Honda is No.1 again in non-Malaysian brand passenger car segment

Among the top Japanese carmakers, Honda doesn’t have pick-up trucks in its range (except in the USA). Nevertheless, with the enormous popularity of its wide passenger car range, it still sells a lot of vehicles, especially in the ASEAN region.

In Malaysia, 2023 was the tenth consecutive year that the brand has been in the No.1 position in the Malaysian market non-national brand passenger vehicle segment with a total of 80,027 units delivered nationwide.

Most popular models
The three top-selling models in 2023 were the City, HR-V and City Hatchback, accounting for 30%, 25% and 13%, respectively. In addition, the WR-V, HR-V, CR-V and Civic were No.1 in their respective segments, according to Honda Malaysia.

The shortage of parts had impacted production at the Melaka plant in the period after the pandemic, reducing output. However, Honda Malaysia has been working closely with its suppliers and the situation gradually improved last year.

“2023 proved to be a challenging year where we faced a competitive market. However, Honda Malaysia managed to overcome and achieved our sales target in 2023 with strong support from our dealers and the Malaysian government. Additionally, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all Honda customers who have played a crucial role in this achievement through their unwavering support towards the Honda brand,” said Honda Malaysia’s Managing Director & CEO, Hironobu Yoshimura.

Good response to new WR-V
Honda Malaysia’s achievement this year was largely contributed by the WR-V which was launched in July. It was very well received and has accounted for 60% of the total sales to date. Over 7,800 units of the WR-V were delivered within the first 6 months of launch, with the top RS variant being the most popular.

Increasing sales of e:HEV models
The company continues to promote its hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technology, which it calls e:HEV, available in the City, Civic, HR-V and CR-V. Evidence that the electrified models are growing in popularity can be seen from the impressive increase in numbers – from more than 4,100 units in 2022 to more than 7,700 units in 2023.

Based on the data compiled by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), 28,055 vehicles sold last year were HEVs, so Honda’s e:HEV models accounted for a significant 27.4% of that number.

Will 2024 target be lower?
While its 2023 target was met, Honda Malaysia has not announced its target for 2024 and whether it will be reduced in tandem with the MAA’s forecast of a 7.5% lower annual volume for this year. After the many new models last year, this year will probably see mainly facelifts or upgrades.

One thing for sure is that there won’t be a new Accord (which has been launched elsewhere) as the company has decided to stop assembling it. However, the company could bring it in as a CBU import the way it brought in the Odyssey from Japan in small numbers. It would be a pity if Honda is completely absent from a segment where it has had one of the top models since the 1980s.

 

Visit www.honda.com.my to know more about Honda products and services in Malaysia.

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