Proton has revealed its overall sales performance for 2017, notching up 70,991 units compared to 72,291 units sold in 2016. From that figure, 68,184 units were delivered to retail customers, representing a 2.5% increase from 66,513 units in 2016.
Despite the higher retail sales figure, poorer fleet sales of 2,807 units due to lower taxi orders resulted in the decline in overall sales for the year prior. The national carmaker also saw healthy growth in the Central, South, East Coast regions as well as East Malaysia of around 1% to 10% in the units of cars sold.
Focusing on the models, the Saga, Persona and Eritga accounted for 80% of total Proton car sales in 2017, with the Saga being the best-selling model. The sedan registered steady sales above 30,000 units last year, whereas sales of the Persona went up by 27% from 15,390 units to 19,510 units. Lastly, 6,091 units of the Ertiga were delivered to customers in 2017.
“Part of the reasons that sales of our cars stabilised in 2017 is due to the aggressive quality improvement exercise done internally. Our counterpart from Geely Auto performed a stringent quality audit of our cars and within 3 months, we were able to improve our quality points threefold,” said Abdul Rashid Musa, vice president of sales & marketing at Proton.
“We are looking at 2018 more positively and we hope to intensify our efforts to do better this year. This year will be a critical year for Proton as we shall be implementing activities aligned to the new 3-10 years business plan, key to the turnaround of the company. In order for us to pick up our sales numbers, we shall be taking further steps for more attractive consumer campaigns, and improvement of product and service quality,” Rashid added.
2017 didn’t turn out as a growth year for Proton after all. Although, it may well have been (if only by a slight margin) if the new Myvi launched in 2018.
Also, there is something else, something which has been bugging me for months… ; I don’t approve of Proton’s press reports regarding ‘positive sales growth in 2017 (relative to 2016)’. This has been going on for a few months now, and it’s completely unnecessary !
Why ? Why is Proton using spin-tactics ? It might work on the feeble or casual minded, or those who aren’t in the loop. But it WON’T work on me, or anyone who has kept track of Proton’s monthly market share in 2017.
Proton should just tell it as it is; Proton’s sales have been falling/stagnating since mid-2017, even before the new Myvi launched. If Proton can’t openly admit this, then don’t, no one will bat an eyelid. But please, don’t use spin-tactics and ‘yellow journalism’ (Google it, please), it will only backfire sooner or later. The fact that I’m writing this rant is proof enough. I might be a strong supporter of Proton, but I won’t support this kind of spin-tactics.
Actually, spin-tactics is not normal for Proton (not since the Mahaleel era). The Proton I knew in 2016 and 2015 did not use spin-tactics in their marketing or press reports. In fact, it was the opposite; Proton used to be very honest, humble and apologetic… not unlike Perodua. As they say “diam-diam, ubi berisi”. But something has definitely ‘changed’ since Geely took charge of things. There is a growing hint of (over)confidence and aggression now, it’s like Proton/Geely are ‘trying too hard’ to win public sentiment and sell their products.
Then again, maybe the new Proton management has their reasons. I’m just an outsider, ultimately, I know nothing of Proton’s actual predicament. But I’m sure Proton/Geely knows what they’re doing. Because I still trust them, and have faith in them. I hope they won’t give me more reasons to say otherwise.
Are you sure Ertiga also makes up part of the 80%??? This sounds like a big lie. Hardly see any Ertiga on our roads
How sure is Proton that Boyue is going to sell well? Malaysians will never spend more than RM60k for a Proton. Boyue is estimated to be RM100k
80% of Proton sales are Ertiga, Saga and Persona. This shows, Malaysians will never spend more than RM60k on a Proton
I saw ads at mudah the 1996 Proton Tiara price is RM1,000 only. Very cheap lah!!
oh wai….Proton Perdana also RM4k for 10 year old car.
Dwindling Proton sales mainly due to poor bank loan approval rate. Local banks must buck up to match Proton growth and aggressive marketing campaign.
