Ativa’s sales performance lifted the total units of the sport utility vehicle registered since its March 3 launch to nearly 9,000 units.

Perodua president and chief executive officer Zainal Abidin Ahmad said demand for the Ativa remains strong with average bookings of nearly 290 a day.

“The waiting period for the Ativa is currently between two and four months, depending on the desired colour and variant,” he said in a statement today.

On a month-to-month comparison, Perodua’s sales dipped by 16.5% to 20,399 units from 24,431 units in March, mainly due to the semiconductor shortage, which is affecting multiple industries globally.

However, the car maker managed to produce 20,278 vehicles in April, pushing its year-to-date production to 80,661 units, Zainal said.

“The chip shortage is our top priority at present and we are deploying all our resources to deal with it, including working closely with the government and our business partners for viable solutions,” he said.

The April 2021 sales figure brings Perodua’s year-to-date sales tally to 78,304 vehicles, representing an increase of 74% over the 45,034 units sold in the first four months of 2020.