UMW Toyota confirms price increase amidst weakening Ringgit

UMW Toyota confirms price increase amidst weakening Ringgit

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As the Ringgit continues to depreciate, UMW Toyota announced that it will be increasing the price of Toyota and Lexus vehicles effective January 2016. The price increase varies between 4% to 16% across all models.

The car manufacturer has implemented strategic moves to protect the interest of its customers in the midst of the fluctuation of Ringgit, and absorbed additional cost to a certain extent over the past months.

Year-to-date, the Ringgit has depreciated by almost 20 percent to the US dollar, inevitably resulting in increased cost of operations across the industry as most local distributors pay for stocks of vehicles and parts from their principals with the American green back.

Datuk Ismet Suki, President of UMW Toyota Motor said, “Since the beginning of this year, the fluctuation of the Ringgit has impacted our business as some of our parts and components are imported, resulting in an increase in overall cost of production. We have implemented cost-fficiency measures and reviewed our operations across the supply chain to mitigate the weaker Ringgit.”

“The company would have implemented necessary measures to minimise forex losses impact and address the fluctuation of Ringgit if it dropped gradually. Unfortunately, the sudden and huge fluctuation of Ringgit within a short period, has given great impact to our operations. Hence, the company will have to increase the prices of Toyota and Lexus vehicles effective January 2016. The increase is inevitable as there is no clear indication on when the Ringgit will rebound,” he explains.

He also warned that further increases are possible if the Ringgit continues its drastic weakening, saying that, “We have tried our level best to keep the price increase as minimal as possible although with the increase, With the increase of our vehicle price, we could only recover partially, not 100% from the impact we have been absorbing. If the Ringgit continues to slide in the near future, we may need to review our pricing structure again.”

Datuk Ismet Suki is optimistic, however, that the price increase would not have a big impact on sales, with UMW Toyota currently on track to meet its business targets.

“We are facing challenging times but UMW Toyota is confident we can ride out the storm. We have strong fundamentals and a proven track record. I believe customers will continue to choose us and our vehicles as we deliver quality products and services that complement their lifestyles,” he said.

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