UMW expects to sell 93,000 cars in 2012

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd, the exclusive distributor of Toyota and Lexus
cars in Malaysia, expects to sell some 93,000 cars this year.

UMW
Toyota Motor president Ismet Suki said in 2011, the company recorded
sales of 89,000 units, which he added was above the company's initial
expectation.

"This year will be an exciting year, we will be
having maybe four new car models and will also be launching some
enhanced and improved cars of the existing models.

"Next month,
we will be launching the Prius C, a smaller hybrid version of the Prius
model," he said after the launch of the new Toyota Avanza by UMW Toyota
Motor chairman Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin.

Ismet said the first
generation of Toyota Avanza was launched in October 2004 and to-date the
company has recorded sales of over 140,000 units of the model.

"We
expect that the demand for the Avanza will be strong, and target to
sell some 8,500 to 9,000 units this year, accounting for around 9.5 per
cent of our total sales in 2012.

"We started taking bookings in early December and until Jan 10, we have collected more than 710 orders," he said.

The
new Toyota Avanza comes in four new enhanced models showcasing an
advanced and dynamic design, with on-the-road prices of RM64,590 to
RM79,590. -- Bernama