Proton Sales Archives

SUV takes No.1 position for first time – and it’s the Proton X50

Having enough vehicles to deliver has been an ongoing problem for some time, due to the difficulty in completing vehicles as critical parts like microprocessors are in short supply globally. There is some progress in increasing output and at Proton, the effort has paid off with the carmaker able to deliver a record number of its X50 SUV in July.

And not only was it a new monthly sales volume record for the model but from their market intelligence, Proton also found that the 4,763 units of X50 delivered nationwide was the highest number for any model in the market. It’s been a long time since Proton could enjoy such an achievement and reflects the increasing output of vehicles from its factory in Tg. Malim, Perak.

The record number of units also strengthens Proton’s position as the leader in the hotly contested SUV segment and is also the first time such a vehicle has led the overall market in volume.

The X50 accounted for 41.5% of the total Proton registrations for the month – 11,477 units (domestic + export). The cumulative volume for 7 months has reached 71,601 units, an increase of 19.7% over the same period in 2021.

Proton had a 22.7% market share in July, based on its estimation of the Total Industry Volume for the month being 50,500 units. Its cumulative volume from January to July would likely see its market share going up to 18.7%.

Besides the impressive performance of the X50 in July, the X70 also sees continued strong sales. With the updated model launched in early June, interest has grown and 1,704 units were registered in July. This allowed it to retain sales leadership for C-segment SUVs, contributing to Proton’s cumulative SUV volume in 2022 going past 31,500 units.

Strong performances by other models
The rejuvenated Proton also continues to record strong numbers, with 4,521 units registered in July and bringing total volume for the year to 28,005 units. The figures also indicate the 2022 model, launched on May 12, achieved 9,811 registrations in just 80 days.

The Exora MPV also retained its long-standing leadership position with 476 units registered. However, due to approval delays in July, the Persona and Iriz numbers were not their usual high as registrations had to be temporarily suspended.

“Following a hectic June where automotive industry players scrambled to lock in bookings before the end of sales tax incentives, July was a month of consolidation where market demand fell to normal levels, and everybody concentrated on fulfilling orders already received. Proton was no exception and with our parts supply situation continuing to improve, we were finally able to show the true sales potential of the Proton X50,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy CEO of Proton.

“The company is immensely proud of the model becoming the first SUV to be crowned as the best-selling vehicle in Malaysia and we are thankful for the support from our customers. This achievement and Proton’s sales leadership in other segments shows our business plan is on the right track and repays the confidence placed in the brand by buyers, investors and other stakeholders,” he said.

“The easing of restrictions in global trade has been a major boost for Proton’s export division. With 5 months to go, we are on target for yet another year of double-digit percentage growth, though our enthusiasm is couched by economic issues faced in overseas markets,” said Encik Roslan Abdullah.

Proton Commerce Sdn Bhd
Proton’s financing subsidiary, Proton Commerce Sdn Bhd, has announced it will honour all Letters of Understanding (LOU) at the stated interest rate even if they were issued prior to recent interest rate hikes. Terms and conditions apply, and funds must be disbursed by December 31, 2022, but it ensures customers who already have an LOU from Proton Commerce and are awaiting their orders do not have worry about being charged a higher rate for financing.

“We are working to ensure that despite recent interest rate hikes, our customers will still be able to afford the vehicles they ordered. It’s vital to ensure we convert as many bookings as possible into transacted sales as this will help drive registrations as we continue to strive for more future success,” said Encik Roslan Abdullah.

Proton ends first half of 2022 with best sales month

With steady progress towards resolving issues delaying production of new vehicles, Proton recorded its best sales month of 2022 with 14,787 units (domestic + export) registered in June. This volume represented a 51.0% growth over the previous month, taking total sales for the first half the year past 60,000 units. The 60,124 units delivered were an increase of 3.9% over the same period in 2021.

Overall, Proton retains its second position in new vehicle sales in Malaysia and estimates its market share to be 22.6%. The cumulative market share for the year is 18.2%, a decrease of 5.1% compared to the first 6 months of last year. This is based on an expected Total Industry Volume (TIV) of 331,164 units (the Malaysian Automotive Association will announce confirmed data later in the month).

