FUEL PRICE AFTER MAY

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 8 – The mechanism for fuel pricing in Malaysia has finally been finalized and controlled under one mechanism, which also takes the high and lower income group people into consideration, according to Finance Trade Minister Tan Sri Anuar Ali.

“From May 1, the fuel will be pegged at RM 3.90 per litre for RON97, while RON95 will increase to RM 3.70 per litre. However, the prices of national-made vehicles will be lowered by at least 40 percent. For example, a full-spec family sedan Proton Persona 1.6 litre engine will cost around RM 23,000.00 excluding road tax and insurance. Import tax and excise duty will be revised to only 30 percent, from the current 200 percent. Imported vehicles such as the new Toyota Camry 2.4 litre engine will cost around RM 65,000.00.” he said.

The mechanics has been said to be undertaken by a team of experts from Australia and Canada who were earlier briefed on the issue of subsidy in this country, whereas after consideration by the transport minister, they have signed the constitution that the system will be made on May 1, the day it goes into effect.

Under the new system, there will be a major effect on the existing consumers who have already purchased a vehicle and to those who are in the midst of repaying the loan of their vehicle to their financial institutions.

Ahmad Tajuddin said the government might also re-introduce a cash return annually to Malaysians who own a 1,500 cc and below vehicle. The amount have yet to be decided but he assured that the amount will compensate the price of fuel by at least half to eligible Malaysians based on bumi quota.
– SkyNet News Asia

PERODUA REMAINS IN POLE POSITION

The 2009 volume was the second highest in Perodua's history. The best year was 2008 when it sold 176,400 units for a 30.5 per cent share of the market.

Perodua's new managing director Aminar Rashid Salleh said 2010 could be another record-breaking year for the company.

"We are targeting more than 176,000 units in 2010 driven by the new Alza as well as the ever popular Myvi and Viva," he said at a media luncheon in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Aminar Rashid, who was in his 19th day in office, said Perodua performed "considerably well" last year, with a 0.4 per cent drop in sales despite the global economic downturn.

The overall market, meanwhile, contracted by 2 per cent, according to the Malaysian Automotive Association data released yesterday.

Perodua has so far received 18,000 bookings for the Alza since its launch on November 23 last year, with a three-month waiting list.

Sales of the Myvi breached 90,000 units in 2009, while the Viva volume was about 60,000 units.

Meanwhile, national carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd also saw its market share grow to 27.6 per cent last year from 25.9 per cent in 2008, after selling 148,031 units.

Toyota had the third highest sales volume at 81,785 units, down from 101,627 units in the previous year.

Honda was next with 38,783 units, up from 32,477 units previously. This enabled it to increase its market share to 7.2 per cent from 5.9 per cent.

Nissan was the fifth highest with a volume of 31,493 units, up from 30,644 units. Its share of the market rose to 5.9 per cent from 5.6 per cent before.

Rounding up the top 10 brands were Naza, Mitsubishi, Inokom, Isuzu and Suzuki.-BUSINESS TIME

PERODUA CONFIDENT CAR SALES WILL NOT BE AFFECTED BY AFTA

KUANTAN: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) is confident that its car sales will not be affected when the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) comes into effect.

Its managing director Datuk Syed Abdul Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar said that most of its customers were first-time car buyers who had just started working or were upgrading from motorcycles.

He said the most popular Perodua models were priced below RM60,000 per unit, which was affordable to many Malaysians.

“There were a lot of bookings for Alza following its launch recently, and there are some 15,000 buyers on the waiting list.

“This showed that, despite the less-than-favourable economic situation, people are buying because we offer comfortable and economical cars at low prices,” he said.

Delivery time for the cars was now three months, he added.

He was speaking to reporters after handing over 13 robotic arms to Universiti Malaysia Pahang here.

The equipment was used in the production of the Kelisa, Kancil and Kenari models and is no longer needed as Perodua has a new set of robotic arms.

The donated equipment will be used by engineering students.

Also present at the ceremony were UMP chairman Datuk Mohd Hilmey Mohd Taib and vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim.

Syed Abdul Hafiz said that Perodua used 90% local content in its cars. - BERNAMA

PERODUA EYES HIGHER SALES IN 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Perodua hopes to sell 176,000 vehicles this year from 166,700 units last year, a growth of 5.6 per cent, said its managing director Aminar Rashid Salleh today.

He said the anticipated stronger sales would be driven by the new ALZA model, and its main stays, Myvi and ViVA, against a backdrop of a 5.0 per cent economic growth forecast by the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Speaking at a pre-Chinese New Year luncheon here, Aminar Rashid, who assumed his present position this year after being the executive director and head of the strategic marketing group at UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd, said the ALZA, launched on Nov 23 last year, had so far received 18,000 bookings and the current waiting period is about three months. “We intend to reduce the waiting period to two months,” he said.

Aminar Rashid also revealed that interest for the Myvi and ViVA continued to be strong at 7,600 units and 5,700 units a month currently.

He said Perodua would not introduce any new model this year but will introduce enhancements to its existing models where the emphasis will be on “going back to the basics to bring about greater customer satisfaction.”

Referring to its sales last year, he said it was the second highest in the company’s history and attributed them to the government’s RM67 billion stimulus packages.

He said the scrap scheme for old cars above 10 years old alone brought in sales of 20,000 new cars for Perodua. Perodua’s sales last year accounted for 31.3 per cent of the total market compared to 176,400 units or 30.5 per cent of the total market in 2008.

On after-sales-service, Aminar Rashid said the company recorded a 16 per cent rise in service intakes of 1.59 million vehicles from 1.37 million vehicles in 2008 as a result of higher car sales, improved efficiency at service outlets and new branches.

He said Perodua’s parts division chalked up a 23 per cent increase in sales to RM200 million last year. — Bernama

Perodua expects Alza to have impact on Myvi sales

CARMAKER Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) expects sales of Myvi to decline by up to 18 per cent next year, as some of the potential customers for the three-year-old Myvi may opt for the recently-launched multi-purpose vehicle, Alza.

"We expect some cannibalisation between Myvi and Alza... that about 15-18 per cent of Myvi customers will go for Alza," said managing director Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar in Shah Alam yesterday.

He was speaking to the media after the prize-giving ceremony of the "Myvi Moment" contest.

Despite the potential cannibalisation, sales of compact cars Myvi and ViVa remained strong, Hafiz said.
"The Myvi and ViVa have registered bookings close to 10,000 units and 7,700 units in November. We are very encouraged by the strong demand for the models," said Hafiz.

The Alza, which was launched last month, has received a total bookings of some 11,000 units, with a waiting period of two months.

Perodua is expected to sell some 4,000 units of Alza a month next year when it beefs up its production. It expects to sell 176,000 units of vehicles next year, which would be a record number.

It also expects to increase its market share to 33.3 per cent, with the help of new models like Alza and two facelift models next year.

"We expect 2010 to be the best year ever for Perodua, in terms of registration," Hafiz said.

For the first 11 months, it sold about 151,000 units. By the end of this year, it is on track to hit 164,000 units, a performance that will outperform the industry.

Local car sales are expected to decline substantially this year, due mainly to the global economy slowdown.

"The bad news in the end, is not that bad at all," he said.

Earlier, Syed Abdull Hafiz said the "Myvi Moment" contest was a success. A total of 11,252 Myvi units were purchased during the 44-day period. -BUSINESS TIMES