The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) has once again reiterated that car prices will inevitably increase, given the continuous delays in production. 

The president of MAA, Datuk Aishah Ahmad explained that the industry players are facing delays in the manufacturing of vehicles because of shortages of microchips and other components. On top of that, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict has also disrupted the supply chain. “Chips and components come from where the cars are being made, so if there is a delay in manufacturing, there will be a delay with delivery,” she added. 

Datuk Aishah also noted that the shortage of microchips is caused by an insufficient number of workers on the manufacturing side. “Industry players are also facing logistics delays. This affects costs, which is why in the long run, it is inevitable that car prices will go up,” she remarked. 

Given the shortages of microchips and components, as well as shipment delays, MAA further said that it saw a 3.6% decrease in the sales of new vehicles in April 2022. This translates to a drop from 73,222 units in March to 56,213 units in April. 

Several other car manufacturers also echoed a similar message as MAA, with regard to the impact of the ongoing delays on its production. Honda, for instance, stated that its car production is delayed due to “the global shortage of semiconductors and Covid-19 pandemic”. As such, customers who have already placed a booking may experience delays in receiving their cars, depending on the models or variants. 

Meanwhile, Proton deputy chief executive officer, Roslan Abdullah shared that the production of Proton vehicles is gradually getting back on track, despite there still being a shortage of vehicle components. Hence, he said that a shorter waiting time is expected as the supply of the components is steadily rising.

(Source: The Star)

• TAGS:
• Cars
• Datuk Aishah Ahmad
• MAA
• Malaysian Automotive Association
• Proton
• Roslan Abdullah