PROTON Sales Falls Short Due To Chip Shortage

Try as it might, PROTON is feeling the pinch from the chip supply shortage. The supply issue has caused a disruption in its production which has resulted in slower sales for April 2022. PROTON started the second quarter of the year with 8,839 vehicles sold, a 32.2% decrease when compared with March 2022, and a 41.1% decrease compared to April 2021. The April 2022 figure includes both domestic and export sales.

PROTON’s market share for the month of April is estimated at 15.6%, while year-to-date market share is about 17%. This puts PROTON in 2nd spot overall in terms of cumulative sales and market share thus far this year. In relative terms, PROTON still leads the market in 3 vehicle segments despite the drop in sales performance. The Proton X50, X70 and Exora continue to lead the B-SUV, C-SUV and C-MPV segments with sales of 1,554 units, 1,530 units, and 301 units respectively.

Its bestseller in April however, was the Proton Saga. The company sold 4,579 units of this popular B-segment sedan in April, giving it a total year-to-date sale of 14,028 cars, and placing it in 2nd spot in this segment. An updated Proton Saga will be launched this week and the company expects this model to continue contributing positively. Furthermore, the company is also seeing strong export sales for the Saga.

“After two years of pandemic affected sales, Malaysia’s automotive market continues to show strong growth potential in 2022, as evidenced by the long waiting list for new car deliveries. PROTON is also trying to catch up to market demand, but we also must acknowledge being the most affected by chip supply issues,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Proton Edar.

“Thankfully for our customers, we have secured our supply of chips for May and June and are projecting a quick turnaround in the coming months. The situation is still uncertain for the rest of the year and the global car industry is under pressure from rising costs, but the company is working on countermeasures against these issues to ensure our customers get the best products and value in Malaysia and abroad,” he added.

Export sales for April meanwhile, stood at 456 vehicles, as this was also affected by parts supply issues. Year-to-date export sales total 1,573 vehicles, an increase of 109.7% compared to the first 4 months of 2021. Pakistan is currently its biggest export market with 1,050 units, followed by Egypt and Brunei with 172 and 138 units respectively.