SO what , kanciul oso you can get cheap what
Its a game-over instead of game-changer. The pricing for a national brand no longer relevant, under songklap DRB all models selling more expensive than before (same for Honda, excl City, all DRB-Honda models price up, ignored mai annouced 15k EEV tax price cut) , the loyal nationalism expected cheapest price among all brands, this make 30 millions mesia very disappointed. In fact the cheapest car 25k Axia come from a 49% daihatsu/toyata.
Proton almost reaching Italian exotic car, built by hand status. Production ratio 1 car : 2 employees
Axia is cheap , cheap thing no good
Because their fleet sales dropped so hard, that even a rise in retail sales can’t cover it?
Frankly, I expected worse. With all the takeover process ongoing, change of management, due diligence, etc, a mere overall drop of 1.8% is quite commendable.
And I expect 2018 will continue to be in “recovery” mode, a lot of background work ongoing. A time to renegotiate vendor’s contract, reduce breakdown, training staffs, improve logistics, improve after sales, setting up production line for Boyue and future models, etc.
Since Boyue will only appear in later 2018, the sales figure can’t be expected to improve significantly, if at all. The bottom line is, all current Bao Teng models can’t attract consumers to commit, not without massive discounts which will squeeze tight Bao Teng’s margin. For the greater majority, tak nak pening, tak payah fikir, beli je Perodua or Honda.
Sales drop in 2017 – expected, because no new model. Commendable some more.
Sales drop in 2018 – expected, because Boyue will only launch end 2018.
Sales drop in 2019 – We learnt our lesson. We will have a comprehensive recovery plan for the next 5 years as well as new partner.
This is the cycle of Proton.
End customer sales din drop, just taxi sales only. Retail side increased 2.5% in a shrinking national car segment.
Are U Still in denying mode ?! It is better to bite the bullet & admit P1 needed a better/newer products line up.
OF cuz they need more lineup, never did deny that. But saying sales has dropped was false cuz customers still remain strong with P1 & growing. See the numbers, dude.
You retail got include government agencies ka?
What do u understand from the word “retail”?
Proton not enough new line up meh? Almost all their models were launched recently.
Not sufficient. They need a new Csegmenter that can bring higher margins, a refreshed Exora, and a A-segmenter for volume game like P2.
Need a new C segment sedan? How about A segment first :
“Geely Auto’s third generation compact sedan, Emgrand GL, which was designed to compete against foreign joint-venture brands in the A+ market segment sold 14,088 units in December and over 145,000 units over the course of 2017, becoming a best selling A+ class sedan in the Chinese market.”
Need a refreshed Exora? Geely’s new MPV expected to be launched in second half of 2018, it should be among next new rebadge model after Boyue to be introduced here.
As mentioned, Csegmenter for high profit margins. they can charge bit more for it. But in volume game Asegment hatchback, the profit margin is razor thin so to make money takes some more time. P1 needs both prongs to attack.
A C-segment crossover then, the Emgrand GS aww yeaaa.
Mr Aero your Iriz power window still ok? No more claim warranty again?
21 December 2016: Proton targets min 10k monthly sales next year, hopes to complete search for foreign partner in Q1 2017
…But with all the four products, we believe next year we should be able to achieve at least 10,000 sales per month, or 120,000 units for the whole of 2017,” he told the national news agency.
http://paultan.org/2017/01/06/proton-to-receive-firm-offers-from-3-automakers-soon/
While i respect ur views as a veteran member, i disagree on ur analysis.
If u read the numbers, P1 had growth of 2.5% year on year for the retail sector meaning despite the strong challenge from Biza, Saga3 & Persona2 does sells well indicating pipu still belip in P1 cars. This indicates a growing loyal fanbase for P1. And this is important becuz MAI showed a drop in national car sales % last year, so a retail increase in an otherwise downturn segment indicates healthy growth. The only reason overall sales is down cuz of less fleet sales as mentioned above. Another factor was the uncertainty of P1s buyout last year which contributed to customers hesitance to purchase. Limited models and oso the long life of those available certainly contributed to the slow sales.
