KUALA LUMPUR (May 3): Proton Holdings Bhd said its vehicle sales rose for the third consecutive month in April with 15,017 units sold, up 0.18% from March and equivalent to an estimated market share of 26.7%.
Overall, the company continued to strengthen its hold on the second position in the sales rankings table, with market share for the year estimated at 24.4%, while overall volume stands at 47,843 units after the first four months of the year.
“The evergreen Proton Saga returned to the top of the national sales chart with 5,472 units sold in April. Although the number is a slight reduction compared to the previous month, demand for Proton’s best-seller remains healthy and ahead of the number of units supplied," Proton said in a statement.
The national car manufacturer added that its SUV models continued to set strong sales numbers.
"The Proton X50 set yet another new high for deliveries with 3,583 units delivered in April while the Proton X70 extended its dominance in the C-segment SUV category with 2,101 units delivered,” it said. "The combined figure of 5,684 units is the second best SUV sales month for the company and only slightly behind the record set in March."
Elsewhere, Proton said that despite strong competition in the B-segment sedan market, the Proton Persona achieved 2,266 units, enough to earn it the second spot in its segment.
“The Proton Exora meanwhile continued to rule the C-segment MPV class while Proton Iriz sales received a boost from strong demand for the R3 limited edition model that allowed it to have its best sales month since 2019,” it said.
Proton Edar CEO Roslan Abdullah said April was a good month for the automotive industry, noting that several other brands also had their best month of the year so far.
“Total industry volume is estimated to be over 56,000 units as all brands are trying to fulfil sales orders before the expiry of PENJANA sales tax incentives at the end of June.
“For Proton, we are continuing with efforts to meet the strong demand for our products while maintaining a high level of product quality. At the same time, we are focussing on improving customer service and addressing issues related to spare parts availability, which is vital as our sales volume increases,” he said.
Meanwhile, the company noted that April also saw Proton holding a groundbreaking ceremony for a new stamping plant at its Tanjung Malim factory.
The RM200 million facility, it said, is expected to become operational by the third quarter of 2022 and will allow the company to stamp out much larger pieces of body panels.
“As Proton’s sales and distribution arm, Proton Edar views the investment in the new stamping plant as a positive development.
“The benefits of improved production volumes, lower costs and increased quality will allow us to increase sales exponentially both domestically and abroad, which will drive the company towards achieving its stated long term goals,” said Roslan.