KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 19): New vehicle sales in Malaysia rose just 1% in August from a year earlier, according to an industry body that also flagged consolidation this month.

Total industry volume came in at 73,041 units in August 2025 versus 72,580 units in the same month last year, the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) said in a statement on Friday.

The trade body, which represents more than a dozen domestic and foreign brands, assemblers, distributors and retailers, reported that volume grew 4.2% on a month-on-month basis, thanks to higher stock availability, aggressive promotion and new model launches.

However, “sales momentum in September 2025 is expected to consolidate” due to fewer working days, while consumers “wait-and-see" ahead of the Budget 2026 announcement for details on the petrol subsidy rationalisation, the MAA added.

Of the total, passenger vehicle sales were flat at 67,302 units, compared to 67,016 units a year ago, while commercial vehicle sales rose 3% to 5,739 units, compared with 5,564 units in August 2024.

For the eight months of 2025, industry sales dropped 4% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 516,862 units, compared with 537,532 units in the same period last year. Passenger-vehicle sales were down 3% to 478,824 units, while commercial-vehicle sales declined by 16% to 38,038 units, from 45,187 units previously.

On the production side, output in August shrank 7% y-o-y to 69,111 units from 74,556 units, comprising 65,153 passenger vehicles and 3,958 commercial vehicles. Cumulative production for January to August also fell 8% to 493,176 units, from 537,662 units a year earlier.