Proton reported that it has delivered a total of 4,809 units of its X50 SUV since its official launch in October last year. The national automaker also said it intends to stick to its 2021 product launch schedule and aims to grow its sales both domestically and abroad.
Malaysia’s automotive sales in January were affected by the second Movement Control Order (MCO). Overall car sales in Malaysia are forecasted at about 32,000 units, marking a major drop in volume for most major players.
Proton announced that it finished the month in second place and delivered a total of 5,964 units. This represented a decrease of 29.9% compared to the previous year. The company estimated its market share in January stood at 18.5%, which is just 1% less compared to the same period last year.
Despite facing challenges last year, Proton managed to sell 109,716 vehicles for the whole of 2020. This marked an 8.8% increase over 100, 821 units sold in 2019, and it’s the highest annual sales since 2015.
Proton said that its order book in 2021 remains healthy with orders carried over from the end of 2020. The automaker said it is still working hard to have its supply catch up to demand from its customers. Like many other industries, the automotive sector has been acutely affected by delays to vendors and this has affected their production lines.
According to Proton, the main contributor to its sales for the month of January came from the Saga which sold 2,538 units. It was also crowned as the second most popular A-segment model. This was followed by the X50, which continued to lead the B-segment SUV market with 1,082 models sold.
Meanwhile, the X70 SUV commanded the highest volume sold under the C-segment SUV market with 892 units sold. Other models like the Persona came in second in the B-segment sedan category, recording 970 units sold.
Models like the Exora, which sold 153 maintained its standing as the best-selling C-segment MPV in the country while the Iriz recorded 283 units sold, ending January in third place for B-segment hatchbacks.
This year, the company is poised to give its B-segment duo: the Iriz and Persona, a much-needed facelift. A bevy of spyshots of the two models by Paultan indicate that the two models may feature changes to their exterior design such as bigger wheels and even X50-inspired design cues.
There are also changes to the inside as Proton is hinted to swap the CVT gearbox used in the two models to a 4-speed auto transmission just like the current Proton Saga.
Proton’s chief executive officer Li Chunrong previously announced plans for the automaker to launch one new product every year. Following the introduction of the X50, speculation is rife that Proton may introduce an S50 sedan, a V70 MPV or an X90 SUV as its next model in 2021.
