Proton Edar chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah.
PETALING JAYA: Sales of national carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd exceeded the 100,000-mark for the sixth year in a row with 101,489 units sold year-to-date (y-t-d).
This came after the company sold 12,690 units in August, across its domestic and export markets.
“This has solidified the company’s second position in the overall national automotive sales ranking table with a forecast market share of 19%,” Proton said in a statement.
The company said it saw strong sales numbers for the Proton X50 for a second consecutive month and export sales volume doubling compared to July, driven by sales in Brunei hitting an all-time high.
Total industry volume (TIV) for the Malaysian automotive market is estimated to have grown by 1.3% month-on-month to approximately 72,678 units in August, while the y-t-d figure is estimated to be at 534,766 units, an increase of 6.2% over 2023.
“The 2024 Proton X50 was launched on June 4 this year, featuring a number of refinements to keep the model ahead of its B-segment sport utility vehicle (SUV) rivals. The updated model continues to find favour with buyers as 2,440 units were delivered in August, the third time volume has breached the 2,000 threshold in 2024. Y-t-d sales now stand at 15,229 units, making the Proton X50 the most popular SUV in Proton’s range.”
Following record deliveries of 7,855 units in July, sales of the Proton Saga came in at 6,211 units in August leading to y-t-d sales of 48,904 units, an uptick of 6.7% over 2023.
As for the other Proton sedans, sales for the C-segment sedan, the Proton S70, were 1,205 units for a total of 13,755 units, while its B-segment sedan sister the Proton Persona saw 1,452 units change hands, bringing its y-t-d total to 13,116 units.
Meanwhile, the flagship Proton X90 retained leadership for its segment with 241 being delivered in August and a y-t-d figure of 2,507 units.
Finally, Proton’s B-segment hatchback, the Proton Iriz, sold 403 units to bring its total sales to date to 3,719 units.
Proton Edar chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said Malaysia’s automotive market remains buoyant, which is reflected by the company’s sales volume to-date this year.
“In light of the resilient domestic economy, with gross domestic product (GDP) growth projected at 4% to 5%, Proton agrees with the Malaysian Automotive Association’s or MAA decision to increase the full-year TIV projection to 765,000 units and we remain optimistic about the potential for further growth in the local automotive industry,” he added.
Roslan said while there has been a lot of competition this year from new brands, market response to Proton’s latest updates models has been positive with strong booking numbers seen nationwide.
“This is testament to the effectiveness of the enhancements made and speaks volumes about the importance of having a market leading network of 3S/4S outlets to serve our customers’ needs,” he said.
