Proton made a comeback in South Africa; targets 300% growth in exports this year

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian-born automaker Proton has a presence in different markets, including Pakistan, Egypt, Kenya, Bangladesh, and Brunei. And back in January, the Proton X50 spotted in India ignited the speculations that the car brand would soon be adding it as its next export destination. While there is no official info on Proton moving to India, the automaker has resumed its exports to South Africa after a hiatus of 10 years.

CMH Group is the new distributor for Proton cars in South Africa. The first shipment of vehicles consisting of the Proton X50, Proton X70, and Proton Saga was dispatched to the brand’s new guardian last Friday. The shipment left Westport, Klang, on May 27 and is expected to reach the destination in the month of July.

“This shipment marks another significant milestone achieved by PROTON this year. South Africa is a matured and competitive market, but we are confident the Proton X50, Proton X70 and Saga have the right combination of features and value to compete with other brands there,” said Steven Xu, Director of International Sales, PROTON.

“CMH Group, are working diligently to prepare their distribution network and the current plan is to launch our models by the end of the third quarter this year. Ahead of this, several members of the CMH Group visited Malaysia last week to have discussions with our team and visit dealers as well as the Tanjung Malim plant”, he added.

A look at the Proton’s export sales

• Proton’s best-selling SUVs, the X50, and X50 are the driving force behind its increasing export sales. 
• In Q1 2022, the automaker’s exports have increased by 175% (YoY) with the Proton X50 showing an increase in demand of 77% while the X70 enjoying a hike of 31%.
• It aims to achieve more than 300% growth in export sales by the end of this year.
• The local assembly of cars in the overseas market is vital to achieving this target, says Proton. It is currently running the operation in Kenya, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, with Sri Lanka to join the list soon.

If we look at the local market, the Malaysian car brand has been facing some difficulties due to the shortage of semiconductor chips. It sold a total of 8,839 cars (domestic and export) in April, with a MoM drop of 32.3% and a YoY drop of 41.1%. Although the brand’s YTD (year-to-date) market share remained unchanged at 17 percent, that makes it the second-best-selling auto brand in the country.

Well, that was April’s story, and we will soon be getting Proton’s May sales numbers. Till then, stay tuned with us. 

Also read: Could the 2022 Proton Saga have been improved further?