We’re looking at the top-selling cars in Malaysia for the year to date up to October 2024 through the Road Transport Department’s (MAA) vehicle registration data, and this time we’re focusing on the premium models. It’s a bit of a surprise because the best-selling car on this list isn’t a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz, but the Lexus RX.
The Japanese SUV commands a sizeable lead over the rest, with 243 units registered last month and 3,591 units throughout the first ten months. Hang on a minute – how did Lexus Malaysia suddenly sell thousands of vehicles a year?
Well it hasn’t. As you will all know, the RX is a popular grey import or reconditioned car, and JPJ’s data doesn’t differentiate between official and recon units. As such, distributor UMW Toyota Motor sees very little of the revenue generated by all these sales. In fact, because recon cars are almost always from a premium brand, they likely make up a significant share of the sales listed here.
In second place sits BMW’s benchmark 3 Series with 193 units sold in October (2,313 units YTD), followed by the Mercedes-Benz A-Class with 151 units sold in October (1,998 units YTD). The 3 Series’ biggest competitor, the C-Class, is actually in fourth with 163 units sold in October and 1,986 units sold for the year to date.
It should be noted, however, that sales of the C-Class have fallen from their high of 275 units in April with the introduction of the C350e plug-in hybrid the following month, replacing the mild hybrid C300. Conversely, sales of the E-Class (318 units in October, 1,297 units YTD) picked up with the launch of the new W214 in September, even though it also has a PHEV variant (the E350e). Also, despite playing second fiddle to Lexus and BMW, Mercedes has four cars of the top six, which is certainly impressive.
Munich’s best-selling compact car sits a lowly seventh – the X1, which also includes the electric iX1, found 142 homes last month and 1,158 for the year to date. This is followed by the Lexus NX (112 units in October, 1,158 units YTD) and the Porsche Cayenne (99 units in October, 1,133 units YTD), which are also placed unusually high, likely thanks to recon sales.
Ditto the Mercedes CLA, sales of which are now wholly made up of grey-import vehicles and a smattering of official AMG CLA45S units, rounding off the top ten with 74 units registered in October and 951 units for the year to date.
The highest placed car not from Lexus, BMW or Mercedes is the MINI Countryman in 12th with 56 units sold last month (811 units YTD), while its sibling, the Cooper hatch, is 15th with an identical 56 units sold last month, for a YTD figure of 664. The other stragglers are the smart #1 and #3 (49 units in October, 510 units YTD) and the Volvo XC60 (31 units in October, 436 units YTD).
Completing the top 20 is the BMW i5, which is weirdly counted separately from the 5 Series (103 units in October, 541 units YTD). The electric executive sedan registered 33 sales in October and 410 for the year to date. In what will surely ring alarm bells at BMW Malaysia, last month’s sales of the 5 Series and i5 combined make up less than half that of the E-Class.
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