PETALING JAYA: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) registered sales of 61,624 vehicles in the first quarter of the year, a 6.4% jump from 57,909 vehicles in the same period in 2021.

       In a statement, it said sales in March alone jumped 9.5% year-on-year to 26,759 vehicles. Compared with February 2022, sales were up 53.2%.

       According to Perodua president and CEO Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad, the auto company was able to work with its suppliers and dealers to lessen the impact of Covid-19 and component supply issues.

       “Our focus is now to expedite the vehicles delivery to our customers before the sales tax exemption deadline ends on June 30, 2022.

       “That being said, Perodua also echoes the Malaysia Automotive Association’s request to further extend the sales tax exemption, as factors such as the global semiconductor supply disruption and Covid-19 cases are still impacting the industry,” he said.

       He added that the government’s sales tax exemption helped to keep demand high and sustain the industry.

       Moving forward, Zainal said the second quarter of 2022 will be the highlight of the automotive industry, as brands will deliver as many vehicles as possible within the three-month period.

       “While the semiconductor chip supply and Covid-19 would still influence production, we expect that production and registration will continue to improve.

       “We do not foresee other factors such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine having a major impact on Perodua’s production, moving forward,” he added.

       In light of the above, Zainal said the automaker was maintaining its 247,000 sales target for the year.