Proton sales up 16.1% year-on-year in July

PETALING JAYA: National car maker Proton sold 13,326 (domestic and export) in July, up 16.1% improvement over July 2022 and helps uplift year-to-date (YTD) sales to 90,647 units.

In a statement, Proton said its market share for July is forecast at 20.5%, with YTD market share now at 21%.

“Proton’s achievement is framed against a backdrop of increasing automotive sales as total industry volume (TIV) is estimated to be 64,864 units for July. This equates to a 29.9% increase over the same month in 2022 and pushes the YTD figure 12.9% above the same period last year. Therefore, Proton’s sales performance up to July this year is currently outpacing the industry by 14%,” it said.

In July, the carmaker sold 886 units of Proton X90 bringing the cumulative total to 2,225 unit in just 86 days since its launch on May 7.

The Proton Persona has experienced a 107.1% increase in numbers for 2023, propelling it to the top of the table for B-segment sedan sales in Malaysia. With 1,953 units sold in July, its YTD number now stands at

14,533 units and is on track to exceed total sales from 2022 as early as the end of August this year.

The Proton X50 added another 2,630 units to bring its total sales for the year up to 20,192 units. This allowed it to remain as the sales leader for B-segment SUVs and although it ceded leadership of the overall SUV market in July, its YTD total is still the best for all SUVs regardless of segment.

The Proton Exora is the fourth segment sales leader and in July, 374 units were sold to bring total sales up to 2,741 units. This is a 13.1% increase over the previous year and shows there is still healthy demand amongst Malaysian car buyers for a spacious seven-seat MPV with Proton’s trademark performance and driving enjoyment.

Proton sold 5,926 units of Proton Saga sold in July. It said the demand for 2023 has increased by a healthy 40.2%, positioning the Saga as the second most popular vehicle in the country for two consecutive months and leading to a cumulative sales total of 39,251 units.

The Proton X70 sold 881 units in July, placing it second overall in its segment with 6,997 units sold thus far in 2023.

Proton Edar chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said automotive sales in Malaysia continue to be strong in 2023 with no drop-off in demand four months after the expiry of the deadline to deliver cars under the Penjana incentive scheme.

“There has been a raft of new model introductions this year and this together with the high-profile announcements made in the new energy vehicle (NEV) space as well as the government support to attracting new OEMs to the country has kept buyer interest high.

“Proton of course has played a role in the increase of TIV. In terms of percentages, our growth in sales is more than double of the industry thus far and this can be attributed to car buyers being attracted to the technology, quality, safety, and value offered by our model range.

“With the Proton X90 already leading its class after just three months, new model launches on the horizon and the company’s impending entry into the EV market in 2023 via smart Malaysia, we are confident of hitting our year-end targets,” Roslan said.