KUALA LUMPUR, June 15  — UMW Group’s automotive sales surged to 25,568 units in May 2021, compared with 11,342 units in May 2020, despite challenges brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement today, the group said the significant sales improvement for both UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) and its associate company, Perodua, had been mainly driven by the launch of new vehicle models, festive campaigns, and sales tax exemption despite the escalating rate of COVID-19 infections and a global semiconductor chip shortage.

It said UMWT continued its positive sales momentum with 7,595 units sold in May 2021, 120 per cent higher than the 3,456 units registered in May 2020.

“The Vios, Yaris and Hilux are the best-selling models, cumulatively contributing 78 per cent of the total sales last month.

“For the first five months of 2021, UMWT sold a total of 34,026 vehicles, significantly higher than the 14,052 units registered in the corresponding period of 2020,” it said, adding that UMWT’s target is to sell 62,000 units this year.

As for Perodua, the group said it registered 17,973 units in May 2021, as opposed to 7,886 units sold a year ago. 

“Sales were lower than the 20,399 units achieved in April 2021, mainly due to the semiconductor chip shortage. 

“Nevertheless, the demand remains strong for all Perodua models,” the group said.

It further noted that Perodua delivered 96,281 vehicles for the first five months of the year, 82 per cent higher than the 52,920 units registered in the corresponding period of 2020.

UMW Holdings Bhd president and group chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Fuaad Kenali said both UMWT and Perodua have a healthy level of outstanding bookings that could be fulfilled once the chip problem is resolved. 

“The semiconductor chip shortage has impacted Perodua’s production and we are exploring various means to overcome this problem,” he said, adding that the company is on track to achieve its sales target of 240,000 units in 2021.

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