Proton Sales Grew by 52% in Feb 2023, Over 14K Units Sold

National automaker Proton has recorded a growth in its sales for Feb 2023 by 52% compared to the same month last year. With over 14,033 units sold, last month’s sales volume saw a 20.1% increase from Jan 2023, while the year-to-date (YTD) volume has exponentially increased by 88% (25,714 units).

This spike in sales volume also sees the firm’s market share rise to 22.7%, thus reaffirming its place as the second biggest automaker in the nation.

Proton deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah said such increase is due to the fulfilment of pre-SST exemption bookings, which was waived in June 2022.

“PROTON’s strong start to the year reflects the popularity of our current model offerings. Just like our competitors, a lot of volume is being driven by fulfilment of tax-exempt bookings, but our new booking numbers remain healthy, so we are hopeful of continuing our sales growth trajectory for the rest of the year,” said the Proton exec.

Proton Saga retains its crown as the brand’s best-selling model, contributing up to 6,345 units out of the total 14,033 units sold in Feb this year. To date, a total of 11,133 units of Proton Saga were sold in 2023, making it the second best model in its segment.

Following the Saga closely as the brand’s second best-selling model is the Proton X50. The compact crossover once again led its segment by selling 3,247 units last month. Ranking third best is yet another segment-leading model, which is the Proton Persona. The B-segment sedan has managed to sell about 2,313 units in Feb this year – breaking the 2,000-unit barrier for a third consecutive month.

The third segment leader in Proton’s lineup is the Exora MPV, which is experiencing a resurgence as its sales has grown by 216% over the same period last year. Finally, the rest of the Proton lineup also experienced an increase in their sales volume, with the X70 and Iriz both sold over 1,914 and 811 units respectively this year.

In conjunction with the improved sales figure, Roslan Abdullah also commented that the marque will be making several new announcements regarding its direction for 2023, citing their plan to venture into the new energy vehicle (NEV) market being one of the biggest things to look forward to this year.

“Over the next few months, PROTON will also be making several announcements to shape the company’s direction for 2023 and beyond. This will be a busy year as we establish our presence in new segments, enter the new energy vehicle (NEV) market and build our EV credentials when sales of the smart #1 begin,” Roslan added.