Proton X50 achieves best sales month
Launched in October 2020, the X50 SUV has been remained a strong seller for Proton. It has helped catapult the brand to the position of best-selling SUV brand in the country. June saw the X50 recording its best sales month with 4,473 units delivered nationwide. This volume was clearly ahead of other B-segment SUVs as well as in the overall SUV market.

The X50’s bigger brother, the X70, also saw strong sales, especially with the updated model. It achieved its best performance in 20 months with 2,696 units. This volume, according to Proton, puts it at the top of the C-segment SUV list.

Another model enjoying the benefits of a recent refresh is the Saga, with the 2022 model introduced on May 12. In June, 5,460 units were delivered, which Proton says puts it back to the top of the A-segment sedan class. During the first 6 months of 2022, the model’s cumulative total has reached 23,484 units.

The evergreen Exora MPV has kept its leadership in the C-segment MPV class and in June, the company delivered 513 units. As for the Persona and Iriz, these two trusty models recorded deliveries of 1,224 units and 421 units, respectively.

Over 150,000 bookings in 6 months
“June was a busy month for the automotive industry with most brands trying to produce as many cars as possible to satisfy market demand. The announcement that sales tax exemption would be removed from July 1 also created a surge in bookings as customers rushed to take advantage of the savings offered. Proton has received more than 150,000 bookings for the first 6 months of the year and when added to carry-over orders from 2021, we will need to work hard to deliver cars as quickly as possible to eager customers,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy CEO of Proton.

“Thankfully, the gradual resolution to our parts shortage issues has not only boosted production but also had a positive effect on the aftersales network. As promised, all our 3S/4S outlets now have 3 months stock of fast-moving parts and this is replicated at our parts warehouse. Supply issues for other parts are also being resolved so we are hopeful of delivering a higher level of aftersales service to our customers soon,” he added.

Top exporter
Proton was the first company to export vehicles from Malaysia and today, it is also the top vehicle exporter. While its domestic sales continue to grow, the growth in export sales has also been significant. For the first half of 2022, the total number of vehicles exported was 2,722 units, an increase of 81.2% over the previous year.

The Saga has accounted for 59% of the total volume exported but the X70 and X50 are also growing in demand at a faster pace. As in the domestic market, June also saw both model posting their best-ever export numbers and Proton expects even better numbers in coming months.

Pakistan continues to be the biggest export market, taking 1,770 units for the first half of 2022, a growth of 183% compared to the first half of 2021. This was followed by Brunei and Bangladesh with 203 and 194 units, respectively. Local assembly in some countries is helping Proton’s distributors to price the models competitively in their markets.

“Proton’s exports are one of the pillars to drive our future growth and also in line with our promise to the government to help develop Malaysia’s automotive export industry. With the addition of new markets such as South Africa to our portfolio, we target for export volumes to continue on their current growth trajectory and form an even larger portion of our sales in the future,” Encik Roslan Abdullah said.

1989 Proton Saga wins Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional in the UK

Proton badly affected by chip shortage, cumulative sales 25% lower than 2021

Demand is high but Proton, like most other carmakers, cannot complete its new vehicles at the factory because crucial components are in short supply. These are the microchips which are in the many electronic systems that modern cars have; just one item not available and the vehicle cannot be completed. This situation has been ongoing since last year and has limited the number of vehicles Proton can deliver, resulting in customers having to wait longer.

The chart below shows the effects of the shortage as each month this year has seen less deliveries than the same month in 2021. By right, the numbers should be accelerating as there is strong demand but Proton can only report what it delivers, not what is in its order bank.

The carmaker reported 8,829 units (including exports) for the month of April, a decrease of 32.2% compared to the month before and 41.1% less than what was reported in April 2021. This volume is estimated to be a 15.6% share of the Total Industry Volume (TIV) in April and cumulatively for the first four months of 2022, the market share should be around 17%.

Long waiting list
Commenting on the situation, Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar, said: “After two years of pandemic-affected sales, Malaysia’s automotive market continues to show strong growth potential in 2022, as evidenced by the long waiting list for new car deliveries. Proton is also trying to catch up to market demand, but we also must acknowledge being the most affected by chip supply issues.”