However with Geely onboard, like u said, theres more optimism & aggressiveness in P1 now. The sales & dealers knows its no longer business as usual and theres more incentives to upgrade and push more sales, suppliers knows they no longer have an ex-chairman godfather to rely on with their overpriced parts, and Geely has a wider range of vehicles for P1 to go into new segments (ie Boyue), and Geely group now has more tech for P1 to leverage with. Developmental cost can now be shared instead of wholly absorbed into via lower Profit Margin or by customers via higher prices.
Being the brand that started the safety ball rolling, they can cross promo with Volvo Cars (considering safety is a main USP for Volvo, above all else). That alone can save on promotional costing.
All in all, some might call it spin but theres some positives to be taken from P1s result and, just like the country’s economic predicament, the dark clouds has passed and a brighter future awaits both. Im looking excitedly to what P1 will out in coming few years (Boyue for sure, maybe new larger platform for Preve2, a reskin for Exora, an A-segment fighter to Biza, a pickup truck maybe). The gud easy times may be over, but now P1 is finally allowed to stand on its feet and so, it must able to stand up and be counted in the automotive sector.
Proton sales so far after Myvi launching:
2006 – 115k
2007 – 118k
2008 – 141k
2009 – 148k
2010 – 157k
2011 – 158k
2012 – 141k
2013 – 138k
2014 – 115k
2015 – 102k
2016 – 72k
2017 – 70k
2018 – ???
Meaning Mivi2 sales wasnt so hot after all and was eaten up by Iriz sales. So whatcha trying to say there?
Based on my expert analysis, 2010 was the turning point.
Proton & Volkswagen Group Porsche merger wud saved the rakyat RM30 billion. This cud funded affordable housing for 25 million B40 & M40 rakyat, 85% population.
Change now to Selamatkan Malaysia
Change now? But they alredi change. Din u see the news of Geely buying 49.9% of P1?
Notice that the increased of sales during 2006-2011 Proton was actually under CEO Syed Zainal? A true car guy from Peordua who really knows how car business works and his apprenticeship in Perodua had taught him how to ultilise resources in the most effective way, Syed Zainal, imo, is the ablest man who headed Proton to date.
Syed Zainal introfuced the life time power window warranty to quell the power window stigma once in for all, he also transform the ill-executed, syiok sendiri Gen 2 into a instant best seller -The Persona by adding a rear trunk, glovebox and family orientated ride and handling. During under Syed Zainal’s helm, Proton had only introduced one new ground up developed model which was the Exora (the Persona is an evolution of Gen2) but sales was kept in positive growth.
Since DRB took over, it was an utter shit mess. DRB not only screw up the foundation which Syed Zainal’s team laid , but also being too pompous to gamble into the 60+k price point, in which the Suprima S failed miserably. They also mess up the interior logistics management (ask the internal staff and you’ll know), some parts took weeks to arrived at SC, as if Proton cars are imported from Germany!
Under DRB, Proton released numerous new models, Suprima S, Iriz, new Saga, new Persona, Perdana, but sales keep going south. They also resorted to self praising, syiok sendiri marketing with all these “game changer” empty slogan, only recently more humbled and stick to the ground last year.
This statistics is a stark reminder that in business, cronyism and favouritism don’t stand a chance in the might of consumers’ preference and brand power. Once your name is tainted, it will take years or even decade to restore the trust. No spec or seemingly good features will ensure brand’s loyalty unless you really work hard in setting up a good after sales chain, a criteria where Perodua really excels.
Proton must learn that once the car key is pass on to the car owner, that’s not the end of the story, it’s the beginning of its challenge to keep the owner happy and having a pleasant ownership experince. Do this and Proton is set for recovery. Neglect it, Proton will head to certain doomed. Is just whether the new Chinese boss can it through.
