Nearly 15,000 Proton cars found new owners in March 2021.
Proton’s sales momentum continues on to 2021, as the Malaysian automaker posted its best ever sales month in March since September 2013.
Selling a total of 14,989 units both domestically and internationally last month, this impressive sales statistic equates to an increase of over 26.2% in February 2021. Moreover, with a cumulative sales of 32,826 cars over the first quarter, Proton has managed to achieve its highest quarterly market share since March of 2012.
A big part of Proton’s sales momentum in recent times are naturally down to its two popular SUV models. In fact, the Malaysian automaker has managed to set yet another monthly production record in March 2021 with a total of 5,850 SUVs delivered, beating the previous record of 4,820 units that was achieved just last month.
Though while the 3,513 X50s and 2,337 X70s (+58.4 month-on-month from February) delivered last month are certainly impressive, the automaker’s top seller still nevertheless remains its Saga which saw 5,589 of these A-segment sedans finding new homes in March 2021. Rather impressively too, the Persona, Iriz and Exora also managed to post their best sales figures so far for the year, with Proton’s MPV especially continuing to dominate its segment partly due to the lack of any real competition.
Aside from a booming car sales business, Proton’s in-house auto-financing subsidiary, Proton Commerce Sdn Bhd has also seen huge growth in volume for financing of cars through them. With nearly 4,000 loans were disbursed in the quarter of 2021 and an estimated 1,700 going out in March alone, this represents a jump of over 141% over 2020 figures for the former and a similarly large spike over February 2021 figures for the latter.
Speaking more about Proton’s 90-month sales high, Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Proton Edar noted that the automaker still has ‘a large order bank to fulfil’ and will strive to ‘strive to increase production while maintaining our focus on delivering high quality products’. “We are also mindful that PENJANA incentives are currently due to expire by the end June, so we aim to ensure as many customers as possible are able to enjoy the tax holiday given by the government,” he added.
PRESS RELEASE: PROTON’s strong start to 2021 continued in March as the company posted not only a new high point for the year but also achieved its best sales month since September 2013. 14,989 units (domestic + export) were sold last month, equivalent to a 26.2% increase over February and an estimated market share of 23.5%.
Overall, PROTON retained second position in the sales rankings table. For the first quarter of the year, the company achieved a cumulative sales total of 32,826 units and its highest quarterly market share figure since March 2012.
SUV sales continue to grow as other models achieve best figures for 2021
Deliveries for PROTON’s two SUV models continued to grow in March as the company’s new production line at Tanjung Malim increased its output for the month. 3,513 units of the Proton X50 were delivered to customers while the Proton X70 saw a month on month increase of 58.4% to 2,337 units. When combined, it means PROTON set another internal record with 5,850 SUVs delivered, beating the previous record of 4,820 units that was set just last month.
The company’s top seller remains the Proton Saga and with 5,589 units delivered, sales for the A-segment sedan grew by 32.5% compared to February. The Proton Persona, Iriz and Exora also posted their best figures for the year with the evergreen MPV once again claiming the crown for highest C-segment MPV sales.
“After a soft start to the year, Malaysia’s automotive industry has finally hit its stride for 2021. We estimate TIV to be over 63,000 units, suggesting all brands will post their best numbers for the year. For PROTON, March was a very good sales month as we achieved our highest figure in 90 months but our sense of achievement is tempered by the fact that it could have been even better if we were able to produce more units.
“As things stand, we still have a large order bank to fulfil so over the next few months, PROTON will strive to increase production while maintaining our focus on delivering high quality products. We are also mindful that PENJANA incentives are currently due to expire by the end June, so we aim to ensure as many customers as possible are able to enjoy the tax holiday given by the government,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.
Increase in sales helps Proton Commerce grow loan disbursements
Just as sales of Proton vehicles have grown this year PROTON’s in-house auto-financing subsidiary, Proton Commerce Sdn Bhd, has seen a similar increase in volume for financing of cars. Nearly 4,000 loans were disbursed in the first three months of 2021 with an estimated 1,700 going out in March alone. The latter figure is equivalent to a 122% growth over February and overall, disbursements for the first quarter of the year are up by 141% over 2020.
Proton achieves A 7.5 year high
“While the increase in unit sales of Proton vehicles has been our main focus, it is important to acknowledge the growth in loan disbursements by Proton Commerce. This proves we are offering attractive financing packages to our customers and can compete against other players in the automotive finance market. More importantly, customers can enjoy the convenience of purchasing and financing their new Proton from our dealers, making our outlets a one-stop centre for all their Proton needs,” added Roslan Abdullah.
