’ promotions for customers to drive Toyota for Raya and catch it before the SST exemption period ends. Savings for customers also include exemption on sales tax that is applicable to CBU models so customers should not miss this opportunity for big savings.
The EZ Beli financing scheme offers customers low instalments (depending on the model). Additionally, savings are available with Toyota Service Savers. This provides Toyota customers with peace-of-mind vehicle ownership with lowered maintenance cost of their Toyota vehicles.
