In spite of being a challenging year for the auto industry, 2021 will still see Proton staying above the 100,000-unit level for the third year in a row. In fact, even with one month left, the Malaysian carmaker has already reached a cumulative total volume of 100,566 units. This has been achieved with a sales volume of 14,187 units (domestic + export) during November
Another month of growth
With the market on the upswing, Proton too has enjoyed revived interest by car-buyers, with a 6.2% increase over October sales. This would be the third consecutive month of growth. And looking back at a year ago, November 2020 sales were 24.3% lower.
*Volume for 2021 is from January – November.
The market share of the Malaysian market for the month is estimated to be 24.5% and for the 11-month period, the share has grown by 1.9% to an estimated 22.8% at the end of November 2021.
Saga remains bestseller of the brand
The evergreen Saga remained the brand’s bestseller and had its best sales month since December 2020. 5,666 units were sold nationwide, placing it at the top of the A-segment sedan class, a position the company is hopeful it will retain to the end of the year.
The younger X50 also had a record month in November with 4,010 units delivered. That is significantly better than its previous high of 3,839 units set in October. Its bigger brother, the X70, remained in high demand and gained 1,901 new owners in November, also giving it leadership in the C-segment SUV class.
TOP THREE PROTON MODELS IN NOVEMBER
The Exora MPV is still dominant in the C-segment MPV market and saw a fourth consecutive month of growth 434 units sold. There is demand for the other models but, as with many carmakers, Proton has experienced component supply issues for the Iriz and Persona. This has limited their production volumes and only 642 and 1,534 units, respectively, were available for delivery to customers.
Limited by supply, not demand
“November was a good sales month for Proton though overall industry numbers continue to be limited by supply and not low demand. Crossing over the 100,000-unit threshold with a month to go is a high point for us after another year disrupted by COVID-19,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.
“We are humbled by the achievement and are now confident of ending the year with an increase in total sales. This will make Proton the sole national brand to grow sales and market share this year and give us a strong base heading into 2022 as we look to consolidate and improve our ranking both domestically and overseas,” Encik Roslan added.
Keyword: Proton’s cumulative volume for 2021 goes past 100,000-unit level for third consecutive year