KUALA LUMPUR: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) has increased its sales target by four per cent to 231,000 units this year compared to 227,243 units in 2018, hence marking up to 38 per cent of the total car sales in Malaysia.
President and chief executive officer Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said Myvi's ongoing sales as well as the introduction of its latest SUV model Aruz, became the major factor in the target increase for Perodua sales.
"The sales forecast from the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) on the growing automotive market in 2019 on a moderate scale also helped Perodua increase our sales target.
"The increase in sales will not only strengthen our brand and market share but also help the growth of the national automotive industry," he said after the Chinese New Year Lunch with the media in Kuala Lumpur today.
Zainal Abidin said Perodua is on track to continue growing this year after recording its top sales in history in 2018.
"In 2018, Myvi was Perodua's best-selling model with 82,122 units sold from 117,844 booking units. Even since the launch of the new Myvi in November 2017, it has recorded 147,000 orders with 91,500 units sold.
"The models Axia, Bezza and Alza also remain number one in their respective segments with sales of 70,821, 49,911 and 24,389 units.
"In fact, the response to Aruz is also positive, receiving 5,700 units in orders since January 3," he said.
Perodua expects Aruz to sell 30,000 units this year or 2,500 units a month.
Zainal Abidin said Perodua will increase its component purchase by 20 per cent to RM6 billion this year, compared to RM5 billion last year, in line with the expected demand in 2019.
This will directly benefit local automotive suppliers.
He said Perodua would also increase production of its vehicle units from its two factories, Perodua Manufacturing Sdn Bhd and Perodua Global Manufacturing Sdn Bhd by 10.5 per cent to 242,000 units this year compared to 219,000 units in 2018.
On its after-sales, Zainal Abidin said Perodua achieved its internal record in terms of service pickup in 2018, up three per cent to 2.17 million intake compared to 2.1 million intake in 2017.
"Sales of spare parts and accessories also rose 11 percent in 2018 to RM320.8 million while body and paint businesses (B&P) and pre-owned (used) vehicles also saw encouraging developments.
"After-sales segment is an important aspect of the group and it supports the market to remain competitive. Perodua is always committed to improving satisfaction and quality in brand strengthening, "he said.