KUALA LUMPUR, 8 June 2023 – National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd (Proton) sold 13,268 units (domestic and export) in May 2023, a rise of 40.9 per cent over April and an increase of 35.5 per cent over May 2022, the company said.
In a statement today, Proton said sales for the first five months of the year stood at 62,970 units, a year-on-year increase of 38.9 per cent, the highest for any brand in the Malaysian automotive sales table.
Meanwhile, total industry volume (TIV) is estimated to have rebounded by 32.2 per cent in May, closing at 61,600 units and as a result, Proton’s market share is calculated as 21.5 per cent for the month and 20.9 per cent for the year.
The Proton brand entered a new export market in May, its first market for 2023 and 12th overall, when it debuted on 24 May in Mozambique.
Aside from entering a new market, May was also the best month for export sales thus far in 2023 with 217 units sold, led by the Proton Saga.
As for overall sales, the Proton Saga retained its position as the best-selling model with 5,819 units sold in May.
The achievement places it second overall for A-segment sedans with 27,214 units sold so far, a remarkable increase of 51% over the previous year, Proton said.
The Proton X50 continues to lead B-segment and overall sport utility vehicle (SUV) sales with 2,801 units sold in May. Despite finishing second for B-segment sedan sales last month with 2,290 units, the Proton Persona remains the overall leader for the segment while the evergreen Proton Exora recorded sales of 440 units to stay atop the C-segment MPV market.
Year-to-date (YTD) sales growth for the three segment leaders are 31 per cent for the Proton X50, 78 per cent for the Proton Persona and 39 per cent for the Proton Exora, proving demand for Proton’s models remains strong despite competition from newer rivals. This remains true for the Proton Iriz too as the 732 units sold in May helped it achieve a 47 per cent increase in YTD sales.
Finally, 929 units of the Proton X70 were sold in May while the all-new Proton X90 ended its first three weeks of going on sale with 257 units sold, placing it second in the D-segment SUV market.
“May was memorable for Proton not just in terms of sales achievement but also because we launched the Proton X90 and celebrated our 40th anniversary in the same month. We are humbled by the numbers posted and a 40 per cent increase in sales is a just reward for our efforts, but there are still seven months left in 2023 and the company is hungry for more.
“As for the performance of our newest model, demand for the Proton X90 has been strong as customers take advantage of our early bird package that offered accessories, a Proton X-Watch, a data package with 4GB free for five years and enhanced insurance benefits,” said deputy chief executive officer of Proton Roslan Abdullah.
According to Roslan, the company will also have more new product launches and introduce updates to its existing range while making its debut in the electric vehicle market via its subsidiary, Pro-Net and hence, there are a lot of activities on the horizon for the rest of 2023.
— Akses Malaysia