“Thankfully for our customers, we have secured our supply of chips for May and June and are projecting a quick turnaround in the coming months. The situation is still uncertain for the rest of the year and the global car industry is under pressure from rising costs, but the company is working on countermeasures against these issues to ensure our customers get the best products and value in Malaysia and abroad,” he explained.

Saga remains bestseller
The Saga continued to be the bestselling Proton in April and no doubt will get a boost in demand when the updated model is launched later this month. The two SUVs – the X50 and X70 – also remain very popular with 1,554 units and 1,530 units delivered, respectively. The evergreen Exora is still tops in the MPV C-segment with its unbeatable value-for-money.

The supply situation also affects exports and in April, 456 units were sent overseas. These brought the total export volume for 2022 to 1,573 units, which is 109.7% higher than for the same period in 2021. At present, Pakistan is the biggest export market for Proton, having taken 1.050 units, followed by Egypt (172 units) and Brunei (138 units).

Proton’s new Gallery of Inspiration shows carmaker’s past, present and future

Proton’s cumulative volume for 2021 goes past 100,000-unit level for third consecutive year

In spite of being a challenging year for the auto industry, 2021 will still see Proton staying above the 100,000-unit level for the third year in a row. In fact, even with one month left, the Malaysian carmaker has already reached a cumulative total volume of 100,566 units. This has been achieved with a sales volume of 14,187 units (domestic + export) during November

Another month of growth
With the market on the upswing, Proton too has enjoyed revived interest by car-buyers, with a 6.2% increase over October sales. This would be the third consecutive month of growth. And looking back at a year ago, November 2020 sales were 24.3% lower.

*Volume for 2021 is from January – November.

The market share of the Malaysian market for the month is estimated to be 24.5% and for the 11-month period, the share has grown by 1.9% to an estimated 22.8% at the end of November 2021.

Saga remains bestseller of the brand
The evergreen Saga remained the brand’s bestseller and had its best sales month since December 2020. 5,666 units were sold nationwide, placing it at the top of the A-segment sedan class, a position the company is hopeful it will retain to the end of the year.

The younger X50 also had a record month in November with 4,010 units delivered. That is significantly better than its previous high of 3,839 units set in October. Its bigger brother, the X70, remained in high demand and gained 1,901 new owners in November, also giving it leadership in the C-segment SUV class.

TOP THREE PROTON MODELS IN NOVEMBER

The Exora MPV is still dominant in the C-segment MPV market and saw a fourth consecutive month of growth 434 units sold. There is demand for the other models but, as with many carmakers, Proton has experienced component supply issues for the Iriz and Persona. This has limited their production volumes and only 642 and 1,534 units, respectively, were available for delivery to customers.

Limited by supply, not demand
“November was a good sales month for Proton though overall industry numbers continue to be limited by supply and not low demand. Crossing over the 100,000-unit threshold with a month to go is a high point for us after another year disrupted by COVID-19,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.

“We are humbled by the achievement and are now confident of ending the year with an increase in total sales. This will make Proton the sole national brand to grow sales and market share this year and give us a strong base heading into 2022 as we look to consolidate and improve our ranking both domestically and overseas,” Encik Roslan added.

Proton’s new Gallery of Inspiration shows carmaker’s past, present and future

Over 10,000 Proton vehicles delivered in September as market starts to revive

Proton, like other carmakers in Malaysia, has been seeing a steady sales growth since the government allowed businesses to start operating again from the middle of August. While there were only two weeks of operations in August and many sales outlets also had to prepare their premises to meet SOPs, September was a full month and customers began returning to showrooms.

For Proton, September was very encouraging as the total number of vehicles sold (including exports) was 10,380 units. The company estimates that the Total Industry Volume for the month will be around 43,500 units and, on that basis, Proton’s share would be 23.9%. This would keep it in second place in overall sales for 2021.

September’s sales volume takes the cumulative volume sold to 73,017 units after 8 months. That’s almost similar to the 73,547 units over the same period in 2020 although this year, Proton’s market share to date is slightly higher at 23% compared to 21.5%.

Although there is usually more news about the newer models like the X70 and X50, it was the Saga that was Proton’s bestseller in September. 3,907 units were sold, a number said to be the highest in the A-segment.

