– Fourth consecutive year of growth leads to best sales performance since 2013- Overseas sales continue to climb as company retains title of leading exporter
Subang Jaya, 4 January 2023 – National automotive brand PROTON ended 2022 with a fourth consecutive year of sales growth to push overall sales to their highest total since 2013. The company closed its books with 141,432 units sold (domestic and export) after recording 14,750 units in December, its fourth best monthly performance for the year.
Compared to results posted in 2021, total sales have grown by 23.3% despite a tough start to the year when a combination of flood affected parts vendors and an acute shortage in the global chip industry depressed volumes for the first four months. Sales volume for international markets meanwhile increased to 5,406 units, growing by 79.1% and allowing PROTON to comfortably end the year as the industry’s leading exporter.
Overall, the company has retained its ranking of second in the automotive sales table with an estimated market share of 19.6%. Total-Industry-Volume (TIV) for 2022 is estimated to have closed at over 720,000 units, a new industry high, on the back of a record setting December.
Three models end 2022 as segment leaders
Sales for five out of six Proton models have grown in 2022 with three models ending the year as segment leaders. The Proton X50 continues to be the best-selling SUV in Malaysia and with 3,764 units sold in December, it ended the year with a new SUV annual sales record of 40,681 units. This is an increase of 41.4% over 2021 and makes the B-segment SUV the second most voluminous model in the company’s line-up.
Further strengthening Proton’s position as the most popular SUV brand is the Proton X70. Despite facing a strong challenge from new competitors, it ended the year with 1,787 units sold in December and an overall figure of 18,533 units, an increase of 13.1% over the previous year. This also ensured the X70 retained its position as the best-selling C-segment SUV for the fourth consecutive year.
The third segment leading model is the Proton Exora, which continued its ironclad grip on the C-segment MPV market with 4,275 units sold in 2022, up by 5.9% compared to 2021. Having undergone a minor update in August, it continues to find favour with buyers looking for a spacious people carrier with intelligent features, class leading driving dynamics and offers exceptional value for the price.
The Proton Saga continued to hold on to its position as the best seller in the range. 5,913 units were sold in December to push total volume for 2022 up to 55,878 units, an increase of 31.1% over the previous year and garnering it second position in the A-segment sedan sales rankings. This is despite the Saga being the model most acutely affected by the floods of 2021 that saw sales dwindle to only 76 units in January.
There was also positive progress for the Proton Persona despite tough competition and the chip supply issue stunting production numbers. 2,322 units were sold in December to raise total volume for the year to 16,357 units, enough to eke out a growth of 1.3% and third place in the B-segment sedan category. The Persona’s sister model, the Proton Iriz, continues to be plagued by production supply issues however and suffered a sales decline of 14.9% in 2022.
“2022 was a year of achievements and missed opportunities for PROTON. The effect of the floods at the end of 2021 spilled over in to the first quarter of the year and ensured we began 2022 on the back foot as we collaborated with our vendors to restore parts supply. Thankfully, the volume was made up over the next three quarters, but we are confident we could have achieved more and posted even better numbers if not for the disrupted start to the year. Still, PROTON now has sales growth for a fourth consecutive year, and we are proud of being the only automotive company in Malaysia to achieve that from 2019 to 2022.
“Looking ahead towards 2023, PROTON is confident of achieving more growth as we add to our range of offerings with our new model launches this year. However, we expect TIV to recede from the record volume in 2022 as deliveries for orders placed during the sales tax exemption period will be fulfilled by the end of March. Interest rates are also expected to increase again this year so it will be tough for the automotive industry to continue an upwards trajectory,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, PROTON.
Export growth powered by SUVs and new market entries
After doubling its numbers in 2021, PROTON’s export sales continued to grow last year by 79.1% with a closing figure of 5,406 units. The growth was powered by increasing consistency in the shipping industry, growth in key markets such as Pakistan and the addition of South Africa to the list of export markets.
Mirroring domestic sales, the Proton Saga continues to be the most popular export model with 2,408 units sold last year. This was an increase of 31% over the previous year and proves there is still a lot of sales potential for the model in export markets. The company’s two SUV models performed even better. 1,708 units of the Proton X70 were sold in export markets, an increase of 101% while a first full year of export sales saw the Proton X50 post 1,117 units, a jump of 277%.
“Growth in PROTON’s export markets remains vital to the company. We are now halfway through our ten-year business plan and export sales will need to account for a growing percentage of our volume for the company to achieve its goals. With new models being added and growth from our current offerings in 2023, we are confident of hitting even bigger numbers this year,” added Roslan Abdullah.
-End-
PROTON December 2022 – Individual Model Performance (including export)
Model
No of units sold
Total Sales 2022
Sales achievement for the month
Saga
5,913
55,878
2nd Highest volume A-segment sedan
Persona
2,322
16,357
3rd Highest volume B-segment sedan
Exora
438
4,275
Highest volume C-segment MPV
Iriz
526
5,708
4th highest volume B-segment hatchback
X70
1,787
18,533
Highest volume C-segment SUV
X50
3,764
40,681
Highest volume B-segment SUV and overall best-selling SUV
Total
14,750
141,432