PETALING JAYA: Most Malaysians would buy a hybrid car mainly because the tax incentives make it affordable apart from the savings in fuel in using one report The StarOnline.
Of the over 3,000 respondents who answered a Star Online poll last week on why would you buy a hybrid car, 75% said they would purchase one due to the tax incentives (44%).
Thirty-nine percent of the respondents said they would save on fuel by using a hybrid car while 16% would buy one for its eco-friendliness.
Of those who would not buy one, most (59%) said it is because of the battery, which isn't going to last forever and cost a bomb to replace.
Others who prefer not to buy a hybrid car said they are worried about the resale value (17%), would stick to the tried and tested method of a petrol engine (11%), that such a car is sluggish and doesn't drive like a normal car (7%).
The poll centred on reasons for buying hybrid cars as the tax exemptions on such cars ends on Jan 1.
The Government has said it will decide on Jan 15 if this exemption will be extended.
The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) was reported to have said that only 322 hybrid units were sold in 2010.
In the 2011 budget, the Government introduced full import and excise duty exemptions for hybrid and electric cars and motorcycles.
The incentive applied to both completely-knocked-down (CKD) and completely-built-up (CBU) units.
This resulted in a massive growth of hybrid car sales in Malaysia, soaring to 8,403 units in 2011 and almost doubling to 15,355 units last year.
Last year, hybrid car sales came from four marques, namely Honda (8,712 units), Toyota (5,653), Lexus (979) and Porsche (11).
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