Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) has maintained its sales target of 216,000 for 2016, saying it is ready to boost sales to 118,600 in the second half of the year (2H) from 97,400 units achieved in the first six months so far.

President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said the remaining part of the year is still challenging, prompting the Malaysia Automotive Association (MAA) to revise the total industry volume (TIV) forecast.

"But we do hope the Bezza model will spur back the people's interest to purchase. The booking numbers currently seem encouraging.

"We have four models now with quality yet affordable pricing. Hopefully with the right packaging, at this difficult time, people still look at our brand," he told a media conference here today.

The MAA recently revised its 2016 TIV forecast downwards to 580,000 units from 650,000 initially due to lower vehicle sales in the first half of this year.

Nevertheless, Aminar Rashid expressed cautious optimism, saying Perodua's sales in 2H could be led by both its efficient enegy vehicle (EEV) models, the Bezza and Axia, and with the lower TIV forecast, the company's market share could rise by default to 37 per cent from the current 35.5 per cent.

He said bookings for the recently launched Bezza have averaged 1,000 cars per day since they opened on July 16, addding the company aims to meet the demand with its existing vehicle stock.

As of this morning, bookings for the new EEV sedan have hit 10,115 units, with 500 deliveries made since its launch on July 21.

"We began mass production of the Bezza in June and by the end of this month we expect to have 9,000 units ready for delivery nationwide.

"We will do our best to ensure that deliveries are made in a timely manner to ensure our customers' satisfaction," said Aminar Rashid.

Of the other models, for the first half of the year the national compact car company sold 51,100 units, with the Axia accounting for 52 per cent, Myvi 29 per cent and Alza 19 per cent.

Aminar Rashid said while there is a possibility of cannibalisation of sales of the Myvi as well as slower sales of the dated Alza, the packaging efforts could lessen the impact.

Meanwhile, for the after sales division, Perodua saw one million vehicles patronise its 186 service centres nationwide, an increase of five per cent from 965,000 vehicles in the same period last year.

Intake revenue increased to RM330 million in the first six months of 2016, up 13 per cent from RM293 million in the same period last year.

Parts sales (including accessories) for the first half of 2016 meanwhile improved by five per cent to RM126 million from RM120 millikn in the same period

"We hope that the general public would come to any of our 181 sales showrooms throughout the country to test drive and experience the Perodua Bezza as well as our other models to truly appreciate our offerings," Aminar Rashid said.