The newly launched Iriz and Persona also recorded strong first month sales. Even though production was affected by a shortage of components, the factory still managed to release 1,440 units of the Persona and 749 units of the Iriz (including the new Active variant) which were immediately delivered to customers.

As for the hotselling SUVs, deliveries accelerated to catch up with demand. For the X50, 2,431 units were delivered while 1,577 units of the X70 reached their new owners. To date in 2021, 27,312 units of SUVs have been sold by Proton which accounts for 37.4% of the overall year’s sales of 73,017 units.

“As the numbers show, sales were strong for Proton in September, so we are happy with the results. While we could have sold more than the 10,380 units achieved, some context should be given to our performance as Malaysia is recovering from a pandemic that is still affecting our vendors. The situation is slowly improving but the shortage of chips and other components is a real issue that will not change in the short term, so we must exercise caution when trying to forecast sales as production volumes remain subject to change,” explained Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.

“Therefore, for the remaining three months of the year, Proton will concentrate on meeting our commitments to our customers and delivering as many cars as possible. Clearing the backlog will free up more volume for the next calendar year and help us move forward with plans to expand our offerings both locally and in export markets,” he said.

Encik Roslan said that while there is growth in the number of bookings made online, Proton and its dealers have made big investments to upgrade the sales and service network the last few years. “The best brand experience is still delivered in person, so we have adopted new operational procedures in light of the pandemic situation,” he added.

With all states in Phase 2 or higher of the National Recovery Plan, all Proton outlets and service centres have now reopened nationwide. While operations remain governed by strict SOPs to limit the physical number of people at a facility, fully vaccinated customers can visit showrooms to view and test drive the company’s range of offerings.

EON now has a website dedicated to Proton products and services

Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. You can still get infected and although you may not show symptoms, you can spread the coronavirus to others. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing.

As market goes into downturn, Proton’s sales also dip by 37%

2021 for the auto industry started low but as the first quarter progressed, sales volumes rose. However, with the second quarter, it appears that the market is going into a downturn. By Proton’s estimate, the May Total Industry Volume (TIV) of new vehicles registered fell by around 20%. While the Movement Control Order (MCO) may have had some effect, but shortages of chips – vital components for the many electronic systems in modern cars – have been slowing down output from the assembly plants.

For Proton, after seeing strengthening sales with each month, it reports that its May volume was down 37.1% from April. The Malaysian carmaker sold 9,440 units (some of which were exported) and with this volume, its estimated market share would be 20.3%.

Up to the end of May, the cumulative volume reached 57,283 units which translates to a market share estimated at 23.5% and an increase of 2.4% over the same period in the previous year.

As with the previous month, the X50 and X70 continued to lead their segments by a considerable margin. 1,899 units of the smaller SUV model were delivered in May while the X70 had 1,523 new owners. This brings the cumulative total of 3,422 units for the domestic as well as export markets.

Exports reach new 98-month high
Meanwhile, Proton’s overseas sales continue to gain momentum despite international markets going through varying degrees of lockdown. With 669 units comprising the Saga, X50 and X70 exported in May, the company’s international sales division recorded its best month since March 2013. As a result, total export sales for 2021 are now less than 100 units behind the total for the whole of last year.

“Car sales in Malaysia dipped in May due to factors such as chip shortages and the implementation of MCO in the middle of the month. Despite most industry players having healthy order books, most brands struggled to meet demand. For Proton, the numbers were high enough to retain second overall in the sales table and we also received a welcome boost from our export division who set a 98-month high despite restrictions on international shipping,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.

Focusing on the future
With the full lockdown in effect (tentatively until June 14), all Proton sales outlets have to be closed. However, its authorised service centres are allowed to operate. Proton owners are requested to make a prior appointment before going to the service centre (which should be within 10 kms of their home address).

The company will also be considering utilising the enforced break to retool its sales plan for the remainder of 2021. It aims to future-proof its business against regulatory changes and external factors such as the coronavirus.

“2020 proved to the world that business as usual can be disrupted without warning. To remain competitive in an unpredictable environment, Proton, along with its vendors and dealers, need to have the flexibility to pivot quickly to take advantage of unexpected opportunities. As such, we will intensify our efforts to implement a framework to meet upcoming regulations locally and internationally which is vital for future growth,” Encik Roslan said.

