UMW hopes movement restrictions eased for faster recovery
Published on: Thursday, July 15, 2021
By: Bernama
.jpg "UMW hopes movement restrictions eased for faster recovery")
Kuala Lumpur: UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has an encouraging order bank for various models but remains hopeful nonetheless that movement control restrictions can be eased to allow it to operate in a limited and safe way.President Ravindran K. said with the ongoing Movement Control Order, which began on June 1, 2021, many business sectors had to remain closed and new vehicle sales for the whole automotive industry had dropped tremendously in June.
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“The continued closure of all Toyota and Lexus showrooms nationwide meant that no business could be conducted while, at the same time, manufacturing of vehicles including the supply chain and logistic efforts have also come to a halt.
“While accepting that the government has had to act for the good of the country, it has presented a challenge for the company,” he said in a statement.
Ravindran said that if allowed to operate, UMWT would naturally abide by all standard operating procedures as it had during the past year.
The showrooms remain closed, but he noted that bookings could still be made online as the public could still obtain detailed information about Toyota and Lexus vehicles at their respective websites – toyota.com.my and lexus.com.my.
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“We encourage customers to make their bookings online as we can then plan production at our two assembly plants to minimise waiting time when the restrictions are lifted, to enable customers to enjoy the current financial incentives,” he said.
Ravindran also highlighted that the exemption of Sales and Service Tax (SST) had been extended until the end of 2021.
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“The exemption covers both locally-assembled and imported Toyota and Lexus models and is still available to provide meaningful savings,” he said.
Meanwhile, UMW Toyota Motor deputy chairman Akio Takeyama said that prolonged restrictions on vehicle production could have an impact not just on passenger vehicles but also commercial vehicles, which are essential for transportation of goods around the country.
“While the government has formulated a National Recovery Plan (NRP) in four phases, we are still in Phase One, which is the most restrictive. The current situation also makes planning for recovery difficult,” he said.
He opined that the company’s export business would be affected and this included its subsidiaries which exported a substantial amount of automotive components as part of Toyota’s global supply chain.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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