Report: Chery Ranks as Third Best Non-National Carmaker in Malaysia

Chinese automaker Chery is now ranked as the third best-selling non-national automaker in Malaysia as of Jan-July 2025.

Chinese automaker Chery has risen within the ranks to become the third best-selling non-national automaker in Malaysia so far this year, reports NST.

Citing data from the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), the Wuhu-based automaker pips fellow compatriots BYD for the third spot from January to July 2025, with a total market share of 7% compared to BYD’s 5%.

NST quoted that this position shift likely reflects BYD's dilution of BYD's EV-focused market share, whereas Chery capitalised on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales, taking market shares from other declining brands.

That said, the non-national carmaker segment is still dominated by both Honda and Toyota, with the latter sustaining its 29% market share although experiencing a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 6.3%.

As for Honda, the Japanese automaker experienced a much worse YoY decline at up to 31% so far this year, despite recording a positive month-on-month (MoM) sales growth of 13% in July 2025 compared to the previous month. That said, Honda reportedly has up to 10,000 backlogged orders spanning two to four months.

Compared to fellow Japanese compatriots, Mazda saw the steepest decline during the period, with its market share now dropping to 1% during this period from 2% previously. Among the main causes for this decline are fewer product launches, as well as rising competition from Chinese marques.

The same can be said for Nissan, where despite the automaker recording an 84% spike in its MoM figure, the automaker only managed to sell a mere 260 units in June 2025.

Looking ahead, NST quoted reports from MBSB Research analysts that vehicle sales momentum for Aug 2025 is to remain strong, fuelled by improved stock levels and a plethora of Merdeka month promotions done by automakers. That said, the firm’s 2025 total industry volume (TIV) forecast remains unchanged at 792,000 units, which is largely in line with MAA’s estimated TIV of 780,000 units.

Source: NST