“We are also finalising our model launch plans for the rest of this year. The current MCO will push some of these dates back, but Proton remains committed to meeting our launch targets and creating some excitement for our customers in 2021,” he added.

With greater attention to overseas business, Proton aims to double export volumes in 2021

Another month of sales increases for Proton

*Visit www.bhpetrol.com.my for more information.*

With continued high demand, Proton reports that its total sales volume increased again for the month of April, the third consecutive month of growth. 15,017 units (including exports) were delivered, and the company’s cumulative volume after the first 4 months of 2021 reached 47,843 units. This is more than double the number for the same period last year although it has to be remembered that the MCO (Movement Control Order) shut down business activities for the whole industry for a while.

By its own estimate, Proton’s latest figure means it has a market share of 26.7% for April, and it continues to strengthen its hold in second position in overall the sales rankings table with a market share to date estimated at 24.4%.

Proton Saga at the top
The company believes its Saga is at the top of the national sales chart with 5,472 units sold in April while its two SUV models continue to set strong sales numbers. The X50, which has a long waiting list, set yet another new high for deliveries with 3,583 customers receiving their vehicles in April. The X70 was dominant in the C-segment SUV category with 2,101 units delivered.

Proton’s other 3 models also performed well and had their best months of 2021. Despite strong competition in the B-segment sedan market, 2,266 units of the Persona were sold, while the Exora continued to rule the C-segment MPV class. Iriz sales received a boost from strong demand for the R3 Limited Edition model that allowed it to have its best sales month since 2019.

2021 Proton Iriz R3 Limited Edition — *Iriz R3 Limited Edition*

Good month for the industry
“April was a good month for the automotive industry and aside from Proton, several other brands also had their best month of the year so far. The Total Industry Volume is estimated to be over 56,000 units as all brands are trying to fulfil sales orders before the expiry of the PENJANA sales tax exemption at the end of June 2021,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar, the company’s sales arm.

“For Proton, we are continuing with efforts to meet the strong demand for our products while maintaining a high level of product quality. At the same time, we are focussing on improving customer service and addressing issues related to spare parts availability, which is vital as our sales volume increases. We expect the situation will see significant improvement as the year progresses but we are working hard to move up that timeline,” he said.

He added that Proton Edar is looking forward to increased production volumes with the new stamping plant, which is now under construction. “The benefits of improved production volumes, lower costs and increased quality will allow us to increase sales exponentially both domestically and abroad, which will drive the company towards achieving its stated long-term goals,” he said.

Following Proton’s increasing sales numbers, Proton Commerce business is also on the rise

Strong start for Proton with Q1 market share highest since March 2012

Proton’s resurgence continued into 2021 with strong monthly sales for the first three months, with March recording the highest volume of 14,989 units (including exports). It was 26.2% higher than the February numbers, which is estimated at 23.5% share of the market, and this volume was also the best sales month since September 2013.

Maintaining its second position on the sales chart, Proton’s cumulative sales for the first quarter (Q1) of the year totalled 32,826 units, giving the brand its highest quarterly market share figure since March 2012.

The top-selling model in March was the Saga with 5,589 units delivered, an increase of 32.5% compared to February. The Persona, Iriz and Exora also posted their best figures for the year with the MPV being the leader in C-segment MPV sales.

SUV sales keep growing
SUV sales continued to grow and more vehicles could be delivered as the new production line at the Tanjung Malim factory enabled higher output. In total, 3,513 units of the X50 were delivered to customers while the X70 saw a month-on-month increase of 58.4% to 2,337 units. When combined, Proton set another internal record with 5,850 SUVs delivered, beating the previous record of 4,820 units that was set in February.

“After a soft start to the year, Malaysia’s automotive industry has finally hit its stride for 2021. We estimate Total Industry Volume to be over 63,000 units, suggesting all brands will post their best numbers for the year to date. For Proton, March was a very good sales month as we achieved our highest figure in 90 months but our sense of achievement is tempered by the fact that it could have been even better if we were able to produce more units,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.

“As things stand, we still have a large order bank to fulfil so over the next few months, Proton will strive to increase production while maintaining our focus on delivering high quality products. We are also mindful that the PENJANA incentives are currently due to expire by the end June, so we aim to ensure as many customers as possible are able to enjoy the tax holiday given by the government,” he added.

