Proton has had a good first quarter of 2019, ending it with more record setting numbers. The company revealed that registrations for March numbered 6,145 units which is approximately 11% of the market, an improvement of 2.6% compared to the same month in 2018.
The increase in registrations recorded by the company had outpaced the Total Industry Volume (TIV) by nearly four times (46.1%) in March which had an estimated growth of 11.8% year-on-year. For the first three months of 2019, the cumulative figure is 43.5% or more than 6 times the TIV number of 6.7%.
“The numbers posted by Proton in 2019 is the direct result of hard work put in at every level of the company. These achievements are possible due to the growth in the number of 3S/4S outlets, an increase in product quality, refocusing on customer service and improvements in many other areas. With the forthcoming launch of our updated models later this year, Proton is confident its investment in the business will continue to benefit sales growth,” said Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of Proton. The bulk of the company’s sales growth was contributed by the Proton X70 SUV which recorded 2,979 registrations in March, making it the best-selling SUV for the month, and setting the industry record for most registrations for an SUV in a single month. It is also the best-selling SUV for the first quarter of the year.
Proton had stated that there are over 25,000 bookings received for the Proton X70. “With delivery numbers of the Proton X70 increasing, we are hopeful of being able to reduce waiting times for our customers. At the same time, we are working diligently to ensure each unit we deliver is perfect as our aim is for our new SUV to be the highest rated vehicle for the Initial Quality Study (IQS) rankings for Malaysia in 2019,” added Dr Li Chunrong.
Concurrent with the growth in sales, Proton is increasing its efforts to either assist existing dealers in upgrading their facilities or attract new investors to establish new outlets. “One of the reasons why sales are increasing is the number of 3S/4S outlets in PROTON’s network. We have proven that these outlets are very effective at attracting new and current customers to our brand as they are able to deliver a premium sales and after sales service experience. Therefore, we will be adding more such outlets in 2019 in preparation for the introduction of our future models,” said Dr Li Chunrong.
Proton currently has 75 3S/4S outlets nationwide, the most of any automotive brand.
Keyword: Proton Ends First Quarter Of 2019 With Record Numbers