Proton and Geely celebrate a great start to 2022

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton has just released a press statement stating that they have sold 4,453 units (domestic plus export) in January this year which happens to be a reduction of 25.3 percent from the same month in 2021. 

This drop in sales is not because of reduced customer interest, but more due to the short supply of the ‘completely knocked down’ (CKD) packs from Geely’s factory in China for the very popular Proton X50 Crossover.

Proton also mentions that their production facilities in Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim were unaffected by the recent flash floods in December last year, however, some of their vendors were not as lucky and were affected by the floods.

Many of their vendors have production facilities in Shah Alam and were affected by rising floodwaters. This had a direct effect on production volume in January, leading to a shortage of units to fulfill orders.

In January 2022 a total of 2,601 units of the Proton X50 were sold and just 799 units of the Proton X70 were sold. Even with lower numbers, both vehicles were top in their respective segments.

The X50 is a rebadged Geely Bin Yue which is powered by a Geely Auto and Volvo Cars jointly developed 1.5 turbocharged petrol engine. This alone has made the X50 very desirable amongst the middle class and also upper-middle-class Malaysians who look at it as a low-priced Volvo Crossover.

The selling price difference between the popular Proton X50 Flagship and the Volvo XC40 Recharge is a hefty RM 150k or so and they share the same base petrol 1,477-cc engine. This highly efficient engine meets the CN/Euro 6 emission standards while putting 177 bhp with 265 Nm of torque. It is used throughout Geely Auto’s product line as well as in LYNK & CO and Volvo’s CMA-based models.

Working with the above engine is a 7DCT which is Geely’s 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The 7DCT offers fast and accurate shift response along with the advantages of manual and automatic transmissions, low fuel consumption, and uninterrupted lightning-quick 0.3 seconds response time.

Meanwhile, Proton in Malaysia continues to have mounting after sales issues for the Proton X70 SUV which has been on sale since December 2018. From the first few batches of fully imported units to the current locally assembled variants, this SUV has been facing mounting spare parts shortages and cabin entertainment unit’s issues.

Many Proton X70 owners have taken to Facebook to vent their dissatisfaction with Proton and also Geely and there seems to be a little reaction from both management.

Also read: Proton Satria GTI prices keep rising in the used car market