Sales Report: Proton Malaysia’s performance in May 2022

Proton recently sent its first shipment of cars to South Africa since 2012 with the CMH Group as its new distributor in the region. With Pakistan, Egypt, Kenya, Bangladesh, and Brunei already on the brand’s export destinations list, this has marked a significant milestone for the company as it targets a 300% growth in export sales by the end of this year. 

Well, Proton’s May sales figures have recently been announced, and it gave us an update on its export as well as domestic sales targets. 

Proton sold a total of 9,792 cars (domestic + export) in May with an improvement from the previous month, and the credit goes to the optimal supply of parts. 

“The increase in sales for PROTON in May is a direct result of the company boosting its production volume to catch up to market demand. As with the rest of the automotive industry, we are continuing to try and secure sufficient parts supply to clear our backlog of orders so while that is happening, PROTON would like to express its gratitude to customers who have supported us in bearing with the long waiting period,” said , Deputy Chief Executive Officer, PROTON.

 

Key highlights of the brand’s performance in May 2022 are:

• The Malaysian automaker successful attained a month-on-month growth of 10.8% (compared to 8,839 cars sold in April 2022)
• The year-on-year growth is rated at 3.7% in comparison to May 2021. 
• The total sales so far in 2022 stand at 45,337 units.
• With these numbers, Proton retains its second position in the Malaysian automobile industry. The brand’s overall estimated market share is 19.6%, while the year-to-date share is around 17.1%.
• Pakistan continues to be the biggest export market so far this year with 1,350 units, followed by Egypt and Brunei with 172 and 158 units, respectively.

Let’s dissect Proton’s total May sales in terms of individual models.

Proton X50 (May 2022 - 2,779 & Total Sales 2022 - 11,509) 

The best-selling Proton SUV in the last month was none other than the X50, with 2,779 delivered during the month. This brings the total tally of the year to 11,509. With these big numbers, the SUV continues to enjoy the top position in the B-segment SUV category. 

Proton X70 (May 2022 - 693 & Total Sales 2022 - 6,460)

Proton’s other SUV, the X70, also continues to lead its category, i.e. C-segment SUV. A total of 693 units of the car were delivered in the last month, which brings the yearly tally to 6,460. We hope this number will jump this month as the automaker is set to unveil the X70 facelift on June 9, 2022, which is just three days away. 

Earlier this morning, Proton dropped a teaser of the new X70 on its Facebook page and captioned it as ‘Bold & Sleek’. We can see the new wheels in the teaser; however, no more official details are revealed so far.

Proton Saga (May 2022 - 3,996 & Total Sales 2022 - 18,024)

While the X50 remains the brand’s best-selling SUV, the Saga continues to be Proton’s top-selling car this month also. The automaker sold a total of 3,996 Sagas last month, with 18,024 units delivered so far in 2022. However, the Saga still trails behind its strong contender Perodua Bezza. That means even the facelifted model could not divert the customers from buying the Perodua car. 

As a recap, the all-new 2022 Saga was introduced on May 12. The latest model gets a number of new tech goodies and some cosmetic changes inside and out with no upgrades on the mechanical setup. As per the automaker, the market demand for the new Saga has been encouraging, with over 12,000 bookings already placed.

If we look at the Saga’s export numbers, the sedan is doing good overseas also. The YTD export volume for the model stands at 1,482 units, with an increase of 71% over the previous year. In May, 513 Sagas were delivered with an increase of 12.5% compared to the last month.

Proton Persona (May 2022 - 1,385 & Total Sales 2022 - 5,787)

Moving to the brand’s other sedan, i.e. Persona. It holds the tag of third best-selling in the B-segment sedan category, with 1,385 sold in May and 5,787 units in the year so far.

Proton Iriz (May 2022 - 553 & Total Sales 2022 - 2,122)

The hatchback version of the Persona, the Iriz, remains the fourth top-selling B-segment hatchback in the country, with 553 deliveries in May and 2,122 so far in 2022.

Proton Exora (May 2022 - 387& Total Sales 2022 - 1,435)

Besides the X50 and X70, one more Proton model leads its respective segment, and that is Exora C-segment MPV. The automaker delivered a total of 387 units of the people-hauler in the last month, with so far total sales of 1,435 units in 2022. The upgraded version of the Exora is also on its way.

Also read: Should you wait for the 2023 Proton Exora or not?