PETALING JAYA: Vehicle sales rose 31% in January compared with a year earlier due to favourable market conditions, according to Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) president Datuk Aishah Ahmad.

“Sales rose to 45,817 units in January this year from 35,047 units last January,'' she said.

“This is a very good start to the year and we expect the (positive) trend to spill over to February despite it being a shorter month,” she at the launch of MAA's new office yesterday.

Aishah said salary increments, especially in the public sector, the launch of new vehicle models and improved consumer confidence were some of the factors that contributed to the rise in sales in January.

The launch of new vehicle models and improved consumer confidence would further boost car sales, she added.

On the impact of rising oil prices on local consumers, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz, who launched the new office, said: “I do not think it would stop people from buying cars. People who can afford cars would have factored in petrol prices and would have ways to spend wisely.”

Rafidah said that any impact from rising oil prices would also be cushioned by the Government.

“Because petrol prices are subsidised by the Government, the impact should be both at the pump level and at the consumer level.''