Proton sales surge 50% in June

IDEAS economist Adli Amirullah said on Tuesday the future of automotive policy still remains uncertain.

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd recorded a 50 per cent month-on-month growth in sales, equivalent to 6,173 units, in June 2018, thanks to the zero-rated Goods and Services Tax coupled with the Duit Raya promotion.

In line with the better sales, Proton Edar Chief Executive Officer, Abdul Rashid Musa said the national car manufacturer's market share also increased to 10 per cent of total industry volume (TIV) during the month in review compared with 9.5 per cent in May 2018.

“Proton had its best sales month for 2018 in June, proving that Malaysians continue to find the current range of Proton cars attractive thanks to the range of features that have been engineered into each model.

“The attractive promotional offers we had, zero-rated GST prices and an overall improvement in the quality of our cars helped to boost sales, which we are hopeful of carrying over for the remainder of 2018,” he said in a statement today.

The Saga and Persona continued to lead sales, with the former registering nearly 3,000 units sold during June.

Abdul Rashid said buyers were attracted to the strengths of Proton's compact family sedan with its class-leading affordability, spaciousness and handling as well as the ‘Best Saga deal in 10 years' promotion in June when a brand new Saga could be bought for less than RM30,000.

Improved product quality for all Proton cars was also a contributing factor as the implementation of the Global Customer Product Audit (GCPA) system has seen a big reduction in production line demerit points for all cars, he said.

On Proton's pledge to contribute RM10 for each car sold between June 1 and year-end to Tabung Harapan Malaysia, Abdul Rashid said a sum of RM61,730 has been appropriated to date.

He said with sales on an upswing and the launch of Proton's first SUV due before year-end,  the company is optimistic about the funds growing much larger. - Bernama