*New production line at the Tanjung Malim factory has increased output of vehicles.*

More loan disbursements
“While the increase in unit sales of Proton vehicles has been our main focus, it is important to acknowledge the growth in loan disbursements by Proton Commerce Sdn Bhd, our in-house auto financing subsidiary. This proves we are offering attractive financing packages to our customers and can compete against other players in the automotive finance market,” Encik Roslan said.

Nearly 4,000 loans were disbursed in Q1 2021 with an estimated 1,700 contracted in March alone. The latter figure is equivalent to a 122% growth over February and overall, disbursements for the first quarter of the year are up by 141% over 2020.

“More importantly, customers can enjoy the convenience of purchasing and financing their new Proton from our authorized dealers, making our outlets a one-stop centre for all their Proton needs,” added Encik Roslan.

With greater attention to overseas business, Proton aims to double export volumes in 2021

Proton’s market share reached 27.1%, highest in 7 years

For most car companies, February tends to see low numbers; for one thing, it is the shortest month in the year and some years, the Chinese New Year festive period also occurs during the month, reducing the number of working days further. However, for Proton, February 2021 was a productive month as the Malaysian carmaker reached market highs that it had not achieved for several years. With a total volume (including exports) of 11,873 units, the company had its best February in over a decade.

By its estimation, the brand will have a market share of 27.1%, which will be the highest for the company since September 2013. Overall, Proton also believes it finished the month ranked second with sales nearly doubling that of the month before. Compared to the same month in 2020, the volume was 19.9% greater. However, the total volume for the first two months of the year is 3.5% (643 units) less than last year’s cumulative total for the same period.

X50 deliveries accelerate
Proton’s second SUV, the X50, was in showrooms from October 27, 2020 and the response was exceptional strong. By year’s end, over 30,000 bookings were collected. Unfortunately, deliveries were hampered by delays to the production schedule as well as focusing on build quality. In February, Proton delivered 3,345 units bringing the total number of X50s on the road to 8,141 units.

This monthly volume was also the highest ever achieved by an SUV in Malaysia, and Proton therefore lays claim to the X50 being the best-selling SUV in its segment and also overall leadership.

Add the 1,475 units of the X70 delivered in February (claimed to be the highest for a C-segment SUV), and the company sold a combined total of 4,820 SUVs. This is its best ever performance and said to be the highest volume for any brand in the country.

Strong sales for other models
While the X50 had strong sales, the evergreen Saga continued as the company top-seller with 4,217 units delivered. The sedan has also started sales in Kenya as a locally-assembled model, the first time Proton has entered the market of that African country.

Other Proton models that performed included the Persona (1,818 units) and Exora (361 units), with the latter model maintaining its leadership in the C-segment MPV market.

“February continued to be a difficult month for Malaysia’s automotive industry but it turned out very well for Proton,” said Roslan Abdullah, Proton Edar’s CEO. “thanks to the efforts of the government to ensure a continuation of economic activity during the MCO, we were able to produce more cars and, in so doing, started to clear our backlog of orders. This is important as we need to consistently deliver on the bookings made to avoid a rush before the PENJANA incentives expire at the end of June this year.”

“The automotive sector continues to be vibrant with exciting new model launches which are sure to spark consumer interest and create healthy competition. But we will continue to be cautious even as we push forward to avoid infection rates flaring up again and disrupting operations,” he added.

*One of the four Special Edition models launched in February*

February also saw Proton launch four Special Edition models, all with a bold black theme. The Persona and Exora Black Edition as well as the Saga and Iriz R3 Limited Edition were unveiled online and will be available in limited numbers. Encik Roslan revealed that, as of February 26, 1,169 bookings have been received, about a third of the total production run that will be just 3,500 units.

Aftersales revamp
Proton has a 10-year strategy and during this period, the company is to completely overhaul several operational areas in order to succeed. An area of immediate importance is product quality which has to be improved and today, the brand’s quality scores have improved to the point of almost matching those of its partner, Geely.

The distribution network has also drastically changed, with the company having the most 3S/4S outlets in the industry. Its focus is now on wholesale activities rather than consumer-driven business. These measures have been effective with Proton posting some of the highest sales growth numbers for the local industry over the last 2 years.

