Proton sales rise against a slowing market, with e.MAS 7 holding on to EV top spot

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton has wrapped up November 2025 on a strong note, riding the momentum of the e.MAS 5 and all-new Saga launches. The national carmaker registered 13,451 units (domestic and export) for the month, bringing year-to-date sales to 143,322 units as of end-November.

That tally puts Proton 3.6% ahead of its performance over the same period in 2024 and, barring any major surprises in December, effectively locks in another year of volume growth. This comes against a softer overall market, with Malaysia’s Total Industry Volume (TIV) estimated to be down 0.9% year-on-year.

Proton’s estimated market share stands at 18.4% for November and 19.7% year-to-date, keeping it comfortably in second place in the national sales charts.

Also Read: Proton Tech Showcase: Next-gen tech displays, New 2026 model debut, live talks, and more

Saga, X50 and S70 still doing the heavy lifting

As usual, the Proton Saga did most of the heavy lifting. The entry-level sedan contributed 6,931 units in November, pushing its year-to-date figure to 66,038 units. This is despite it being a transition month as production ramps up for the all-new Saga at Tanjong Malim.

Proton says bookings for the new model have already passed 30,000 units, with more coming in daily, so expect the nameplate to remain a key player in 2026’s sales rankings.

The Proton X50 remains a strong pillar in the B-segment SUV space, recording 2,127 units in November and lifting its year-to-date total to 25,974 units – 23.5% higher than in 2024. Over in the C-segment sedan category, the Proton S70 continues to hold the lead with 1,487 units sold in November and 15,828 units year-to-date.

Other ICE models rounded out the brand’s monthly performance. The Proton Persona added 1,050 units (YTD 14,214), the Proton X70 contributed 471 units (YTD 7,184), while the Proton X90 chipped in 234 units (YTD 2,357). The Proton Iriz ended the month with 241 units, bringing its YTD tally to 3,208 units.

e.MAS 7 still top EV, e.MAS 5 draws more buyers into Proton’s EV range

On the electrification front, Proton is seeing a clear uptick in interest. The debut of the e.MAS 5, billed as Malaysia’s first affordable EV, helped pull more shoppers into showrooms to look at the brand’s EV range. That translated into a 14.8% month-on-month increase for the e.MAS line-up.

The e.MAS 7 remains the star of the show, with 830 units registered in November and a year-to-date total of 7,784 units, allowing it to retain its position as Malaysia’s best-selling EV.

“PROTON’s recent launches of the e.MAS 5 and all-new Saga have put us in a strong position to carry forward our sales momentum in 2026. We also offered visitors to the recent Proton Tech Showcase event a sneak peek of our upcoming PHEV model, to reinforce the high technology image of the model range while keeping customer interest high. These events along with other efforts earlier in the year has led to our sales improvement in 2025 as we work towards making an even bigger volume jump next year,” said Zhang Qiang, Vice President Sales & Marketing of Proton.

Exports 37.3% up, 6,000-unit target within reach

Exports are another bright spot. Proton has identified overseas markets as a key growth pillar and spent 2025 laying down the structure to support that, including the formation of Proton International Corporation Sdn Bhd (PICSB) to manage expansion and the roll-out of the e.MAS 7 in selected markets. That includes the return of the Proton brand to Singapore in August.

In November, Proton shipped out another 460 units, bringing export volume to 5,014 units year-to-date. That is 37.3% ahead of 2024 and marks the highest export volume since 2022. With a full-year target of 6,000 units, the brand is now in touching distance of its 2025 export goal and remains Malaysia’s leading automotive exporter.

“Export sales will be one of PROTON’s key focus areas to achieve our long-term targets, so it is encouraging to see we are already building a healthy following in many of our overseas markets. We aim to grow our volume by entering even more countries over the coming years, and to leverage on our advanced manufacturing facilities in Tanjong Malim to grow our presence in both RHD and LHD markets,” added Zhang.

Also Read: All-new 2026 Proton Saga launched, here’s all you need to know