By AZALEA AZUAR / Pic BERNAMA

LOCAL carmakers continue to post strong sales in November signalling that demand could be recovering despite the Conditional Movement Control Order.

Proton Holdings Bhd’s sales in November continued to improve with 11,411 units sold compared to 11,392 units sold in October. Year-on-year, the monthly figure represents an 18% increase from 9,643 units sold in November 2019.

Proton’s total sales figure to date stood at 96,410 units, which accounted for 20.1% of the local passenger vehicle market share.

The sales in November were driven mainly by deliveries of the Proton X50, which saw 1,756 units delivered making it the bestselling B-segment SUV in Malaysia.

Its Proton X70 model registered a sale of 2,157 units for the month, making Proton the segment leader for SUVs.

Proton Edar Sdn Bhd CEO Roslan Abdullah expects the company to end the year on a strong note as car sales continue to out-perform market projections for the third consecutive month.

“A lot of this can be accounted for by traditional end-of-year deals offered by car brands, but this year, we can include Penjana incentives and the launch of popular new models such as the X50 as volume growth drivers,” Roslan said in a statement yesterday.

Meanwhile, Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) is on track to meet its sales target of 210,000 units for the year, as it continues to build on its coronavirus recovery in November.

The local carmaker posted sales of 23,119 cars in November, including 5,027 units sold on Nov 30 alone — the most it has registered in a single day.

Sales for the month included 6,295 Myvi, 6,318 Axia, 6,224 Bezza, 2,617 Aruz and 1,665 Alza, bringing its year-to-date sales to 195,000 cars.

“Our November sales represent a slight normalising from the previous two record months we had — 25,035 units in Septem- ber and 26,852 units in October.

“The accomplishment is impressive given the challenging economic climate and new normal operating procedures brought about by Covid-19. And our 5,027- unit one-day record shows what resilience, persistence and adaptability can bring,” Perodua president and CEO Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said in a statement yesterday.

Perodua’s two main priorities at present are to ensure many of their customers will get their cars before the year-end to benefit from the tax-exempt sales prices and bolster the local automotive ecosystem.

“Over 90% of our components are locally sourced and coupled with our sales volume, these generate significant business for Malaysian component suppliers and help them sustain jobs,” Zainal Abidin said.

The completed cars are then distributed via Malaysia’s largest car sales network, the majority of which constitutes independent dealers that benefit significantly from the business and even more if they do service and repairs as well.

In October, Perodua recorded its highest ever monthly sales in its history with 26,852 units. The company sold 8,052 Myvi, 6,738 Axia, 6,895 Bezza, 3,193 Aruz and 1,974 Alza last month. The first three models are the country’s bestselling models so far this year.