Proton has taken a major hit in sales in January of 2022. In the past month, the local car company has only managed to sell 4,453 units, with 2,601 of them being from the X50. The reason behind this was the severe floods in Selangor over the course of December 2021.
After ending the 2021 with their highest annual sales since 2014, Proton have ended January of the new year with a 25.3% decrease in sales compared to the same month last year and equivalent to an estimated domestic market share of 11.3%.
Proton’s main production facilities in Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim were unaffected by the floods but most of their retailers weren’t as lucky. This slowed down Proton’s production volume in the past month and the company has been unable to fulfill many orders. Despite this, Proton has managed to claim the number one SUV brand position in Malaysia. This was due to Proton resuming production of their SUV models, the X50 and X70, which was reflected in their monthly sales. Overall, The X50 managed to sell a total of 2,601 units, while the X70 sold 799 units.
Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar had this to say, “After a successful end to 2021, January was a very tough month for Proton. Our short supply situation became magnified by the lack of units being produced, creating a severe shortage for our dealers. Thankfully, production for all our models resumed in January, though some required more time than others. We are, however, confident of meeting our targets for 2022 based on market projections as well as our sales and marketing plans for the rest of the year.”
Proton have also been suffering from part delays and low holding stock which have also impacted their sales performance. Not to mention, Proton has been actively trying to help those who suffered losses caused by the flood. More than 1,200 Proton vehicles affected by the floods have received repairs from authorized service centres as part of a government initiative.
“PROTON would like to remind all customers with flood damaged cars to send their vehicles to our network of authorized service centres to enjoy benefits such as free towing and car wash services as well as discounted parts and labor charges. We are also thankful to the government for the RM1,000 assistance voucher, which has proven to be invaluable for many of our customers,” added Roslan Abdullah.
Proton plans to recover themselves this February when production activities resume and everything goes back to normal.
