Subang Jaya, 5 April 2023 – National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd continued its strong start to 2023 with sales continuing an upwards trajectory.
Proton said that for the month of March, 14,573 (domestic and export) units were sold, an increase of 3.8 per cent over February and 11.9 per cent more than the same month from 2022.
“This brings total sales for the first quarter of 2023 to 40,287 units, equivalent to growth of 50.9 per cent over the previous year,” Proton said in a statement today.
According to Proton, the company’s market share for the month is estimated to be 18.7 per cent, allowing it to maintain second place in the sales table rankings, while for the quarter, market share is estimated to be 21.2 per cent.
“This makes Proton the biggest gainer in terms of market share as the figure grew by 4.5 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2022.
Car sales in March reached a new record high as total industry volume (TIV) is estimated to stand at 78,000 units, breaking the previous high of 76,657 units set in December 2022.
The first quarter of 2023 has been exceptionally good for Proton and our achievement of over 40,000 units sold is something we are justifiably proud of. However, we must consider that sales for the first three months were inflated because brands were rushing to deliver cars for bookings made during the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) incentive period.
This is especially true for this month as the deadline to deliver those bookings was 31 March 2023, helping to explain the record estimated TIV number of 78,000 units,” Proton said.
Proton Persona, with 2,421 units sold in March, is the B-segment sedan leader for the third month in a row. Total sales for the quarter are 6,773 units and are equivalent to an increase of 79.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, Proton X50, the B-segment SUV continues to not only lead its own segment but remains as the best-selling SUV in Malaysia with 3,414 units sold in March. Sales for the first quarter stand at 9,668 units, growing by 34.7 per cent over the same period in 2022.
The company’s final segment leader is the Proton Exora, retaining its standing as the best-selling C-segment MPV with 426 in March.
The company’s best-seller continues to be the Proton Saga, which racked up a second consecutive month of breaking the 6,000-unit barrier with 6,313 units sold. It managed to rack up 17,446 units for the first quarter, an increase of 84.6 per cent, but the growth rate is masked by floods affecting Saga production at the beginning of 2022.
Finally, the Proton Iriz and Proton X70 achieved sales of 712 and 1,272 units, respectively. The former remains in fourth place for B-segment hatchbacks while the latter is a strong second for C-segment SUV sales.
According to Proton, a better reflection of market sentiment would emerge by the end of the second quarter, but it remains confident of maintaining its sales momentum.
Proton’s Deputy chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said the company will launch the Proton X90 soon and will also have more additions to the range later in the year.
“At the same time, we recently announced our commitment to expanding our future new energy vehicle (NEV) offerings and this will take the brand into new market segments as we seek out long-term growth to fulfill our ten-year plan,” Roslan added.
— Akses Malaysia
