KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) reported that the automotive sector’s total industry volume (TIV) fell 13% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 63,489 units in March 2026, compared with 72,931 units a year earlier.

In a statement, MAA said the lower TIV in March 2026 was due to the Hari Raya festive holidays, including an additional public holiday declared on March 20, as well as temporary plant shutdowns during the period.

On a month-on-month basis, however, TIV rebounded 21% from February 2026, signalling a healthy recovery in demand despite the seasonal slowdown.

In March 2026, sales of passenger vehicles declined 13% y-o-y to 59,498 units, while commercial vehicle sales dropped 12% to 3,991 units.

For the first three months of 2026, total vehicle sales slipped 3% to 182,113 units from 188,432 units in the corresponding period last year.

Passenger vehicle sales eased 4% to 170,511 units, while commercial vehicle sales were marginally lower at 11,602 units.

On the production side, total output in March 2026 declined 17% y-o-y to 48,129 units, dragged by a 19% drop in passenger vehicle production to 45,000 units. In contrast, commercial vehicle production rose 13% to 3,129 units.