After reclaiming No.1 title from Honda, UMW Toyota looks to hybrids and EVs for next phase of growth

• Toyota broke Honda's 6-year winning streak as Malaysia's No.1 non-national car brand
• Hilux a major contributor, also means Toyota's passenger cars sales trails behind Honda
• 2022 to be the beginning of UMW Toyota Motor's pivot towards hybrids and EVs 

UMW Toyota Motor ended 2021 with 71,585 Toyota cars sold (excluding Lexus), putting it ahead of Honda Malaysia’s 53,031 cars. It also means that Honda Malaysia’s 6-year run as the No.1 selling non-national car brand in Malaysia has come to an end.

Explaining the hows and the whys of Honda Malaysia’s winning streak came to an end needs a separate post, but a lot of it has to do with Toyota doing a better job at mitigating the impact of the global shortage in semiconductor parts, and a resurgence in commercial vehicle sales, especially the Toyota Hilux, as businesses in Malaysia reopen post-MCO and catches up in lost time.

Sales of passenger cars were down 5.9 percent in 2021 but commercial vehicles were a bright spot, up 15.9 percent.

Within the commercial vehicles segment, it was pick-up trucks, led by the Toyota Hilux, that doing all the heavy lifting, growing by 20.8 percent!

Also read: Malaysia’s 2021 new car sales dragged down by Myvi, sustained by Hilux and Triton

UMW Toyota Motor sold 18,340 units of the Toyota Hilux last year. The only Toyota model that sold more than the Hilux was the Toyota Vios, with 21,996 units. The Vios’ hatchback twin the Toyota Yaris sold 14,465 units.

Honda Malaysia, which relies only on passenger cars and encountered longer periods of manufacturing disruption due to parts supply issues, saw its sales contracting by 12.3 percent.

The other reason is Honda Malaysia’s ageing model line-up. The highly popular Honda HR-V is overdue for a replacement and is not very competitive against the newly launched Toyota Corolla Cross.

Also read: 2022 Honda HR-V to launch in Malaysia after June - VTEC Turbo, e:HEV hybrid hinted

2021 also saw the transitioning of the aging Honda Jazz to the City Hatchback, as well as phasing out of the Honda Civic FC to the all-new 2022 Honda Civic FE.

However, if one were to remove the contribution of the Toyota Hilux, UMW Toyota Motor’s passenger car sales for 2021 is around 53,245 cars (excluding Lexus). Remove the cira 1,500 units of Toyota Hiace (estimated), Toyota’s passenger car sales actually trails behind Honda Malaysia’s 53,031 cars.

Still, 2022 will see the full-year sales of the Toyota Corolla Cross – currently the best-selling non-national B/C-segment SUV – contributing to UMW Toyota Motor’s bottom line. The forthcoming CKD replacement for the now-discontinued CBU Toyota Avanza, rumoured to the called Toyota Veloz, should see Toyota pulling further ahead.

Also read: UMWT confirms 2022 successor to Toyota Avanza, Veloz variant rumoured

Nearly half of Toyota Corolla Cross’ are contributed by the hybrid variant, further confirming UMW Toyota Motor’s conviction that the time is now right for hybrids to become mainstream (before this, it offered the RM 175k Camry Hybrid).

Green vehicles are an important theme for UMW Toyota Motor. Although the company is not revealing any specific numbers / targets yet, the company’s spokesperson said products and innovations focusing on sustainability will a very important near-term target for the company from this point onwards.

Also read: Malaysians responding well to Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, contributes over 40% of sales

The company also added that hybrid vehicles are the most accessible and realistic choice for Malaysian customers, many of whom still rely on one car to do multiple roles, from their daily drive to work as well as long distance journeys back to their hometowns.

However, the company is not limiting its electrification options only to hybrids, though that’s the primary focus given Malaysia’s current infrastructure.

Unofficial sources have told WapCar.my that UMW Toyota Motor’s luxury arm Lexus Malaysia will be launching the fully electric Lexus UX 300e later this year, followed by the Toyota bZ4x in 2023.

Also read: UMW Toyota to launch 2 EVs starting 2022 – Lexus UX 300e and Toyota bZ4X?

The Lexus UX 300e is already on sale in Thailand and Indonesia, while the Toyota bZ4x will go on sale in Thailand later this year.

Globally, Toyota plans to have 30 battery electric (BEV) models on sale by 2030, contributing 3.5 million units in sales.

Also read: Checkmate? Toyota to sell 3.5 million EVs by 2030, unveils 16 models, 14 more coming - world's largest EV player?

In major markets like USA, Europe, and China where supporting infrastructure is in place, Lexus will become a 100 percent electric-only brand by 2030.