Proton has announced the establishment of Proton International Corporation (PICSB), a new subsidiary dedicated to driving the brand’s overseas expansion. The move is aimed at providing greater flexibility in navigating international markets. Edmund Lim Meng Thong, former Director of Proton’s International Sales Division, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PICSB.
PICSB is tasked with strengthening Proton’s presence in the Global South while enhancing its sales and marketing efforts in existing overseas markets. Proton sees export sales as key to its future growth, and as such are targeting to achieve 6,000 units in export sales in 2025, doubling that in 2026, and exceeding 60,000 units annually by 2030.
Proton has exported 20,169 cars over the past five years. The top three export models include 10,998 units of the Saga, 3,986 units of the X50, and 3,316 units of the X70. Proton says that the eMAS 7 (stylised as e.MAS 7) has also gained popularity this year, with 223 units delivered to Nepal and Trinidad & Tobago since exports began. Launched in December last year, the e.MAS 7 recorded 916 units sold in May, bringing its year-to-date (YTD) total to 3,632 units.
Apart from sales numbers, Proton has also recently launched the locally assembled Proton Saga in Egypt with local distributor, Ezz Elarab Group. Proton is also committed to sharing with its neighbours by reestablishing Proton cars in Singapore, with the preview of the eMAS 7 at The Car Expo 2025 in May, marking the return of Proton into the island nation after over a decade’s worth of absence.
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Proton’s export operations began shortly after its inception in 1985, with Bangladesh becoming the first country to receive Proton cars in 1986. In 1992, Proton became the fastest-growing franchise in the UK, with annual sales reaching as high as 15,000 units.
By the early 2000s, Proton had already established its presence in 64 countries, prioritising high-growth regional markets such as ASEAN, China, India, the Middle East, and North Africa. Currently, Proton exports to 19 countries, namely Brunei, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore, Bermuda, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Iraq, Ghana, Angola, Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
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Proton International Corporation CEO, Edmund Lim Meng Thong, said, “The official registration of Proton International Corporation marks a pivotal moment, sharpening our focus and increasing our agility to drive global expansion. We are setting ambitious targets for the next few years and to achieve this, we are actively hiring more talent for our regional sales and marketing teams.”
“We are also excited about the progress made at the Automotive High Tech Valley (AHTV), which will boost our production capability to meet growing international demand,” he added.
RELATED: Proton returns to Singapore – eMAS 7 previewed at The Car Expo 2025 ahead of August launch
