Japanese automotive journalists observe changes in car brands on the streets of Malaysia

The Japanese auto media outlet WEB CARTOP published an article on August 5th describing shifts in car brands visible on Malaysian roads—from dominance by Japanese vehicles to a growing presence of local Malaysian and Chinese-made cars.

The article states: "Malaysia has its own domestic car brands, Proton and Perodua, which is extremely rare in Southeast Asia! That’s why you see many cars on the streets that are uncommon elsewhere."

Owing to government incentives—including tax benefits—sales of locally produced Malaysian car brands have been quite strong. While Japanese cars remain popular, an increasing number of Chinese-made vehicles are gradually gaining market reputation.

When observing traffic in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city, most vehicles seen are Malaysian domestic brands. Over 60% of new car sales are from Proton and Perodua, Malaysia’s homegrown brands.

The most common models are compact four-door sedans such as the Proton Saga and Perodua Bezza. These two models have become mainstream choices for ride-hailing services.

Moreover, Malaysian brand vehicles are significantly cheaper than Japanese counterparts, thanks to government incentives and tax breaks.

In fact, the starting price for the Saga is 39,990 MYR (approximately 1.55 million JPY), while the Bezza starts at 34,580 MYR (around 1.38 million JPY). By contrast, the Honda City—a similarly sized vehicle—starts at 84,900 MYR (about 3.39 million JPY), nearly double the price of local models.

Among Malaysian brands, Proton has maintained higher pricing since becoming a subsidiary of China’s Geely Auto in 2017, but Perodua’s lower prices have given it a larger market share within the domestic brand segment.

Among Japanese brands, Toyota demonstrates overwhelming strength across Southeast Asia. The Alphard enjoys high popularity throughout the region, but even in Kuala Lumpur, it appears far more frequently than in Thailand, traditionally known for its love of the Alphard.

In Malaysia, sedans remain very popular. Besides the Alphard series, the compact sedan Vios stands out, and the Toyota Corolla Cross is also commonly seen.

Honda vehicles appear with greater frequency. The compact Civic sedan is widely popular, followed by the HR-V (equivalent to Japan’s Vezel) and CR-V. Honda vehicles are also used as police cars in Malaysia.

The visibility of Japanese brands has begun to decline compared to 2024, yet Mazda continues to enjoy strong popularity. While crossover SUVs like the CX-8 and CX-5 are the most popular, the Mazda MX-5 RF (known as Roadster RF in Japan) has also been spotted—surprisingly so.

In the sports coupe segment, the Toyota 86 (also known as GR86) and Supra are well-received, having been observed multiple times during street spot checks.

Among Chinese brands, BYD offers only pure electric vehicles in Malaysia. The BYD ATTO 3 is frequently seen on the streets, along with numerous Chery (Cheetah) models. The BYD Sealion 7 has also appeared repeatedly. Chery’s momentum is evident across various models including OMODA, JETOUR, and JAECOO. Chery has adopted a multi-brand strategy, and its growth trajectory is clearly visible across Southeast Asia.

Under the Geely group, Proton sells Geely’s pure electric vehicles under the e.MAS brand. As a domestic Malaysian brand, Proton enjoys significant pricing advantages. However, outside Malaysia, the compact EV EX2 is sold under the name e.MAS5 as a locally made Malaysian vehicle. Since deliveries began earlier this year, it has become Malaysia’s best-selling single electric vehicle model.

Electric vehicle adoption in Malaysia remains at just a few percentage points, comparable to Japan. However, it's clear that more Chinese brands are offering diverse vehicle lineups—not only pure electric vehicles, but also plug-in hybrid (PHEV), hybrid (HEV), and conventional gasoline-powered models.

In summary, Chinese brands are now even more prevalent on Malaysian streets than they were during the previous street spot-check survey conducted in 2024.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872656267388105/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.