Faridah Begam Aziz, 52, from Ampang made her booking for a snow white Proton X50 in late February but has yet to receive the car.
She was told that the wait was due to a labour shortage and high demand for the model, adding that the salesman told her that there were more than 1,000 orders for the vehicle.
“I was informed that the wait could take up to three months. There is also demand for certain colours like red, silver and grey which will make the wait longer,” said the Zamzam Trading Sdn Bhd operations manager.
Homemaker Nur Ashikin, 28, from Shah Alam has been waiting more than half a year to get a new car.
“I booked a silver Myvi 1.5H and it has been seven months now already. I was told that the long wait is due to the transportation problem of materials as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
Nur Ashikin said the car company also told her that the shortage of semiconductor chips was another main reason.
Mohd Akhbar Shah, 19, from Ulu Kelang is also waiting for his new Myvi, which he booked several months ago.
He said despite the long waiting period, he did not mind “as long as I get my wheels”.
“This will be my first car and I had set my eyes on the Myvi for a long time. But the waiting is tough because I want the latest model. The darker colour of my choice also has a longer waiting period.
“I guess one just has to wait it out,” he added.
Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) president Datuk Aishah Ahmad said the forecast was that sales would remain good even after the end of the tax exemption period on June 30.
“The projection of 600,000 units of car sales for 2022 will be achieved. Post-June, we expect three months of lower sales but it will definitely pick up again.
“Local cars will do better due to their competitive pricing befitting market demand,” she told The Star.
On the shortage of workers in the automotive industry, she said it involved vendors of component parts.
As for the chips shortage, Aishah said that it could not be resolved so soon as it involved most parts of the world.
Perodua sales adviser Abdul Aziz Karim said many people were still making car bookings.
“But half the bookings may not get loan approvals, although the number of people wanting to buy cars is high. I think the government may extend the sales tax exemption as car prices are expected to increase next year,” he added.
Honda sales adviser Nicholas Foong said there was a shortage of manpower and spare parts because of the pandemic.
“Covid-19 cases have also affected plant workers as they have to slow down production; the same goes for the logistics line.
“I am unsure how these problems will be resolved but Honda is trying its best to fulfil all bookings,” he added.
Mazda senior sales adviser Annison Francis said the bookings were still strong, adding that those with cash in hand would buy irrespective of the sales tax rebate.
“However, those taking loans may think twice,” he added.
National carmaker Proton said it was ready to build as many vehicles once supply issues were sorted out.
In a statement, the firm said it was still trying to meet demand, saying every vehicle produced in its Tanjung Malim and Shah Alam plants “has a buyer waiting”.
“Our bookings remain strong this year and for the Proton X50, we received our 100,000th booking in February,” the statement read.
“The volume has exceeded all our expectations and we are trying to deliver as many units as possible, but unfortunately, some customers must wait quite a while to receive their cars.”
On Tuesday, Perodua said that it, too, was focusing on maximising deliveries to meet the demand for cars.