This year, the focus is on the improvement of the entire aftersales value chain so that customers can enjoy a premium brand experience after buying their cars. “Proton admits that some aspects of our business have not been able to keep up with our recent successes. While we have dramatically moved forwards in product quality, brand image and the technology offered in our cars, our aftersales service has not made the same leap. This situation was exacerbated in 2020 by firstly COVID-19 and then our decision to invest in a completely new back-end ordering and delivery system,” explained Encik Roslan.

“As a result, we have experienced integration issues and customers requiring accident repairs as well as regular servicing have faced delays. We are working on these issues around the clock to overcome them in the shortest time possible but for now, I urge all Proton owners facing delays to please contact our customercare hotline at 1-800-88-8398,” he advised.

With greater attention to overseas business, Proton aims to double export volumes in 2021

Proton sales keep trending upwards with boost by sales tax exemption

With the government providing the incentive of exempting sales tax (10% for locally-assembled models, 5% for CBU models), it seems that there is strong interest in buying new cars despite the gloomy situation we are experiencing.

Companies selling new as well as used cars are reporting strong sales and for Proton, the volume in October was reported to be 11,392 units (including exports), which it estimates to be a 21.3% share of the market’s Total Industry Volume (TIV).

The volume was a 20% increase over the same month in 2019 although it was 4.6% lower than September’s. However, according to Proton, three of its models were leaders in their respective market segment – in the B-segment with the Persona (2,360 units); SUV segment with the X70 (2,216 units); and the Exora which retains its customary position as the best-selling C-segment MPV.

*The Exora remains the most popular model in its segment despite being around for many years now.*

Strong H2 performance overall
“The recovery of Malaysia’s automotive market is continuing to gather pace judging by the number of new model launches and total sales in October. We estimate the Total Industry Volume to be the second highest in 2020 with over 57,000 units sold, proof that the car industry is rebounding strongly,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar, adding that the numbers could have been better for Proton.

“Looking at the numbers, we noticed a significant drop in East Malaysia sales while the Central region was static compared to September. Part of this was due to the implementation of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) to limit the movement of people, thus affecting retailers. But there was also a sense of customers holding back before the launch of our newest model, the Proton X50. Regardless, PROTON is confident of ending the year well and using the results as a base to aim even higher in 2021,” he explained.

*The X50 has made a strong impact on the market which has responded with over 27,400 bookings to date.*

Bookings for Proton X50
The long-awaited X50 SUV was officially launched towards the end of October and over 27,400 bookings have already been received nationwide. The first 447 units have already been delivered to customers and further deliveries are ongoing.

We are pushing to ensure fulfilment over the last three months of 2020, while continuing to emphasise product quality,” Encik Roslan assured.

How fast & powerful is the 2020 Proton X50?

Piston.my

Proton Sales

SUV takes No.1 position for first time – and it’s the Proton X50

Proton ends first half of 2022 with best sales month

Proton badly affected by chip shortage, cumulative sales 25% lower than 2021

Over 10,000 Proton vehicles delivered in September as market starts to revive

As market goes into downturn, Proton’s sales also dip by 37%

Another month of sales increases for Proton

Strong start for Proton with Q1 market share highest since March 2012

Proton sales keep trending upwards with boost by sales tax exemption

SUV takes No.1 position for first time – and it’s the Proton X50

Proton ends first half of 2022 with best sales month

Proton badly affected by chip shortage, cumulative sales 25% lower than 2021

Over 10,000 Proton vehicles delivered in September as market starts to revive

As market goes into downturn, Proton’s sales also dip by 37%

Another month of sales increases for Proton

Strong start for Proton with Q1 market share highest since March 2012

Proton sales keep trending upwards with boost by sales tax exemption

Archive

Loke Highlights Mavcom’s Role in Airport Facility Maintenance Amid PSC Revision

2024 Nissan Juke With N-Sport Trim and Enhanced Features

Volvo Car Malaysia Hosts Inaugural Safety Driving Experience

Tesla Recalls All 2024 Cybertruck Models Over Accelerator Pedal Issue

Red Bull RB17: Track-Only Hypercar with F1 Performance

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube

The Piston Show