3/4 of comments mentions DRB fault but last para says P1 must learn. So isit P1 fault or DRB miss-management? Selling off to DRB was a necessary evil to fully remove this albatross around gov’s neck. But with Geely in, positive things r beginning to happen now.
Correction, under Syed Zainal, Proton launched two other ground-up-developed cars, the Saga second gen and the Preve(just before his departure)
I have to admit, the reason I bought back then, my 2008 high line Persona was because, at the time (under Syed Zainal), I truly felt it was a good effort to correct
the Gen2 ‘s flaws (lack of glovebox, wired interior design) and build a better product while using most of the existing components to save cost, while still maintaing the great ride and handling. it had better proportions than the donor car, even with a huge boot.
John,
Maybe I didn’t make it clear myself, it’s DRB mismanagement. In fact, I’ve heard Syed Zainal didn’t voluntarily resign, but they choose to show him the door after they deemed what Syed Zainal has done is enough for Proton’s recovery and the Preve will hence forth propel them to challenge Perodua.
In hindsight, this is not only proven wrong, but utterly stupid. Dato Seri Syed Zainal, in my view, is the best man for the job, why you need to get rid of a hardworking, serious technocrat who can deliver sales and profit? it’s just insane to let him go.
Tell me which Proton’s past CEO has this kind of charisma, energy and directional acuteness in the past? Not only he delivered the best selling saga2 and Persona, but also stop the unprofitable Savvy after being statistically crush by Myvi. During his helm, staff morale was high, from technical staff, to engineers and showroom sales person. Proton looked like a confident, unified team that can perform and with a clear sense of direction. Since DRB take over, it’s totally opposite, it seems like they are over confident and underestimate the consumer’s sentiment, launching (or rather rushing) one model after with ills and bugs, which put the early batch customers to dismay and squandered the sound engineering input behind it (especially the Iriz and Preve).
In isolation, despite all these mess, Proton cars as a driver’s enjoyment tool, is nothing short of a damn helluva great job well done. I love driving the manual transmission Iriz (more than my Fiesta Ecoboost) and the new Persona is a damn well sorted family B-seg sedan, it’s steering sharpness, cornering agility and high-speed stability can anytime put the popular City and Bezza to shame, only eclipsed by Mazda 2 sedan and Vento in the same segment.
With its sales taken a hard hit in recent years, I can see Proton is now serious in making good cars. Since Mr. Ogawa san (ex Nissan assembly line director) came into job, I notice a sharp improved in QC and fit and finishing. I can testify this because I bought a new Persona last year. After 15,000km with lots of potholes ridden roads near my house, the dashboard didn’t rattles, a stark contrast from my past horrible Proton ownership. The problem now is no matter what Proton do, car buyers just don’t give a damn and don’t want to know, they will automatically filter out any Proton’s new model and refuse to even step into the showroom. That’s how bad it is. The sooner Proton comes into grasp of this reality, the better they will device a down-to-earth plan to painfully win back customers trust. They have done a lot since 2016, but imo, still not enough, and I salute the tireless engineers and staffs who do a decent job, heck, even my Persona service experience has so far been pleasant.
With Geely onboard as the cash support (god knows ho long this will last, Proton can no doubt be in respite albeit performing so bad in sales, but it takes more than Chinese money to turn the company around. Be humble, be honest, shun all these “game changer” syiok sendiri marketing. If Perodua put in 100% effort in after sales, Proton must put 300% effort in after sales service to beat them.
It’s a daunting task, but I believe it can be done. I wish to see Proton rise again, and I’ve support them by buying one (finally, a Proton I love to drive and happy to own). But I’m still the minority. I used to curse and hate Proton, but if I can be convinced, I’m sure many millions of Malaysian would. It just takes sweat, tears and tremendous effort. Which Proton must willing to do, for survival and make Malaysian proud again.
