In September 2023, Proton sold a total of 12,230 cars, both in the domestic and export markets. This brings the carmaker’s total sales in the first three quarters of 2023 to 116,832 units, which is an increase of 14.1% over the same period in 2022. During Q4 this year, Proton also aims to surpass its 12-month total sales of 141,432 cars it achieved throughout the whole of last year.
Compared to August, Proton’s sales in September receded by 1,725 units, while its total industry volume (TIV) has also dipped under the 70,000 unit threshold. However, the national carmaker’s sales growth still remains ahead of the total industry growth by more than 3.7%. Its market share also remains ahead of its 2022 figure, currently standing at 20.5%, or 0.7% more than the previous year.
Throughout the month of September, the Proton X50 managed to have a total of 2,210 cars sold. This continues its lead as the best-selling B-segment SUV, even though it has ceded as the most popular SUV in Malaysia to the A-segment Perodua Ativa.
Proton’s long-running MPV, the Proton Exora managed to see a total of 367 units sold in September, making it yet again the best-selling car in its segment. This contributes to a total of 3,517 units of the Exora being sold this year, as it approaches the end of its production run.
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The Proton Saga has also managed to maintain its standing as the second-best-selling A-segment sedan and the second-most popular vehicle in Malaysia. The sedan has seen a total of 5,648 cars sold in September, and its YTD figure now stands at 51,484 units, translating into a 26.48% increase over the previous year.
Moving on, Proton’s C-segment SUV, the Proton X70 has seen a total of 779 cars sold for the month, contributing to its YTD figure of 8,778 cars. This marks its return as the second overall in the C-segment SUV market.
The Proton Persona ended the month as the second best-selling model in the B-segment sedan market, with a total of 2,053 units sold. However, it remains the year-to-date (YTD) leader with a total of 18,614 units sold. Which is 72.6% more than last year.
In the month of September, Proton has seen an even bigger increase in sales for the Proton Iriz over the last month, with a total of 682 cars sold. This contributes to its YTD of 6,044 units, which is an improvement of 44.8%.
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As for the Proton X90, the carmaker has issued a service update to the model. As a result, all existing customers’ Proton X90 cars as well as the ones that are still on the production line are in the process of being updated.
This caused a minor delay in production and 491 units of the X90 were delivered in the month of September. Since its launch in April, the Proton X90 has seen a total of 3,434 cars sold thus far, maintaining it as the sales leader in the D-segment SUV market.
Proton Edar Chief Executive Officer, Roslan Abdullah said, “September was a quiet month for the automotive industry leading to a downturn in sales compared to August. Many buyers are adopting a wait and see approach in anticipation of the tabling of the 2024 national budget on 13 October and this led to some short-term effects. The overall mood of the market however remains buoyant
with new introductions continuing at a record pace.”
“For Proton, our sales remain strong thanks to the combination of technology and value offered by our models. As an example, the Proton X50 has been the best-selling B-segment SUV for nearly three full years and with production now meeting demand, we are able to deliver units to customers with minimal waiting time. Another example is the Proton Persona, that is undergoing a sales recovery in 2023 and sits atop the B-segment sedan market. Such achievements will give the company a strong baseline going into 2024 and with updates and new model introductions in the pipeline, we are hopeful of being able to continue our ascent to be amongst the leading automotive brands in the region”, the CEO added.
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