SUBANG JAYA: Sales of national carmaker Proton exceeded the 100,000-mark for the sixth year in a row with 101,489 units sold year-to-date (YTD), after achieving sales of 12,690 units (domestic and export) in August.
This has solidified the company’s second position in the overall national automotive sales ranking table with a forecast market share of 19%.
Notable highlights for the month include strong sales numbers for the Proton X50 for a second consecutive month and export sales volume doubling compared to July driven by sales in Brunei hitting an all-time high.
Total industry volume (TIV) for the Malaysian automotive market is estimated to have grown by 1.3% month-on-month to approximately 72,678 units in August while the YTD figure is estimated to be at 534,766 units, an increase of 6.2% over 2023.
The 2024 Proton X50 was launched on 4 June this year, featuring a number of refinements to keep the model ahead of its B-segment SUV rivals.
The updated model continues to find favour with buyers as 2,440 units were delivered in August, the third time volume has breached the 2,000 threshold in 2024.
YTD sales now stand at 15,229 units, making the Proton X50 the most popular SUV in Proton’s range.
Following record deliveries of 7,855 units in July, sales of the Proton Saga came in at 6,211 units in August leading to YTD sales of 48,904 units, an uptick of 6.7% over 2023.
As for the other Proton sedans, sales for the C-segment sedan, the Proton S70, were 1,205 units for a total of 13,755 units, while its B-segment sedan sister, the Proton Persona saw 1,452 units change hands, bringing its YTD total to 13,116 units.
Meanwhile, the flagship Proton X90 retained leadership for its segment with 241 being delivered in August and a YTD figure of 2,507 units.
Finally, Proton’s B-segment hatchback, the Proton Iriz, sold 403 units to bring its total sales to date to 3,719 units.
“In light of the resilient domestic economy, with GDP growth projected at 4% to 5%, Proton agrees with the Malaysian Automotive Association’s (MAA) decision to increase the full-year TIV projection to 765,000 units and we remain optimistic about the potential for further growth in the local automotive industry. Malaysia’s automotive market remains buoyant, and this is reflected by our sales volume exceeding 100,000 units for a sixth consecutive year with four months remaining in 2024.
“While there has been a lot of competition this year from new brands, market response to Proton’s latest updates models has been positive with strong booking numbers seen nationwide. This is a testament to the effectiveness of the enhancements made and speaks volumes about the importance of having a market leading network of 3S/4S outlets to serve our customers’ needs,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO, Proton Edar.
Following a slow month in July, export sales of Proton models are steadily picking up pace as the company strives to expand and reestablish its brand with various models in its existing export portfolio.
In August, Brunei saw its highest ever monthly sales performance with 120 units sold to customers there.
Since February this year, the best-selling export model is the Proton Saga, which again led the pack with 140 units exported in August.
Other models also saw an uptick in August export shipments, bringing the cumulative export sales from Proton to its distributors to 2,110 units since January this year.
“As one of our first export markets, Proton has a long history with Bruneian car buyers stretching back to the original Proton Saga.
Thanks to the painstaking efforts of Pad Motors Proton Brunei and our latest range of intelligent models, the brand has undergone a rejuvenation in the country leading to achieving a record sales month in August,” added Roslan.
