Proton X50 is Malaysia’s best selling B-segment SUV, over 1,700 units sold in Nov 2020

Proton has announced an 18% year-on-year sales growth in November 2020 and it aims to finish the year strong despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the newly launched X50 is claimed to be the best selling B-segment (five-seater) SUV in Malaysia.

For the month of November, Proton has sold a total of 11,411 vehicles which includes both domestic and export. The national carmaker has sold a total of 96,410 units so far in 2020 and it is expected to beat 2019’s full year performance which sold 100,821 units. This is partly driven by the sales tax exemption under PENJANA. According to Proton, they currently command an estimated market share of 20.1%.

Proton X50, best selling B-segment SUV

Although sales for other Proton models are down compared to the previous month, Proton has delivered a total of 1,756 X50 units in November, making it the best seller in its category in Malaysia. The Proton X50 was officially launched in the final week of October and there are now over 2,200 units on the road.

Proton Edar CEO, Roslan Abdullah, admitted that deliveries of the X50 have not ramped up to maximum capacity but they are deliberate in their approach to ensure their customers get the best product that meets their expectations. The company still targets to increase its volume each month to shorten the waiting times and they urge its customers to remain patient.

The larger Proton X70 continues to retain the title of the highest volume C-segment SUV in November with a total of 2,157 units sold. Meanwhile, the Saga remains the best seller for Proton with 4,279 units sold while the Persona sales have dropped to 1,942 units last month.

Proton sees growth in export market

Despite the pandemic, Proton has experience growth in export sales as it seeks to secure a larger footprint outside of Malaysia. By end of November 2020, the number of Proton vehicles exported to overseas market has already exceeded last year’s total.

While Proton’s domestic market performance has stabilised and undergoing steady growth, the company is renewing its emphasis to make Proton a regional and global automotive brand.

This year, Proton had began exporting the updated X70 2020 to Brunei and they have also shipped the Proton Saga to Kenya in CKD kits. The Proton X50 is now open for booking in Brunei and there are plans to export the compact SUV to Thailand.

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