KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 16): The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) said 47,273 vehicles were sold in the country in October, up 0.5% from 47,041 units in the same month in 2017.

The increase in total industry volume (TIV) is backed by a 1.02% rise in sales of passenger vehicles to 42,364 units from 41,668 previously, mitigating a 0.91% drop in commercial vehicle sales to 4,909 units from 5,373, the association said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, total production rose 27.94% to 51,769 units in October from 40,464 last year, which MAA attributed to the replacement of stocks following depletion during the zero-rated goods and services tax period from June to August, prior to the reintroduction of sales and service tax in September.

Both passenger and commercial vehicles saw higher production in the month, MAA data showed.

From January to October, TIV rose 6.25% to 472,267 units from 421,635 in the same period last year, as both segments posted higher sales volume.

Similarly, both segments saw increases in production, boosting total production by 12.01% to 472,267 units from 421,635 units in the Jan-Oct 2017 period.

"Sales volume in October 2018 was 51% higher than September 2018," said MAA.

The association expects the trend to continue into November, with "slightly better" sales seen for this month amid expectations of new model launches as well as aggressive year-end promotional campaigns.