Local Cars Dominate, Malaysia Salip Car Sales in Indonesia Ahead of the End of the Year

JAKARTA - The Malaysian automotive market again recorded a stronger performance than Indonesia. In November 2025, car sales in the Neighboring Country for the umpteenth time managed to surpass the achievements of the country, increasing their chances of becoming the new ruler of the four-wheel industry in the ASEAN region.

Citing data from the Malaysia Automotive Association reported by Carz Automedia, Monday, December 15, Malaysian car sales throughout November 2025 penetrated more than 77 thousand units. This figure is higher than Indonesia's wholesales sales which are in the range of 74 thousand units in the same period.

With this addition, the total sales of Malaysian cars during January-November 2025 have reached around 720 thousand units, exceeding Indonesia's sales record of 710,084 units. Indonesia's sales record fell 9.6 percent from the same period last year.

For retail sales, the cumulative figure reached 739,977 units, down 8.4 percent compared to the first 11 months of 2024. That is also what made Gaikindo revise the target this year to 780 thousand units, from the previous 850 thousand to 900 thousand units.

Meanwhile, Malaysia still maintains a sales target of 800 thousand units throughout 2025. If you look at the current trend, Malaysia is considered to have a greater chance of closing the year as the largest automotive market in ASEAN.

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Sales in Malaysia are still dominated by local brands. In November 2025, Perodua Bezza was recorded as the best-selling car with sales of around 9 thousand units, followed by Perodua Axia with 7 thousand units and Proton Saga which recorded 6 thousand units. Of the seven best-selling models in Malaysia, six of them are Perodua products, while Japanese brands are only represented by Toyota Vios and Honda City in the top 10.

If broken down by segment, gasoline car sales in Malaysia reached 65 thousand units, followed by diesel of around 4 thousand units, electric cars 5 thousand units, and hybrids around 2 thousand units. This achievement shows that the adoption of electrified vehicles in Malaysia is starting to move more aggressively than Indonesia.

Previously, Gaikindo's General Secretary, Kukuh Kumara, assessed that the growth of the Malaysian automotive market was inseparable from cheap taxes. Unlike Indonesia, the high price of new cars is largely due to the very high motor vehicle tax compared to neighboring countries.

It's no wonder that people have started to be reluctant to buy new cars in recent times. Kukuh added that in Thailand and Malaysia there is also no five-year tax, so vehicle ownership is more affordable.