Geely had just announced they pecah sales record, 2017 annual sale was 1.24 mil units. What has Geely to say about it? This :
“Mr. Lin Jie, Geely Auto’s Vice President and General Manager of Geely Auto sales company said “Just as the 3.0 era models have set new benchmarks in the market segment, we are also setting new benchmarks for sales and service in the 3.0 era. Only by upgrading our dealerships and raising our sales and service standards to meet the demands of a new generation of consumers were we able to achieve annual sales of over 1 million units for the first time.””
Have faith in the might of Geely. Volvo did and were truly rewarded. Next is up to us.
@malaysian driver
I fully agree with u about DSZ. I compared my 2008 Gen2 CPS with my fren 2007 pre-facelift Gen2, and i can say everything of my CPS is like heaven when compared. The engine was superb and, gosh the quality improvements! Throughout my 9+ years ownership, I only had to replace 2 light bulbs and driver window arm, other than standard wear&tear items.
@malaysian driver,
Well said. As Iriz 1.3 CVT pre-fl owner, i feel so scarred and traumatised. Never have I driven such a frustrating gearbox that is so indecisive and jerks so much, it made me lose trust in it.
It’s a real shame given Iriz actually has some things done right, even against new Myvi3, like :
1. Bigger side mirrors, the myvi3 is crap i feel, too small. Not like Iriz has the biggest (old myvi1 and 2 were excellent), but if to narrow between these 2 cars, Iriz is bigger, fact. Ideally, I feel both cars could do well adding extra tiny mirrors to widen field of vision.
2. Better seats. It’s easy to underestimate the importance of this, after all how to put it in spec sheet? It is something that can only be appreciated by actually sitting in one, and to think you would sit on it for many hours over the next many years as long as you own it, it is quite a delight to have a good one.
3. Iriz has 3 tripmeters vs 1. WTF myvi3, you went from 2 to 1, yes you add more other info options, but why it comes at the cost of 1 tripmeter?
4. Iriz has temperature meter, thank goodness it still has this. Myvi3 removed it.
5. Iriz’s front cupholders (well, next to handbrake) much more accessible than myvi3. Myvi3 is just stupid, trying to be designy, but it’s just not as practical. There is just no excuse really, designers should think practical function first before aesthetic. Myvi1 was excellent with huge space under the radio, still has front cupholders, myvi2 just as good, then myvi3 was just so cramped i think the space in front of gear lever is barely big enough to put a 6″ smartphone properly secured.
6. HPF > high tensile steel. In crash test, sure myvi3 looks safer, but in reality, at least there’s already plenty iriz accidents where the HPF really did its job, and can be fully credited for keeping the occupants alive. Just the other day I saw photos of Iriz squashed by 2 lorry trailers, the HPF section at the B pillar ensured the cabin wasn’t intruded as much and the occupants miraculously survived with some injuries, but alive. The advantage is proven.
Myvi3 had a lot to live up to, on paper it looks good given the crash test rate, so we gotta wait for real world crashes to prove its mettle.
7. I had a test drive with Iriz 1.6 premium refined version lately, tbh, I probably wouldn’t be so traumatised by campro vvt + punch CVT had only it behaved like this in the first place.
But the damage still had been done, and I think it’s really the end of the line. Ultimately, no matter how refined the powertrain now, it just isn’t enough to get EEV status.
So move on already, Proton should work to adopt new Geely powertrain, stat. It’s guaranteed to get EEV status, giving more incentives, proton can price their cars even more competitively, consumers love to have better fc, win win.
Mivi3 dun have temp meter? Goodness me! Thats like a timebomb waiting to happen!
@john
Many cars removed it. Vios, city, many more. Apa salahan temp meter, barely takes any space, and just how much can they save removing it?
Even with tens of thousands of cars ordered by Gomen per year….bomba, tudm, pdrm, kastam, immigresyen, tldm, tabung haji and hundreds of other Government departments
Still can only sell 70,000????
I work for PDRM outsourcing. We order about 8000 cars per year from Proton.
You should order from better automakers lah.
Well, PDRM now multisources from various suppliers; Nissan, Toyota, Chevy, Volvo, even P2.
