Proton reports February 2021 sales; market share hits seven-year high

KUALA LUMPUR: The world is recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, so does the automotive industry. The sector is gaining back its sales volume in the local market as well and that can be proved by the newly released sales figures of the national automaker Proton. The company quoted February 2021 as a productive month for the brand as it reached market highs that had not been experienced for several years. 

The national carmaker delivered 11,873 units (domestic and export) last month, which is actually 99% more than the January mark of 5,964 units. These increasing numbers helped the company to get an estimated market share of 27.1%, the highest since September 2013.

In comparison to the same month in 2020, the sales rose by 19.9%, however, the first two months’ cumulative sales of 2021 is still 3.5% less than the last year’s total. Here, we have individual model performance and their respective achievements.

Model	Units Sold	Sales Achievement
Proton Saga	4,217	2nd Highest volume A-segment sedan
Proton Persona	1,818	Highest volume B-segment sedan
Proton Exora	361	Highest volume C-segment MPV
Proton Iriz	650	3rd Highest volume B-segment hatchback
Proton X70	1,475	Highest volume C-segment SUV
Proton X50	3,345	Highest volume B-segment SUV and highest volume overall for SUV

Talking about the Proton Saga first, the sedan remained the chart-topper with the leading sales figure of 4217 units. Known for its practicality, attractive design, and value for money proposition, the Saga is the first Proton model that is now available in Kenya, where it is locally assembled by the company’s partner, Simba Corporation.

Moving to the next star-performer that is the Proton X50. The compact SUV has received more than 30,000 bookings before the end of the last year. Well, with some delays in the production schedule, the automaker has delivered a total of 8,141 units so far, including 3,345 units sold in February. This number is the highest monthly sales figure ever achieved by an SUV in the county and thus it gives away the tag of the best-selling SUV in the segment to the Proton X50. 

Also read: Proton X50: Features that make it a smart SUV

Other models also performed well, the Proton X70 clocked 1,475 units; the Proton Persona regained leadership in the segment with 1,818 units; the Proton Exora also remained the C-segment MPV topper with 361 units and the Proton Iriz managed to get a mark of 650 units.

“February continued to be a difficult month for Malaysia’s automotive industry but it turned out very well for PROTON. Thanks to the efforts of the government to ensure a continuation of economic activity during the MCO, we were able to produce more cars and in so doing started to clear our backlog of orders. This is important as we need to consistently deliver on the bookings made to avoid a rush before the PENJANA incentives expire at the end of June this year,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.

He further added, “The automotive sector continues to be vibrant with exciting new model launches sure to spark consumer interest and create healthy competition amongst PROTON and other brands, but we will continue to be cautious even as we push forward to avoid infection rates flaring up again and disrupting operations.”

Also read: Proton special black & R3 edition models launched: Full details