Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen are ready to overtake the two luxury brand in Malaysia.Read the full news from Bernama by Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah
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VW SEEKS TO BECOME LEADER IN LUXURY CAR SEGMENT IN MALAYSIA
Volkswagen is seeking to become the market leader in Malaysia in the luxury cars segment within the next three to five years, VW Cars Sdn Bhd director of sales, Helmi Ilyas said.
VW Cars Sdn Bhd is a master dealership of principal Volkswagen AG, and currently sells nine different variants including the Touareg, Passat, Jetta, Golf, Golf GTI, Polo and Beetle.
Helmi said that Volkswagen cars are currently ranked number three among luxury brands in Malaysia.
“Though previously happy with that position, we feel it is time now for us to overtake the two bigger brands,” he added.
Helmi said Malaysian’s found Volkswagen models exciting.
“Those who had bought other luxury models now feel the need for an alternative and Volkswagen cars serve this purpose,” he added.
According to Helmi, negotiations are on-going with regards to Volkswagen’s plan for a completely knocked down (CKD) plant in Malaysia.
“We are not involved though.The negotiation is between the principle and a partner in Malaysia.They expect to have the plant in two years time,” he said.
Helmi said that Volkswagen’s competitors in Malaysia had good products but expensive at the same time.
“In contrast, we have a great product and offer it at an affordable price so that more people can own one,” he stated.
Volkswagen’s “cheapest” car in Malaysia today is the Golf Polo priced at RM118,000 with the most expensive being the Toureg at RM433,888.
Helmi is also confident that Volkswagen cars can be the market leader in Malaysia as the company is the biggest car manufacturer in Europe.
Touching on growth prospects, Helmi denied a recent report stating that the luxury cars segment would be affected badly following the global economic crisis.
In Malaysia, the report said, there would be a 20 to 25 percent reduction in sales for the luxury car segment.
“In our case, we can still maintain sales. Even now, we are about five percent above our target compared to last year.We hit our lowest point around February this year and are now growing.This will be the trend until the end of the year,” he said.
VW Malaysia will launch its first new model for this year, the Passat CC Coupe, in mid-July.It is a four-door vehicle.
Just two weeks later, another new model, the two-litre turbo Scirocco will be launched.
The Passat CC Coupe is targeted at executives and managers.
Jom komen!