The market leader Perodua appears to be doing quite well based on its Q3 2023 sales and production numbers, which were released. Sales for the first nine months of 2023 have increased by 18.8%, with Q3 sales up 28.3% year over year.

Perodua and its two Sg Choh factories are working nonstop to create at least 30,000 units each month in the final stretch. This implies that the sales target of 314,000 units for 2023—a new sales record that would surpass the record from the previous year—will undoubtedly be exceeded. The reason we discuss production is because P2 typically sells whatever it creates.

However, this year's improbable hero goes by the name of Bezza. Regardless of sector competition, the sedan is Malaysia's best-selling car overall, having sold 65,158 units as of Q3 2023—both in Q3 and YTD September. For comparison, right now it's about 14,000 units ahead of the Axia, which is only a little bit ahead of the Myvi. With one quarter remaining, Bezza's revenues are up an astounding 41.3% year over year.




This implies that the sedan is almost certain to unseat the Myvi, which was Malaysia's best-selling vehicle in 2022 (selling 74,840 units, it was also the best-selling vehicle in 2021).

Perodua VP Datuk Ahmad Suhaimi Hashim stated on the sidelines of the Japan Mobility Show that the Bezza is the most produced car in the factories now to suit market demand, so with one quarter remaining, the Bezza topping Malaysia's (full-year) sales charts for the first time is almost a certainty, barring a sudden change in trend or catastrophe. It appears that the Bezza is presently highly popular in the market.

Suhaimi disclosed that three times this year, the Bezza's takt time has increased at the Perodua Global Manufacturing plant (PGMSB is the more recent of the two at Sg Choh). Takt time, which refers to how quickly a company can create a product, is a manufacturing phrase used to indicate the necessary product assembly length.