KUALA LUMPUR: Volvo Car Malaysia Sdn Bhd (VCM) closed 2020 strongly with total sales of 1,950 units, a 3.6 per cent increase compared to previous year's sales of 1,883 units.
This sets a new record as the highest sales performance since the establishment of the Swedish car marque in Malaysia.
The company saw a downturn in the first half of 2020, recording a 56.1 per cent decrease in sales as the pandemic took hold of the automotive sector and local economy, but quickly recovered in the second half of the year.
"We are very proud of what VCM has achieved despite this turbulent time and challenges that we faced.
"Through the collective efforts of our dealers and staff, as well as the opportune timing of the government's sales tax holiday, we were able to finish a challenging year strongly," said VCM managing director Nalin Jain in a statement today.
During the government's sales tax holiday, VCM saw sales recover and recorded its second-highest sales of the year in July, indicating that the demand for luxury cars remains high as the car market began to normalise and the country headed towards recovery.
The renewed interest was driven by the sales tax holiday announced in the government's Short-Term Economic Recovery plan, and also made possible with VCM reinforcing its customer service channels and adopting new digital practices.
The automaker introduced a new online ordering system for customers to make online bookings from the comfort of their homes and implemented the digital silent salesman (DSS) 2.0 – a platform that digitally displays all necessary details about the cars – across all Volvo showrooms in Malaysia.
Based on the past year's performance, VCM aims to ride on the momentum from 2020 and is entering 2021 to continue to provide more Malaysians with a premium experience and freedom to move in a personal, sustainable and safe way.
"2021 will be a big year for VCM as we look to switch all aspects of our business to incorporate more sustainable solutions and also bring in more products offerings to suit the different needs of Malaysians while helping them make more sustainable choices.
"We will continue to push for digital transformation to build a strong digital system to support our customer's journey seamlessly – from the beginning of the buying process to owning a Volvo and the aftersales care that they need, while upholding our promise of professional service, leading safety technology, and a caring mindset in everything we do," Nalin said.