Proton has just reported its sales performance for the month of March 2022, which saw a total of 13,028 units sold (domestic and export sales), translating to an estimated 19% market share for the month. The figure represents a 41.2% increase over February.
The positive growth was contributed largely by its export sales at 794 units in March, hitting an all-time high since March 2013. Pakistan was the biggest export market last month, accounting for 690 units alone.
Taking into account the March sales figure, Proton ended its first quarter with a total of 26,706 units in cumulative units sold, which translates to an estimated market share of 17.5%, placing them second in the nation’s overall table. However, when compared to the same period last year, Q1 2022 saw a 5.7% decline in market share, and an 18.6% drop in sales.
Proton says that the drop in sales was a result of a combination of unfortunate events outside its control, including the recent devastating flood which affected its local vendors and logistics services, plus the global chip shortage issue that has plagued carmakers worldwide.
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As a silver lining, however, the national carmaker’s overall exports sales grew to 1,117 units in Q1 2022, which is an increase of 175% over the same period last year.
The main contributor to Proton’s sales performance in March was again the Proton Saga, the company’s bread and butter model, with 6,422 units delivered last month – making it not just the best-selling A-segment sedan for the month, but also topping the charts for the entire A-segment in Malaysia.
The Proton X50, X70, and Exora also contributed to the figure with 1,573, 2,320, and 536 units sold respectively, topping each of their respective segments.
“The first three months of 2022 has been tough for Proton and our customers,” says Proton Edar CEO and Proton Deputy CEO, Roslan Abdullah. “Production issues continue to suppress our true potential and as a result, created a long waiting list for our cars.”
“Our parts supply and hence, production volumes, began to stabilise in March but we’re expecting a few more disruptions in the coming months as other industries ramp up their production. For the rest of the year however, Proton is still aiming to hit our targets as we work closely with our vendors and dealers to smooth out supply lines to deliver cars to our customers,” he added.
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“We are also making progress with sorting out our after sales issues and therefore, the company is confident it can rebound strongly over the next quarter.”
