Thanks to the sales tax exemptions in place until the end of the year, the local automotive industry is seeing a rebound in sales post-COVID-19 pandemic, with the Total Industry Volume (TIV) growing to a 13 month high in July. National carmaker Proton benefitted greatly from the tax incentives, managing to move a total of 13,216 units in the last month, marking its best sales month since June 2012.
The figure translates to an estimated 63.2% of the TIV market share in July. Compared to June, Proton sales grew by 37.3% (13,216 vs 9,623). Year-on-year sales growth was also impressive at 45.7% (13,216 vs 9,072) compared to the same period last year.
Taking into account of the July sales data, Proton’s year-to-date (YTD) market share figure now stands at 21.8% – a growth of 6.7% over the same period in 2019. With the recent growth in sales, the deficit in volume compared to last year has shrunk to 4.2% (50,294 vs 52,499) despite diminished sales due to the movement control order. For context, the industry forecasted gap for TIV is 33%.
The main contributor to Proton’s sales last month was once again the Proton Saga which sold 5,421 units in July, outselling the Perodua Bezza to take the lead in the A-segment sedan market. The figure is helped by the 1,100 units of the Saga Anniversary Edition which was fully booked within five days of its launch. The July sales figure is also the highest for the model since April 2014.
The Proton X70 continues to hold its title as the best-selling SUV in the country with 3,087 units sold in July, marking its best ever sales month since its introduction in Malaysia. The July sales figure also increased its market share to 25.6%, 4.3% higher than 2019.
Elsewhere, the Proton Persona sold 3,043 units in the last month, cementing its position at the top of the B-segment sedan market. The Exora meanwhile saw sales of 792 units in July – its best sales month since August 2016, extending its reign in the C-segment MPV market.
Proton Edar Chief Executive Officer, Roslan Abdullah said, “Proton’s performance in July 2020 was our best in over eight years. We are especially happy with how our models are faring within their segments.
“We also note that there has been a positive effect on other areas of the business as a result of the encouraging sales. For instance Proton Commerce, our in-house vehicle financing provider, saw an increase of 100% in the number of loans it disbursed compared to the previous month.
“For August, Proton will look to continue to excite the market and stimulate sales in preparation for more model introductions later in the year. Our production, quality, sales and aftersales divisions are all working hard to ensure we are able to meet consumer demand as well as deliver a level of customer service befitting the brand promise that we have set out,” he added.
For the latest price list of Proton models in Malaysia, click here.
