PROTON Expects To Hit Sales Target For 5th Consecutive Year
PROTON is expecting to meet its sales growth target for the 5th consecutive year. As of October 2023, the company’s year-to-date sales amounted to 129,604 vehicles (domestic and export) and is a 12.3% improvement from last year. The month of October contributed 12,772 vehicles to total sales so far, a 4.4% growth over September’s.
Total industry volume (TIV) is said to have crossed the 70,000-unit barrier for the 3rd time this year. PROTON estimates its overall market share at 20.1% as YTD volume for the automotive industry has exceeded 645,000 vehicles. This year’s sales is on track to break the all-time record set in 2022.
With just 2 months left in the 2023 fiscal year, PROTON reports that 4 of its models continue to be sales leaders in their respective market segments. The company moved 2,021 units of the Proton X50 in October to maintain its oveall position as the market leader. Cumulatively, since its launch in October 2020, the company has sold 100,210 units of the X50. This is the shortest time taken by any SUV to achieve this in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the Proton Persona ended October as the 3rd most popular B-segment sedan with 2,041 units sold. Its year-to-date total of 20,655 units makes it the segment leader. Compared to 2022, total sales are now 65.5% higher and this model is on track to have one of its best sales years.
As for the Proton X90, demand continues to be strong as it continues to lead the D-segment SUV sales. PROTON sold 479 units of the X90 in October as it approaches completion of its product update initiative for the model. Cumulatively, 3,914 units have been sold in 2023 and it expects an uptick in demand in the coming months as orders start coming in from export markets following the overseas roll-out of Proton’s first mild hybrid offering.
On the other hand, the Proton Exora is bowing out as the C-segment MPV sales champion. Production has come to an end after 196,583 units were built at PROTON’s Shah Alam plant. In October, 393 units were sold to bring the YTD number up to 3,910 units. Despite being in its final year of production, demand for the Proton Exora is up by 11.5% in 2023.
The company’s most popular model is still the Proton Saga. In October, 6,322 units were sold, which increased YTD sales to 57,806 units. This 26% growth means the model has surpassed its volume from the whole of 2022.
Finally, the Proton Iriz recorded sale of 589 units sold to bring cumulative sales up to 6,633 units. This is an improvement of 37.2% over the previous year. Similarly, the Proton X70 is also performing steadily with 927 units sold (increase of 18.9% over the previous month), and retained its spot as the 2nd most popular C-segment SUV.
“Following a relatively quiet September, automotive sales surged again in October as the market posted its second-best sales month for the year. With 2 full calendar months remaining, it is guaranteed the industry will set a new TIV record for the 2nd year in a row, which reflects not only customer demand but also the amount of liquidity in the market,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.
“PROTON has benefited from these market conditions and as our sales have gone up by 12.3% this year, we continue to outpace TIV growth. This is despite some of the recent challenges faced, which were countered by quick and decisive action taken by the company. Heading in to the final two months of 2023, we are optimistic of exceeding our targets as we prepare to introduce more new models to position the company for a great start to 2024”.
