SUBANG JAYA: Sales for national carmaker Proton rebounded in May following a slow start to the second quarter of 2023, due to the Malaysian automotive market being affected by the festive period and the ending of deliveries for tax-free cars in March.
Some 13,268 units (domestic + export) were sold last month, equivalent to sales growth of 40.9% over April and an increase of 35.5% over May 2022.
Sales for the first five months of the year stand at 62,970 units, a year-on-year increase of 38.9%, the highest for any brand in the Malaysian automotive sales table.
Meanwhile, Total Industry Volume (TIV) is estimated to have rebounded by 32.2% in May, closing at 61,600 units and as a result, Proton’s market share is calculated as 21.5% for the month and 20.9% 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 May 24 in Mozambique.
To kick things off, the local importer is offering the Proton X70 and X50 touting their safety features and affordable luxury as unique selling points.
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 Saga.
As for overall sales, the 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.
There are three Proton models still leading overall segment sales.
The X50 continues to lead B-segment and overall SUV sales with 2,801 units sold in May.
Despite finishing second for B-segment sedan sales last month with 2,290 units, the Persona remains the overall leader for the segment while the evergreen Exora achieved 440 sales to stay atop the C-segment MPV market.
YTD sales growth for the three segment leaders are 31% for the X50, 78% for the Persona and 39% for the Exora, proving demand for Proton’s models remains strong despite competition from newer rivals.
This remains true for the Iriz too as the 732 units sold in May helped it achieve a 47% increase in YTD sales.
Finally, 929 units of the X70 were sold in May while the all-new X90 ended its first three weeks of going on sale with 257 units sold, placing it second in the D-segment SUV market.
Proton deputy chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said May was memorable for the company not just in terms of sales achievement.
He said the company also launched the all-new X90 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in the same month.
“We are humbled by the numbers posted and a 40% 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 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.
“The company will also have more new product launches and introduce updates to our existing range while making our debut in the EV market via our subsidiary, Pro-Net so there are a lot of activities on the horizon for the rest of 2023,” said Roslan.
Keyword: Proton sales in May up by 40% over April's