Toyota said today it has captured a 49 percent share in Malaysia's 1.4-1.5 litre non-national passenger car market last year after sales of the popular Vios model exceeded its expectations.

Vios sales hit 8,860 units within the first six months of its launch in June after the company projected of 4,000 units, distributor UMW Toyota Motor managing director Michael Lim said in a statement to Bernama news agency.

The enthusiastic response for the Vios, which was named car of the year by a local daily in December, reflected the confidence of Malaysian car buyers, he said.

Impressive sales

Toyota is the most popular make in Malaysia after national cars Proton and Perodua, and has long dominated sales in the non-national car segment. It sold 40,239 vehicles last year, or nearly 10 percent of the total market share.

Despite a drop in passenger car sales in Malaysia last year by 11 percent to 319,845 units, sales of non-national cars have increased to 15 percent of the market at the expense of national cars ahead of market liberalisation in

Under the Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA), import tariffs for most products in the region were cut to below five percent in the past year.

Malaysia, the region's top passenger car market, obtained a two-year reprieve for its auto industry until 2005 but has said it will defer reducing duties until 2008, a move analysts said reflected deep-seated concerns over the survival of the local car industry. - AFP