Proton Charts 13.6% Sales Growth in May 2024 at 12,522 Units

Proton charts a 13.6% growth in sales for May 2024, with a total of 12,522 units delivered.

National automaker Proton recorded a positive sales growth of 13.6% in May this year, with a total of 12,522 cars delivered for both domestic and export markets. This sales growth also sees Proton ship out a total of 62,697 units in the first five months of 2024, firmly cementing its position as the second largest automaker in Malaysia with up to 19% of the forecast market share.

This sales growth in May 2024 is also in line with Proton’s total industry volume (TIV) trend, which is estimated to have grown by 20.7% to approximately 70,000 units by May. Cumulatively, the year-to-date (YTD) figure for TIV is estimated to be 330,236 units, equivalent to an 8.8% increase over 2023.

Proton has made its return into the Bangladeshi market with the launch of the Proton X90 in March 2024.

Apart from the positive sales growth, Proton has also charted its highest export volume in 2024, with 509 units exported in May alone. This export increase was partly due to the brand’s recent re-establishment in several markets this year, like Trinidad and Tobago, Bangladesh, and Iraq.

Both the Proton X90 (left) and S70 (right) lead their respective segments in May.

As for the model-to-model performance, the Proton X90 has regained its position as the best-selling D-segment SUV in the market, with a total of 364 units sold in the last month alone. Meanwhile, the Proton S70 continues its momentum to be the class-leading C-segment sedan in the market, with 2,011 units shipped in May alone.

Cumulatively, Proton has delivered 9,474 units of S70 since its delivery commenced back in January this year.

Proton Saga (left) & 2024 Proton X50 RC (right)

However, both the X90 and S70 couldn’t hold the candle against the Proton Saga, as the model continues to be the brand’s best-seller for May this year, with 6,119 units delivered last month. As for the X50, Proton managed to deliver 1,407 units in May, although its sales are expected to increase following the launch of the updated 2024 Proton X50 RC model earlier this week, with the automaker targeting monthly sales of 2,000 to 2,500 units.

Proton Edar CEO Roslan Abdullah

“Following a quiet month in April where sales were affected by festive holidays, May has seen a return to positive growth as TIV has increased both year-on-year and month-on-month, reflecting the resilience of the local automotive industry. With the cumulative TIV until May already making up 44.6% of the Malaysia Automotive Association's (MAA) full-year projection of 740,000 units, we believe there is still room for growth in the local automotive industry,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.

“Entering the second half of 2024, PROTON will be focusing on growing sales via updates to our existing models while also concurrently taking our first steps towards entering the EV market. By leveraging on the strength of our partner, Geely, it is not a question of if but when PROTON will be revealing our own electric vehicles, so do pay close attention as there are many exciting announcements on the horizon,” Roslan added.