Malaysia car sales cool after record December, Jan 2026 TIV up 27% YoY

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s vehicle sales eased in January 2026 after an extraordinary year-end surge, with the latest Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) data showing total industry volume (TIV) of 64,298 units for the month.

MAA said the softer January number was tied to a spillover of registrations and deliveries into December 2025, when the market posted 90,716 units, the highest single-month total on record. Against that peak, January’s 64,298 units represents a 29% month-on-month drop.

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Look year-on-year instead, and the picture changes. January 2026 still came in 27% higher than January 2025 (50,449 units), pointing to a stronger start than the same month last year, just not strong enough to follow December’s historic spike.

Passenger cars did the heavy lifting

MAA’s breakdown shows January was still overwhelmingly a passenger vehicle month:

• Passenger vehicles (PV): 60,369 units, up 28% from 47,019 units a year earlier

• Commercial vehicles (CV): 3,929 units, up 15% from 3,430 units a year earlier

• Total (TIV): 64,298 units, up 27% from 50,449 units

That means passenger vehicles accounted for roughly 94% of total sales in January.

Production rose too, but at a slower pace

On the production side, MAA reported 60,866 units built in January 2026, a 6% increase from 57,450 units in January 2025.

• PV production: 57,367 units, up 6%

• CV production: 3,499 units, up 13%

• Total production: 60,866 units, up 6%

One detail worth noting, sales exceeded production by 3,432 units in January (64,298 vs 60,866), which reflects deliveries being completed using a mix of current output and existing stock.

Put simply, January 2026 is a month of two stories. Compared with last year, it is a clear improvement. Compared with December’s once-in-a-blue-moon peak, it is the market returning to a more normal pace, with MAA pointing directly to December’s record rush as the reason January looks softer month-on-month.

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