Proton has managed to surpass their sales goal of 100,000 units for 2019 by closing the year with 100,821 cars sold both domestically and abroad. They started the year strong with the fully-imported X70 taking the fight to non-national carmakers.
Later, they introduced facelifted models of the Exora, Persona, Iriz and Saga. The Saga’s facelift was perhaps the most important, as it brought a much better gearbox, higher perceived value and a lower price tag to an important segment of the industry.
The sales achievement was significant for a number of reasons, not least of all, it shows that the company is indeed back on track. For a breakdown of their performance, check out the press release below.
PRESS RELEASE
PROTON closed 2019 strongly as the national carmaker hit another significant milestone in a year punctuated by highlights. Sales for the month of December were the highest for the whole of 2019, growing by 112% over the corresponding month in 2018 closing at 11,117 units. This is equivalent to a 20.5% share of Total-Industry-Volume (TIV) in December and also the first time the Company has sold more than 11,000 cars in a month since July 2014.
As a result of strong monthly performances, total sales for the whole year closed at 100,821 units (domestic + export), the first time it has crossed the 100,000 unit threshold since 2015. The final number equates to an increase
of 55.7% over 2018, giving PROTON the highest sales growth in 2019 for the top-5 automotive brands in Malaysia.
Overall market share for the year is estimated to be at 16.7%, the highest figure since 2014.
Proton models end 2019 as segment leaders
Powering PROTON’s sales growth this year were the Proton X70, along with double-digit percentage increases in sales for the four updated models it launched in 2019.
The Proton X70 began its first full year of sales strongly and set the record for being the fastest-selling premium SUV in Malaysia. It maintained its position at the head of its segment for the entire year and ended 2019 with a total of 26,331 units sold, making it the leader within its segment.
Meanwhile, sales of the Proton Saga continued its upward trajectory from its launch on 6 August. The youngest model in PROTON’s range was again the most popular A-segment sedan with 3,892 units sold in December. Total
sales for 2019 closed at 38,144 units, equivalent to a 36% increase in volume.
Not to be outdone, the Proton Persona, the Company’s B-segment family sedan equipped with intelligent features, ended the month with 3,384 units sold. The figure places the Persona as the segment leader in December and is also the highest for the model since March 2012. Despite a few low months when PROTON transitioned between the 2019 Persona and its predecessor, total volume still grew by 29% to 21,876 units for the year.
“The Proton X70 and the Proton Saga are two major ingredients to PROTON’s sales success this year. We are humbled by the popularity of the Proton X70 and would like to say a big thank you to all our customers for their support, despite it being a brand new market segment for the Company. As for the Saga, with over 41,000 bookings and counting, it remains as our core product and is a popular choice regardless of a buyer’s age, status and purchasing power, making it a car for all Malaysians.”
“While sales of the Persona were very strong following the launch of the updated model, the numbers posted in December show many are becoming increasingly aware of the outstanding features, practicality and value we
offer in our family sedan. PROTON is confident of maintaining these numbers in 2020, so the Company has at least three sales leaders in their respective segments,” said Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of PROTON.
Equally impressive in terms of sales growth were the Proton Iriz and Exora. Sales for the race-winning Iriz nearly doubled for the year and grew by 97% following the launch of the updated 2019 model in April. PROTON’s seven-
seat MPV, the Exora, was also updated at the end of May resulting in a 40% growth in sales. Its consistently strong sales means it ends 2019 as the best-selling C-segment MPV in Malaysia, a strong result for a model that
made its debut more than ten years ago.
“PROTON worked hard to launch four updated models last year, which was unprecedented. The sales results prove we are on the right track and the decision to introduce four models in 2019 with intelligent features has been warmly received by car buyers. At the same time, we also focused on improving the quality of our products and as at the end of 2019, our internal quality audit GCPA score is 1190 points, an improvement of over six times compared to 2017 when we first started using the measurement. This is also a better quality score than Geely currently has, proving the success of our efforts,” added Dr Li Chunrong.
Sales outlet expansion to continue in 2020
As at 31 December 2019, PROTON has 120 3S/4S outlets operating nationwide. The Company leads all brands in terms of numbers of such outlets and for 2020, it intends to continue to grow the sales network even more.
“Quality is a main priority at PROTON and as we continue our efforts to improve the quality of our products, we are also working to improve the quality of sales and aftersales service delivered at our outlets. In 2020, we will continue to invest heavily in outlet growth and training programmes to ensure our customers can experience an exemplary level of customer service. Combined with our updated model range and improved product quality, PROTON will be in a position to post even better numbers this year,” said Dr Li Chunrong,
