National carmaker Proton has announced a 200,000-unit sales target for 2026. The target figure represents a whopping 27% year-on-year increase off the back of its 2025 performance, which itself was already an impressive 157,976 units sold, marking its highest sales figure in 15 years.
Speaking to the media at a Chinese New Year gathering today, Proton CEO Li Chunrong explains that the figure is expected to be driven by the recently launched all-new Proton Saga and the upcoming eMAS 7 PHEV (stylised as e.MAS 7 PHEV), both of which, the carmaker expects to also become the best-selling car and best-selling PHEV model in the country in 2026 respectively.
In what Li describes as Proton’s first year in “university”, the national carmaker is also targeting a total export volume breaching 8,200 units for 2026, extending its reach to 32 countries worldwide, nearly double of the 18 countries it currently serves.
He explains that in his eight-year tenure in the company to date, Proton has withstood many challenges and “learning” periods, including its financial troubles in 2017, the COVID-19 pandemic, and also the recent influx of newer Chinese marques into the Malaysian market. But learning time is over, he says, and it’s now time for the national carmaker to think with more sophistication, and perform with more rigour.
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Looking ahead, Proton targets to further improve its sales figures to 230,000 units in 2027, and a further 300,000 units by 2029. According to its internal projection, it should have also already become Malaysia’s top carmaker in terms of sales by then, beating its arch rival, Perodua.
By 2030, having graduated from University into Masters, the carmaker expects to breach 330,000 units in annual sales, of which 30% will be from its export markets. New energy vehicles – which comprises hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and battery electric (BEV) models – should also account for 30% of its total sales.
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