New vehicle sales in Malaysia rose by 21% in March 2026, with a total of 63,489 units sold last month compared to 52,414 units sold in Feb 2026, according to the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).
And while the monthly sales volume for March 2026 was relatively low compared to other months, MAA pointed out that this volume reflects a rather healthy month-to-month recovery over the low sales volume in Feb 2026 and is still not too far off (12.95% less) from the same period last year of 72,931 units sold in March 2025.
Shorter Working Days Affect Both Sales & Production Volume
On the production side, March 2026 saw only 48,129 vehicles being produced, which is 17% less when compared to the same period last year. This production decline also sees the production year-to-date (YTD) total going down by 10% from 177,603 units in March 2025 to 159,367 in March 2026.
Speaking of which, the YTD for vehicle sales has also gone down by 3% with 182,113 units delivered as of Q1 this year, compared to 188,432 units in the same period last year.
MAA attributes both the sales and production decline to shorter working days within March 2026, which was due to the Hari Raya holidays and temporary plant shutdowns during said festive season.
Looking ahead, the association is expecting vehicle sales to consolidate in April this year, as the month boasts more working days plus several ongoing promotions in conjunction with the festive Raya season potentially contributing to the sales volume.
