Proton moves up a gear.

 New Saga and Persona lifts sales and profit 

National carmaker Proton is showing a healthier book for the third quarter of their 2007-2008 financial year, posting RM11 million in pre-tax profit compared to a massive loss of RM272 for the sma period in 2006.Obviously the full order books for the Saga and Persona played a crucial part in returning the ailing carmaker to the black after about two years of poor sales performance .The company’s rigorous cost-cutting measures also contributed significantly to the improved financial position  and is a positive reflection of the strong management team now in place.The result came on the back of improved revenue of RM1,45 billion for the final quarter of last year and marks the second quarter of successive profit for the nation’s largest automotive company. The company’s financial year ends March 31.Orders for the Persona has breached 30,000 units while the long awaited new Saga has raked in over 35,000 bookings within one month of the launch and this helped to boost their market share for 33.1 per cent to 34.8 per cent. This is a significant improvement over the company’s first quarter performance which saw it only capturing 26.5 per cent of the market.Proton’s strong performance in the last three quarters also outstripped the industry which saw a slight contraction in total volume.With the Malaysian Automotive Association predicting a 4.5 per cent volume growth for 2008, Proton looks poised for even stronger performance with the inclusion of two popular model in their line-up. The company is also looking to launch an MPV at the end of the this year and this should further consolidate their position.