PROTON sales topped 100,000 units for fourth consecutive year

National car maker, Proton Holdings Bhd reported to surpass its 100,000 unit sales milestones in the third quarter of this year with 102, 353 units sold in the first nine months of 2022 which sees a hike of 40.2 per cent compared to 9M2021.

PROTON claims to see a strong domestic and export sales month in September at 14, 872 units that brought its sales for the third quarter of 2022 (Q322) to 42,229 units, making it the best quarter for the year to date (YTD) and strikes through a key sales milestone.

The company also stated that it remained in second place in the overall sales table for the month of September, with an estimated market share of 23.8%, while its YTD market share has crossed the 20% mark for the first time, at 20.1%.

Following next, Total Industry Volume (TIV) for September estimated to have receded nearly around 62,500 units recognised as the fourth best total of the year in Malaysian automotive market which continues its march towards posting its best sales year.

According to Deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah, PROTON’s performance in 3Q22 was enabled by a combination of stable production numbers and the continued strong appeal of its car models, particularly the 2022 PROTON X50 and the PROTON Saga.

PROTON handed over 4,517 units of the X50 to its owners last month. At the same time, more than 4,000 units have been handed over for four consecutive months and this contributes to the accumulated YTD amount of 29,591.

PROTON Saga recorded quite impressive numbers with 6,442 units sold this year, although unit deliveries were only 76 units last January.

The latest sales reached a total that has not been reached since October 2013. The YTD total of 40,603 units is also far ahead of 2021, showing an increase of 49.3% and proving that it remains a relevant choice for all PROTON customers.

However, other models also performed equally well in September, for example, the Proton X70 continues to lead the C-segment SUV market and with 1,730 units delivered.

The PROTON Exora also continues to show its popularity despite the launch of newer rival MPVs. A total of 418 Exora units were handed over last month, and so far this year, a total of 3,108 units have been sold. 

PROTON Persona registered 1,159 units, while PROTON Iriz registered 606 units in September. Sales of these two models are seen to decline by 2.3% and 13.2% respectively with a total of 10,787 and 4,119 units YTD.

On the other hand, the automotive market is expected to recover in the last quarter of the year as chip supply and production will stabilize.

“Aside from concentrating on sales growth, the last quarter also saw us laying the groundwork for our future growth.

The General Distributorship Agreement with smart sets us up to sell EVs from the brand starting in 2023 while the formation of PRO-NET crystallizes PROTON’s commitment to developing and offering new energy vehicles in the future,’’ he added.

Although the company had a rough start earlier this year, PROTON has achieved a double-digit sales growth for the fourth consecutive year.