Last year was a major turning point for our national carmaker Proton Holdings. In 2017, we saw Zhejiang Geely Holdings acquire 49.9 percent stake in Proton, Dr. Li Chunrong appointed as Proton’s new CEO and the sad closure of the Proton R3 (Race Rally Research) division. Despite the rough year, Proton still managed to stabilise its sales number for 2017 with a mere 1.8 percent decline in overall sales compared to the previous year.
In 2017 year alone, Proton shifted 70,991 units of cars, down from 72,291 units in 2016. Despite the decline in overall sales, retail sales saw an increase of 2.5 percent at 68,184 units. The overall decline, according to Proton, was attributed to poorer fleet sales due to lower taxi orders.
The Saga was the brand’s best-selling model, charting a healthy figure of above 30,000 units. The B-segment Persona, registered a strong 27 percent growth, shifting a total of 19,510 units in 2017. The Ertiga also gained healthy acceptance in the market with 6,091 units sold.
Vice President of Sales & Marketing of Proton, Mr. Abdul Rashid Musa commented, “Our Saga is the most affordable sedan in Malaysia. It offers great drivability, performs much more smoothly and has modern and practical convenience features. The Persona is also a popular choice among our customers due to its excellent value for money propositions with significant safety features while providing a pleasurable drive on every journey.”
