Proton has ended 2019 on a high note as it has sold over 100,000 units for the first time since 2015. On top of that, the total sales for the month of December 2019 were the highest of the year with a year-on-year growth of 112% compared to the same month in 2018.
The national carmaker sold a total of 100,821 units in 2019 which covers both domestic and export markets. This marks a 55.7% increase over 2018 and Proton has shown the highest sales growth in 2019 among the top 5 car brands in Malaysia. Proton’s overall market share is estimated to be at 16.7% for 2019, and this is the highest since 2014.
Driving sales growth is the Proton X70, which has set the record as the fastest-selling premium SUV in Malaysia. The X70 leads the segment for the entire year with a total of 26,331 units sold.
The affordable Proton Saga has received tremendous support since its launch in August and they have sold a total of 38,144 units in 2019, which marks a 36% increase in volume. In December, they have sold 3,892 units, making it the most popular A-segment sedan in Malaysia.
The newly updated Proton Persona had sold 3,384 units in December and it is currently the leading B-segment sedan for the month. This is the highest sales for the model since March 2012. For the full year, Proton sold a total of 21,876 Persona units (including its predecessor) with a growth of 29%.
Other Proton models such as the Iriz have also recorded significant growth of 97% after the launch of its updated 2019 model in April. Sales for the 7-seater Exora which was updated in May have increased by 40% and it ended the year as the best-selling C-segment MPV in the country.
According to Proton CEO, Dr. Li Chunrong, Proton has worked hard to launch four updated models in 2019 which was unprecedented. He added that the sales results prove that Proton is on the right track and the decision to launch four 2019 models with intelligent features has been warmly received by car buyers.
In terms of quality, they have recorded an internal quality audit Global Customer Product Audit (GCPA) score of 1190 points which is an improvement of over six times compared to 2017 when they first started using the measurement. He added that the quality score was better than Geely and it is an indication that their efforts were successful.
As of 31st December 2019, Proton claims to have a total of 120 3S/4S outlets throughout Malaysia and it is the highest among all brands. The carmaker plans to continue its expansion further in 2020. The CEO also shared that quality is their main priority and they will continue to improve the overall quality of their products as well as their sales and aftersales service experience at their outlets. In addition, Proton will continue to invest heavily in outlet growth and training programs to ensure that customers can experience an exemplary level of customer service.
