PETALING JAYA: DRB-Hicom Bhd
’s 50.1%-owned Proton Holdings Bhd is aiming to export over 60,000 vehicles by 2030, following the establishment of a new wholly-owned export subsidiary Proton International Corp Sdn Bhd.
Since 2020, Proton has exported 20,169 vehicles to 19 countries. In June this year alone, Proton sold 11,069 units, bringing its total sales for the first half of 2025 (1H25) to 72,156 units. Of that, 414 units were exported in June, raising total exports for 1H25 to 2,250 units.
In a statement, Proton said the formation of the new entity would “provide more flexibility when dealing with international markets,” with a clear mandate to spearhead its overseas expansion efforts.
Proton International is targeting export sales of 6,000 units in 2025, with plans to double that to 12,000 units in 2026. By 2030, it aims to exceed 60,000 units – over 10 times the 2025 target.
“With export sales identified as a key driver of future sales growth, Proton International is tasked with enlarging Proton’s global footprint, aiming to expand to the global south while also continuing to oversee and develop sales and marketing efforts in existing overseas markets,” it noted.
Currently, Proton exports to 19 countries, namely, Brunei, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore, Bermuda, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Iraq, Ghana, Angola, Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Its top-three export models since 2020 are the Saga with 10,998 units, the X50 with 3,986 units and the X70 with 3,316 units.
But the e.MAS 7 – launched in December 2024 – is quickly catching up. So far this year, 3,632 units have been sold across both domestic and international markets, including 916 units in May alone.
Since exports began to Nepal and Trinidad and Tobago in March and June respectively, 233 units of the e.MAS 7 have been delivered. Proton said Singapore will be next on the list, “which will mark the re-entry of Proton into the island nation after an absence of over a decade.”
The national carmaker began exporting in 1986, just a year after rolling out its first car. By 1992, Proton had become the fastest-growing new car franchise in the United Kingdom, selling 15,000 units annually.
In the early 2000s, it had a presence in 64 countries before shifting focus to “high-growth regional markets” such as Asean, China, India, the Middle East and North Africa.
Leading Proton International is chief executive officer Edmund Lim Meng Thong, formerly director of Proton’s international sales division.
Lim said Proton International marks a pivotal step in the group’s global ambitions.
“We are setting ambitious targets for the next few years and to achieve this, we are actively hiring more talent for our regional sales and marketing teams.”
