PROTON maintains sales momentum

PROTON’s sales momentum continued on an upward trajectory for a fifth consecutive month in October as the national automotive company began the final quarter of the year strongly. With 11,392 units sold (domestic and export), sales grew by 20% over the same month in 2019 but contracted by 4.6% compared to September. Total sales for the year now stand at 84,999 units, 6.2% ahead of last year and equivalent to an estimated 21.3% market share.

While sales in October were slightly down compared to the previous month, three Proton models continue to lead in their respective market segments. The Proton Persona, which has faced a raft of new competitors in 2020, continues to lead the B-segment sedan market with 2,360 units sold while the Proton X70 saw 2,216 units sold for the month, maintaining its lead in the SUV segment. The Proton Exora also retains its customary position as the best-selling C-segment MPV, proving there is still a viable market for large seven-seat people carriers despite the continued growth in SUV sales.

Strong 2nd half performance for automotive industry
“The recovery of Malaysia’s automotive market is continuing to gather pace judging by the number of new model launches and total sales in October. We estimate the Total-Industry-Volume (TIV) to be the second highest in 2020 with over 57,000 units sold, proof that the car industry is rebounding strongly. At PROTON, we are thankful for the steady growth in sales, as we have yet again beaten our monthly numbers from the previous year, but we believe we could have performed better.

“Looking at the numbers, we noticed a significant drop in East Malaysia sales while the Central region was static compared to September. Part of this was due to the implementation of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) to limit the movement of people and thus affecting retailers but there was also a sense of customers holding back before the launch of our newest model, the Proton X50. Regardless, PROTON is confident of ending the year well and using the results as a base to aim even higher in 2021” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.

Bookings for Proton X50 exceed expectations
Launched on 27 October PROTON’s newest model, the Proton X50, has received a phenomenal response from Malaysian car buyers. As of the end of October, 27,400 bookings had been placed for the SUV and deliveries have begun with 447 units already in customer hands. “PROTON would like to thank all its customers for the tremendous interest shown in the Proton X50. We are pushing to ensure fulfilment over the last three months of 2020, while continuing to emphasise product quality,” added Roslan Abdullah.

Media preview- https://bit.ly/3nb0hQB