Proton sales bounce back 13.6% last month

Proton Edar CEO Roslan Abdullah.

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton sold 12,522 vehicles in May, a 13.6% increase over sales in the previous month as auto sales rebounded from a lull during the festive holidays.

In a statement, the national carmaker said sales in the first five months of the year amounted to 62,697 units, affirming its position as the second most-purchased car brand in Malaysia with a market share of 19%.

“Following a quiet month in April where sales were affected by festive holidays, May has seen a return to positive growth as total industry volume (TIV) has increased both year-on-year and month-on-month, reflecting the resilience of the local automotive industry.

“With the cumulative TIV until May already making up 44.6% of Malaysia Automotive Association’s full year projection of 740,000 units, we believe there is still room for growth in the local automotive industry,” said Proton Edar CEO Roslan Abdullah.

He added that Proton will be focusing on growing sales in the second half of 2024 with updates to its existing models while also taking its first steps towards entering the electric vehicle (EV) market.

“By leveraging on the strength of our partner, Geely, it is not a question of if but when Proton will be revealing our own EVs so do pay close attention as there are many exciting announcements on the horizon,” he said.

Meanwhile, Proton’s efforts to re-establish its brand in countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Bangladesh and Iraq this year have proven fruitful as its export sales came in at 509 units in May, the highest recorded in 2024 so far.

In terms of performance by model, Proton’s X90 flagship sports utility vehicle (SUV) regained its position as the most popular D-segment SUV in Malaysia with 364 units sold.

Sales of Proton Saga increased 21.6% month-on-month to 6,119 units in May while market-leading C-segment sedan Proton S70 saw a 23% uptick in sales to 2,011 units.

The Proton X50, which achieved sales of 1,407 units in May, is expected to see a spike in demand following the launch of the revamped 2024 Proton X50 model.