Proton sold 114,708 units in 2021; becomes best-selling SUV brand

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton has announced its sales figure for 2021 and it paints a pretty good picture for the Malaysia born automaker.

Last year, i.e, In 2021, Proton registered a total sales of 114,708 units, thus representing a 4.5 percent hike over 2020 and a volume growth for the third consecutive year.

In a statement Proton said that its estimated market share for 2021 stood at 22.7 percent that’s a 2 percent improvement over 2020. In the month of December alone, Proton sold 14,147 units, occupying a market share of 20.6 percent.

Such sales figures, especially at a time of pandemic, lockdown, and global chip shortage, are impressive. On the same note, Proton’s Edar CEO, Roslan Abdullah said, "From a global chip shortage to a spike in Covid-19 numbers that led to another lockdown to skyrocketing transport costs, there were many challenges for industry players to overcome.

"That is why Proton’s sales growth in a year where the market contracted is significant as it is the result of careful planning and juggling of available resources."

A big chunk of Proton’s success is attributed to its SUVs. In 2021, the automaker sold a total of 45,159 SUVs, making it Malaysia’s best-selling SUV brand. Just for a prospective, the mentioned figure accounts for 40 percent of total SUV sales in 2020.

Currently, Proton is selling two SUVs in Malaysia - the X50 and X70. As for their Individual sales in 2021, the former sold 28,774 units and the latter 16,375 units. Their final month delivered rested at 4,310 and 1,616 units, respectively.

The X50 in particular proved very beneficial for the brand, as for two months straight (November and December) the car surpassed the 4000 unit sales mark. It is also Proton’s second best-seller after the Saga with 42,627 units delivered.

Also Read: Proton Saga touches sales milestone; end of the year offer announced