PROTON Delivers 1,000th Vehicle To South Africa

 Group photo of South Africa Dealers, South Africa PROTON Team & International Sales Division Team

The popularity of the Proton X50 and Proton X70 has helped national automaker PROTON establish a firm presence in South Africa two months after its formal comeback.

To date, PROTON has transported 1,000 of its vehicles to South Africa which suit the market's high demand. 

The first shipment of vehicles, comprising the Proton X50 and Proton X70, took place in May 2022 while the official brand and product relaunch occurred on 14 September 2022.

Proton X50 in South Africa

PROTON re-enter the market after a 10-year hiatus beginning in April 2022 with CMH Group being appointed as its distributor for the South Africa region.  

Since then, CMH has gradually expanded its distribution network in order to gain market access, while also actively promoting Proton vehicles on social media.

Currently, only Proton’s SUVs are offered in the country, but the Proton Saga will be added to the range in 2023. PROTON and CMH are confident in their ability to increase sales tenfold in South Africa, based on the positive feedback we have received thus far.

‘’We are committed to provide affordable luxury SUVs for South African car buyers and the Proton X50, Proton X70 have the right combination of features and value to compete with other brands.

At the other end of the spectrum, we also feel that the Proton Saga will find its own niche with its combination of style, advanced features, and affordability,” said PROTON Director of International Sales, Steven Xu.

PROTON's export sales are expected to double in 2022, after more than double in 2021. Meanwhile, total exports up to the end of November were 5,028 unit,

Signifies 1000 units shipped to South Africa

Pakistan continues to be the largest market, with 2,610 units sold so far this year. Despite being a new addition, South Africa is the second largest in terms of volume, followed by Brunei Darussalam.

As for model rankings, the Proton Saga remains the most popular offering while the Proton X70 has nearly doubled its volume this year. The Proton X50 meanwhile is third but has grown its year-to-date by three times thus far.

“The quick take up of our vehicles in South Africa is proof of the appeal of both PROTON as a brand, and of our model range to car buyers there’’ he commented.