JPJ Dec 2024 Update: Petrol Rules, Hybrids Surge, EVs Climb

The automotive market in 2024 continues to evolve, with the latest Dec 2024 vehicle sales numbers providing key insights into consumer preferences and industry trends.

A total of 84,429 vehicles were registered in Dec, up 17.6% from Nov, bringing the 2024 year-to-date (YTD) registrations total to 856,292 units.

Comparing data declared in Nov 2024, petrol-powered vehicles maintained their dominance in the market in Dec 2024, accounting for 71,685 units sold (64,004 recorded in Nov 2024) to mark a 12% increase. Electric vehicles (EVs) saw a significant rise with 2,581 units sold, up from 1,805 in Nov (43% increase).

Green diesel vehicles followed strongly, up from 3,913 in Nov to 6,469 units in Dec (65.3% increase). Diesel, meanwhile, showed a modest improvement, rising from 233 units in Nov to 288 units in Dec (up 23.6%).

However, the biggest jump in sales came from petrol hybrid vehicles, which surged from 1,863 units in Nov to 3,406 units in Dec (82.8% increase).

Among automakers, Perodua continues to lead the charts with 32,202 units sold, down from 36,728 units sold in Nov. Toyota, however, experienced a sales spike, rising to 14,732 units in Dec from 10,891 in Nov, taking second place from Proton. Proton saw a smaller increase from 11,637 units in Nov to 13,488 units in Dec.

This healthy upward trend in vehicle sales can also be seen in xEV adoption. EV sales rose 43% in Dec, but the most significant growth came from hybrid vehicle adoption, which saw a massive 82.8% spike.

This aligns with the government’s push towards hybrid vehicle adoption as a transitional mode of transportation before eventually achieving full electrification.

The top three EV brands in December were BYD with 1,292 units sold, followed by Tesla with 312 units, and BMW with 234 units. The best-selling EV in Dec was the recently launched BYD Sealion 7, which sold 513 units. However, the best-selling EV of 2024 overall was the BYD Atto 3, with 2,969 units sold.

As for 2025 predictions based on Dec JPJ registration data, the push towards electrification will be further emphasised by the government. However, as announced previously, the focus will largely shift towards hybrid vehicle adoption as a transitional solution before full electrification.

In line with this, brands have also aligned their 2025 launches to include a significant number of hybrids and PHEVs, anticipating a new subsidy announcement to drive prices of hybrids and PHEVs down.

This trend corresponds to the slow EV charger roll-out, which currently stands at 3,354 EV charging bays (EVCB). This is 6,646 bays short of the government’s 10,000 EVCBs by December 2025 goal.

It will also be interesting to see how the local EV offering, the e.MAS 7 from Proton, performs in 2025. Could it dethrone the BYD Atto 3 as the best-selling EV in the country? Despite having launched in mid-Dec, JPJ data does not show any e.MAS 7 deliveries as yet.