Roslan.
SUBANG JAYA: National carmaker Proton continued its strong start to 2023 with sales continuing an upwards trajectory.
For the month of March, the company sold 14,573 (domestic and export) units, representing an increase of 3.8% over February and 11.9% more than the same month of 2022.
This brings total sales for the first quarter of 2023 to 40,287 units, equivalent to a growth of 50.9% over the previous year.
The company’s market share for the month is estimated to be 18.7%, allowing it to maintain second place in the sales table rankings, while for the quarter, market share is estimated to be 21.2%.
This makes Proton the biggest gainer in terms of market share as the figure grew by 4.5% compared to Q1 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 highly competitive B-segment sedan market has seen the introduction of many new models and sales of the Proton Persona was hampered in 2022 by component and microchip shortages, resulting in just five units being delivered last July.
Now the tables have turned and with 2,421 units sold in March, the Persona 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%.
Meanwhile, the popularity of the Proton X50 has never been challenged since its introduction.
The B-segment SUV continues to not only lead its own segment but remains the best-selling SUV in Malaysia with 3,414 units sold in March.
First-quarter sales stand at 9,668 units, growing by 34.7% 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%, but the growth rate is masked by floods affecting Saga production at the beginning of 2022.
Finally, the Proton Iriz and X70 achieved sales of 712 and 1,272 units, respectively.
The Iriz remains in fourth place for B-segment hatchbacks while the X70 is a strong second for C-segment SUV sales.
Proton deputy chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said the first quarter of 2023 had been exceptionally good for the company.
“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 Penjana incentive period.
“This is especially true for this month as the deadline to deliver those bookings was March 31, helping to explain the record estimated TIV number of 78,000 units.
“A better reflection of market sentiment would emerge by the end of Q2, but we remain confident of maintaining our sales momentum,” he said.
Roslan said the company would launch the Proton X90 soon and would 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 fulfil our ten-year plan,” he said.
He added that it was still a long way for Malaysia to be a hub for Next Generation Vehicles (NxGV) but Proton is excited to lead the automotive industry to new horizons in the future.
Keyword: Proton's strong sales momentum continues in first quarter