Even in pandemic, Perodua exceeded sales target with over 220K cars sold in 2020

PETALING JAYA: Perodua registered 220,154 vehicles in the whole of 2020, 10,154 more than its 210,000-unit sales target for the year, on the back of strong demand for its vehicles as consumers took advantage of the government’s sales tax exemption.

The compact car maker also hit the one million Energy-Efficient Vehicle (EEV) milestone in November 2020 – two years after achieving the half-million – further solidifying its position as Malaysia’s largest EEV manufacturer.

Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad attributed the stellar sales to the sales tax exemption, which has been extended to June 31 this year.

He said Perodua made 220,968 vehicles in 2020 despite temporarily halting production between March and May 2020 because of the Movement Control Order (MCO).

“Despite this, the tax exemption introduced in June 2020 succeeded in spurring car buyers’ interest that was able to sustain the players as well as the local automotive ecosystem.

Zainal said the better-than-expected sales achievement helped the local automotive ecosystem, helping both independent parts suppliers and dealers weather the challenges in 2020.

Perodua's priority now is to continue to fulfil outstanding orders and push for higher sales in 2021, he said.

“We look forward to a better year ahead as there are positive indications that the Covid-19 pandemic would be overcome with the recently-released vaccines. We will announce our 2021 targets and updates later,” he added.