KUALA LUMPUR National carmaker Proton started the year with 12,882 units of registered sales, a 10.3% increase over sales recorded a year ago.
The carmaker said its January sales were 1.3% higher than in December, making it the second most-sold brand during the month.
In comparison, the total industry volume in January dropped 15.6% from December to 66,134 units.
Proton said its market share in January was 19.5%, a 3.3% increase from the previous month.
“Currently, many project Malaysian automotive sales to contract in 2024 after a record-setting year in 2023 due to factors such as increase in SST as well as the introduction of the luxury goods tax.
"Proton however remains optimistic our strong start to the year will set the tone for the next 11 months as we target more sales growth with our continued focus on innovation, quality and customer service." Proton Edar CEO Roslan Abdullah.
During the month, the new Proton S70 saw the delivery of 1,442 units. According to Proton, the latest addition to the Proton lineup boasts an order book of over 8,000 bookings.
The Proton X50, meanwhile, saw the sale of 2,002 units in January, which put it at the top of the B-segment.
In the D-segment SUV market, the Proton X90 remained the best-selling model with 365 units sold in January.
Meanwhile, the Proton Saga affirmed its popularity with 6,129 units sold.
January sales of the Proton Iriz jumped 7% compared to December with 523 units sold while 372 Proton X70 were sold.