Car sales rev up ahead of Hari Raya

Passengers car sales rose 24.5 per cent in August compared with the previous month, consistent with previous year's trends of strong sales during the Ramadhan month.

According to a report from the Brunei Automobile Traders Association, dealers sold 1,290 passenger cars in August versus 1,036 units in July.

"We are expecting that car sales for this month will be the best for the year, but it will slowly start to slope downwards because of the school holidays," said an industry insider.

Car distributors earlier said sales would rise due to the introduction of more entry-level vehicles and sales would average about a thousand.

The car sector suffered a hit at the end of 2008 due to the rise in the value of the Japanese yen, which pushed up prices by at least $2,000.

Tighter government rules on loans also dampened demand, with many Bruneians unable to qualify for loans even for an entry-level vehicle.

The report said market leader, Toyota, outperformed all other car brands with 330 units sold in August against 256 in July, a 28.9 per cent increase.

The Toyota Vios was the best-seller, with 197 units moved.

If NBT (B) Sdn Bhd, had sold only Toyota Vios, it would still be the market leader.

Hyundai was the second best performer, selling 173 units, an 88 per cent jump from the 92 units sold in July.

This is attributed mainly to the new Hyundai model that was launched at the end of May, the Hyundai Tucson SUV.

In August, Setia Motors Sdn Bhd, sold 120 units of the Hyundai Sonata.

Including sales of commercial vehicles, Hyundai still remains in the third position, with 730 units sold, according to the report.

Suzuki also saw sales rise, with 140 units sold in August from only 112 in July. This was attributed mainly to two models, the Suzuki Grand Vitara, which sold 40 units, and the Suzuki Swift, which sold 47 units.

Other notable increases include GM Chevrolet sales of 89 units from 77 the previous month.

Chevrolet distributor Daha Trading's best-selling product was the Chevrolet Cruze, which sold 56 units in August.

Kia also saw sales rise to 80 units in August, as compared to 61 units in July.

Nissan vehicles also saw sales edge up to 87 units from 74 in July.

On the other hand, sales of Mazda, Mitsubishi and Daihatsu fell, according to the report.

Mazda sales fell to 67 units in August from 90 units in July.

Sales of Mitsubishi and Daihatsu, both under GHK Motors Sdn Bhd, fell to 55 and 47 units from 61 and 53, respectively.

The luxury sector of the market also contributed to the rise in the car sales figures, with most of the luxury brands experiencing an increase in sales.

BMW, the market leader for luxury vehicles, sold 20 units in August against 13 in July.

Rival Mercedes sold 25 units from 19 the previous month.

Jati Transport Sdn Bhd, sole distributor of Mercedes vehicles, sold 14 units of the C-Class in August and six units of the E-Class, which was the brand's best-seller for August.

QAF Auto Sdn Bhd sold four units of the BMW X1 and four units of the BMW X3. It sold six units of the BMW 3-Series in the same month.

Lexus took the third position, with 18 units sold in August, an increase from 10 units sold in July. The Lexus IS300 remains the brand's best-seller, with seven units sold in August.

According to the car sales report, a total of 9,051 commercial and passenger vehicles were sold in August, an 18.1 per cent jump from the previous month.

The Brunei Times