Proton sales jumped 35.5% in May 2023 as automotive industry rebounds



Proton has just published its sales report for May 2023, which saw a total of 13,268 units sold, inclusive of domestic and export sales. The figure translates to a growth of 40.9% over April 2023, or a year-on-year improvement of 35.5% over the same period last year.

The positive May figures also marks a turnaround for the second quarter of 2023, after a slow start in April due to the festive period downtimes, plus the ending of deliveries of tax-free cars in March. The uptick is also mirrored throughout the entire automotive sector in the country, where total industry volume (TIV) rose by 32.2% last month.

With the May figures included, Proton’s year-to-date sales figure stands at 62,970 units, representing a year-on-year increase of 38.9%. The figure is also the highest overall in the Malaysian automotives sales table, translating to a market share of 20.9% for the year (21.5% for May).

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Leading the sales for the national carmaker was once again the Proton Saga, with 5,819 units sold in May. While the figure only places it in second place for A-segment sedans in the country this month, the Proton Saga ended the month with 27,214 units sold thus far this year, representing an impressive 51% increase over the same period last year.

On the SUV side of things, the Proton X50 continues to dominate the charts with 2,801 units sold last month, making it the best-selling B-segment SUV, and the best-selling SUV overall in the country. Launched earlier last month, the Proton X90 also saw a total of 257 units sold in just three weeks, placing it second in the D-segment SUV market according to the national carmaker.

Proton’s positive momentum in May is further helped by its export volume, which also saw its best month thus far in 2023, with 217 units sold across all markets. The national carmaker also made its official entry into Mozambique last month, its 12th export market. Sales in Mozambique will kick off with the Proton X70 and X50 SUVs.

“May was memorable for Proton not just in terms of sales achievement but also because we launched the Proton X90 and celebrated our 40th anniversary in the same month. We are humbled by the numbers posted and a 40% increase in sales is a just reward for our efforts, but there are still seven months left in 2023 and the company is hungry for more,” said Proton Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Roslan Abdullah.

“The company will also have more new product launches and introduce updates to our existing range while making our debut in the EV market via our subsidiary, Pro-Net so there are a lot of activities on the horizon for the rest of 2023,” he added.

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