since 1976
since 1976
With Malaysia undergoing a strict lock down to lower Covid-19 infections, retail operations of automotive companies have been curtailed with showrooms required to remain shut. This will affect Total-Industry-Volume (TIV) for the next few months, but PROTON remains optimistic due to the recent performance of its international sales division.
In May 2021 669 units were delivered to overseas distributors, resulting in the company having its best export sales month since March 2013, a gap of 98 months. Up to the end of May, the total Year-To-Date (YTD) volume is at 174% of the target set and only 6% behind what was achieved for the whole of 2020.
Rising sales in key markets powers export volume growth
PROTON’s growth in export sales has been powered by growing demand in several key markets, some new and some having sold Protons for decades. For example, Pakistan is a new market for the company but for the first five months of 2021, it was by far the best performer. On the other hand, Brunei which started selling Proton vehicles in 1987, was the third biggest export market by volume this year and in May, importers PAD Motors had the best sales month in company history. Not to be outdone Alpha Ezz El-Arab, the importer and distributor for Proton cars in Egypt, has already received 350 units this year, making it PROTON’s second largest export market.
“At the beginning of the year, our plan for 2021 was to aggressively grow PROTON’s export sales volume. Despite international restrictions and the rising cost of shipping caused by the coronavirus, we were confident of being able to meet our goals due to the sales plans of our importers and the appeal of our products. After five months however we are close to doubling the volume target set, which hopefully is a sign for more success in 2021,” said Steven Xu, Director of International Sales, PROTON.
With sales also growing domestically, assembly of Proton models in its export markets is vital for the company to achieve its long-term goals. Following the commencement of local assembly for the Proton Saga in Kenya, the next market to assemble cars locally will be Pakistan.
While growing sales in export markets is a reassuring sign of wider acceptance of the Proton brand and its products, the key to achieving the company’s long-term goals remains sales growth in ASEAN. The region is hotly contested with many global brands having invested in production facilities that supply local and export markets as well as competition from locally
Currently, PROTON’s presence in ASEAN is limited to Brunei but the company has plans to return to the two biggest markets in the region, Thailand and Indonesia, in the very near future.
