Proton starts second half-year on high gear

PETALING JAYA: National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd began the second half (2H) of 2023 on a strong note, with its total sales in July increasing by 16.1% year-on-year and four of its models ranked as the best-sellers in their respective segments.

Proton X90, which was launched less than three months ago, emerged as the most sold D-segment sport-utility vehicle (SUV) model in Malaysia.

Within 86 days, a total of 2,225 units of Proton X90 were sold, including 886 units in July.

In a statement, Proton said it sold a total of 13,326 units in July across different segments in the domestic and export markets.

The July figures helped to uplift year-to-date sales to 90,647 units, which Proton said is the earliest the company has exceeded the 90,000-unit barrier since 2012.

The year-to-date sales also marks a 26.6% increase over the previous year.

Market share for July is forecast at 20.5%, with year-to-date market share at 21%.

“Proton’s achievement is framed against a backdrop of increasing automotive sales as total industry volume 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 year-to-date 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%,” according to the carmaker.

Proton is 50.1% owned by DRB-Hicom Bhd and 49.9% owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.

Geely is also involved in other car brands such as Lotus, Volvo, Polestar, smart (a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz) and London Electric Vehicle Company.

Besides Proton X90’s outperformance, the Proton Persona model also experienced a 107.1% increase in sales 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 year-to-date 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.

“Not to be outdone, 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 year-to-date total is still the best for all SUVs regardless of segment,” according to Proton.

The carmaker also noted that 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 represents a 13.1% increase over the previous year.

Proton Edar chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said the carmaker’s sales growth in percentage terms is more than double of the industry so far.

He also opined that automotive sales in Malaysia will 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 space as well as the government support to attracting new original equipment manufacturers to the country, has kept buyer interest high.

“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 electric vehicle market in 2023 via smart Malaysia, we are confident of hitting our year-end targets,” Roslan said.