KUALA LUMPUR (June 18): Malaysia’s automotive sales are expected to remain soft in June after total industry volume (TIV) slipped 3% year-on-year in May, according to the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).

TIV fell to 68,007 units in May, down from 70,254 units recorded in the same month last year.

However, May’s TIV was 12.4% higher than April’s 60,527 units, which the MAA attributed to a higher number of working days, strong promotional activities, and the delivery of vehicles booked in the first quarter of 2025.

TIV in June is “expected to be lower than May 2025”, the MAA said, due to a one-week plant shutdown by major automakers during the Hari Raya Aidiladha holiday.

As a result of the weaker May sales, cumulative TIV for January to May 2025 declined 5% to 316,737 units, from 333,309 units in the same period last year. The drop was led by a 23% decline in commercial vehicle sales, while passenger vehicle sales also fell by 3%.

Meanwhile, vehicle production in May was down 12% year-on-year but it went up 17.1% month-on-month to 65,970 units. Of this, 62,291 units were passenger vehicles, and 3,679 units were commercial vehicles.

This brings total production for the first five months of 2025 to 299,886 units — down 12% from 342,344 units in the same period last year.