Its president, Datuk Ismet Suki, said the Toyota Hilux pick-up truck will be launched in the second quarter of the year. The much-awaited and most popular pick-up truck was recently spotted undergoing road tests through Shah Alam.
Following the Hilux launch, the new Toyota Alphard and Vellfire premium MPVs would roll out in the third quarter.
Ismet urged Alphard and Vellfire buyers to get the cars through UMW Toyota Motor rather than from parallel importers to ensure a good ownership experience. "We have comprehensive aftersales support of service and spare parts. The vehicle engine and suspension are tuned to meet Malaysian specifications, and are optimised for local fuel quality and weather conditions," he said at a media appreciation function here on Friday night.
He also pointed out that vehicles shipped in by parallel importers are tuned to requirements of other countries and would thus have different performance.
UMW Toyota Motor said it expects to sell fewer cars this year, with a forecast of 87,000 units, of which 2,000 would come from luxury arm Lexus. This is a 9.2% drop from 2015, when it sold 95,861 cars, of which 2,101 were from Lexus sales. Honda emerged as the top non-national make for 2015, toppling Toyota from its perch (see graphic above).
Ismet also announced that UMW Toyota Motor would return to motorsports towards the end of the year by taking part in Toyota Gazoo Racing as "it is a good platform to promote further the Toyota brand."
To gear up for activities this year, UMW Toyota Motor said it is introducing a new tag line "All about the drive" to encapsulate the excitement it is bringing to the local motoring scene in the days ahead.
Last week, Malaysia Automotive Association (MAA) said vehicle sales in Malaysia this year are expected to drop for the first time in six years as subdued consumer sentiment, a sluggish economy, weaker ringgit and tighter lending requirements take its toll on the local automotive industry.
MAA forecast Malaysia’s total industry’s volume to drop by 2.5% to 650,000 units in 2016 against last year.
