2023 saw Proton achieve a 9.3 percent sales increase over 2022
Our first national carmaker, Proton, has closed 2023 by posting its best sales performance since 2012 as it achieved a fifth consecutive year of sales growth. 12,711 units were sold in December to bring its year-end total sales figure to 154,611 units (domestic + export), a 9.3 percent increase over the 141,432 units sold in 2022.
The company’s overall market share is calculated to be 19.4 percent on the back of a second record-setting year for total industry volume of an estimated 794,948 units, approximately 10.3 percent more than the previous year. Clearly, Proton is doing very well.
Moreover, the launch of Proton’s three SUV models consisting of the X50, X70 and Proton X90 has added more than 200,000 units to total sales since December 2018, but it was the rebound in demand for the PIES models (Persona, Iriz, Exora and Saga) that powered sales growth in 2023.
The Proton Saga started and ended the year as the best-selling model for the brand, selling an impressive 70,184 units, its best performance since 2012, and positioning it as the fourth best-selling vehicle in Malaysia for 2023. Volume growth was a remarkable 25.6 percent, consisting mainly of first-time car buyers.
Unsurprisingly, the biggest gainer in the brand’s model lineup was the Proton Persona. After suffering severe delays due to chip shortages in 2022, sales for the B-segment sedan rebounded by 48.9 percent to 24,362 units, placing the model second in its class while the Iriz managed a 33.8 percent increase in sales to 7,639 units in 2023.
In its final year of production, the Proton Exora signed off with a sales increase of 4.6%, ending the year with 4,473 units sold and showing that demand amongst target market buyers remains strong. To date, over 194,000 units have been sold, making it the most successful C-segment MPV in Malaysia’s automotive history.
As for the Proton S70, customer deliveries will begin in 2024 and to date, more than 5,000 bookings have been received so expect the model to contribute to sales numbers considerably this year. 2024 will likely see these numbers skyrocket as our national carmaker has not had a C-segment sedan since the Preve.
Aside from exciting product offerings, Proton also focused on improving the customer brand experience at showrooms and after sales service centres to draw in new buyers as well as build loyalty and improve retention amongst existing owners. This has clearly paid off as the future looks very bright for the brand here.
