Malaysia overtakes Thailand as ASEAN’s second-biggest auto market

TOKYO/KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has overtaken Thailand to become Southeast Asia’s second-largest auto market, after Indonesia, a major shift in a region that has become a key battleground for Asian automakers.

Nikkei Asia compiled sales data released by industry groups in those three countries plus the Philippines and Vietnam and found that Malaysia’s sales figures, which had been third for a long time, topped Thailand’s for three consecutive quarters through January-March 2024.