The Malaysia-born automaker Proton clocked a total sales of 114,708 units last year with 14,147 units sold in the month of December alone. Contrary to the latter, volumes for January 2022 see a whopping drop of 68.6%. The company sold only 4,453 cars (domestic + export) in the first month of the year. In comparison to the same month in 2021, the number is 25.3% less.
Well, the reason for this is obvious. Yes, the knock-on effect of the devasted flooding in Selangor at the end of 2021, resulted in the parts supply issues.
Although the company’s production facilities in Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim were not impacted by the floods, its vendors were not that lucky. Many of them located in Shah Alam were affected by floodwaters, which directly impacted the volume of production. This led to a shortage of units required by Proton to fulfill orders in the month of January. The minimal carry-over stock from the previous month compounded the situation.
Break-down of Proton January sales
Proton first resumed the production of its best-selling SUVs and that is also reflected in their sales numbers. While the individual totals of the SUVs are less compared to the last month, they combinedly help the automaker to retain its position as the number one SUV brand in Malaysia.
“After a successful end to 2021, January was a very tough month for PROTON. Our short supply situation became magnified by the lack of units being produced, creating a severe shortage for our dealers. Thankfully, production for all our models resumed in January, though some required more time than others. We are, however, confident of meeting our targets for 2022 based on market projections as well as our sales and marketing plans for the rest of the year,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.
Meanwhile, the company continues to provide flood relief to its customers. It has received a total of 1,200 flood-affected so far.
“PROTON would like to remind all customers with flood-damaged cars to send their vehicles to our network of authorized service centers to enjoy benefits such as free towing and car wash services as well as discounted parts and labour charges. We are also thankful to the government for the RM1,000 assistance voucher, which has proven to be invaluable for many of our customers,” added Roslan Abdullah.
Keyword: Geely-owned Proton's January sales show a whooping dip of 68.6%