Well, PDRM & JPJ gotta make early bookings for hot selling Proton Bayu SUv.
Normally gov fleet gets 1st picks. But now the demand for faster to market, P1 might prioritise selling to retail 1st.
Some one claimed majority of P1 sales wuz from gov, but PT alredi broke that fake news, with 97.5% of sales is coming from dealer end customers. So how to belip basher now?
Going to flip it around. And it is going to sound even worst.
Its not that proton only sold 70,000 cars in total. It’s that there were way less than that figure that were bought by people that actually wanted to buy one. I wonder if proton publishes its fleet sales amounts.
Long gone were the time when new pre-registered Protons actually cost more than new ones.
Large portion of P2’s Axia is ordered from driving school. How would you answer that?
Without new model for Q1, 2018 proton will struggle a lot.
6 January 2017: …Proton CEO Ahmad Fuaad said to the New Straits Times that the company is targeting sales totalling 120,000 units this year, on the back of four models launched last year, the Perdana, Persona, Saga and Ertiga.
http://paultan.org/2017/01/06/proton-to-receive-firm-offers-from-3-automakers-soon/
Target 120,000. Actual 70,991. That’s 59%.
If your anak get 59% for exam, how you feel?
59%. Compete against the Best or the mediocre?
2012 – proton sales 141k
2013 – 138k
2014 – 115k
2015 – 102k
2016 – below 80k
2017 – below 80k
bye-bye proton. your sales dropped to 50% in less than 5 years. accept that fact. arrogant.
Game Over proton. You are not a game changer.
See, I told you all so last month. Confirmed 2017 YTD Dec negative % over 2016 YTD Dec.
Baoteng tak payah waste time issuing statements shiok sendiri saying this is positive, that is positive in small corners of their segments. Their overall sales is a big fat NEGATIVE. Orang Malaysia sudah pandai.
21 March 2017:
More than 70% of local university grads choose to buy foreign vehicles rather than the national car – Proton
…Some 70% of local university graduates who have completed their studies choose to buy foreign-made cars because they think Proton is not comparable to foreign brands, according to recently-appointed Proton Edar CEO Abdul Rashid Musa.
https://paultan.org/2017/03/21/more-than-70-of-local-university-grads-choose-to-buy-foreign-vehicles-rather-than-the-national-car-proton/
They buy what they think only. Lepas beli pening sbb tak dapat 20.1km/l, lol
Blame dwindling sales on taxis ?
That is lame. Reality is that nobody wants a Proton and no matter how much you improve on customer service , your product still stinks . Management should revamp the entire fleet and start introducing new models.
Until this happens we will continue to see
sales shrinking every quarter.
Quote“…Geely Auto performed a stringent quality audit of our cars and within 3 months, we were able to improve our quality points threefold,”
Well that says it all doesn’t it. Basically they’re admitting the fact that their quality before this was poor.
Anyways, looking forward for further improvements. I think it’s time to improve Preve and Suprima…
within 3 months, we were able to improve our quality points threefold..
wow
” Geely Auto performed a stringent quality audit of our cars and within 3 months, we were able to improve our quality points threefold ”
So for over 30 years Proton was unable to improve quality threefolds? WHY?
Why did it take an outsider PRC company to get the job done? In 3 months some more. WHY?
Yes En Rashid, what were you doing all these while when sitting as CTO?
Geely aint a big brand themselves. And they do QC for u ? Pls, their cars are crap cars as well.
U want good stuff, partner with a Jap co like what Perodua is doing. See how well Myvi is selling.
China and Korea cars still suck big time.
Boyue’s 2017 sale alone beat Perodua’s entire sale. Taken from Geely’s announcement of record-breaking 2017 performance :
“For the last three consecutive months of 2017, Geely Auto’s flagship SUV, Bo Yue, sold more than 30,000 units per month, with December ending with 31,205 units sold and an annual total of 286,900 units. The Bo Yue has become a SUV market leader and has set a new benchmark within the market its leadings levels of intelligence and connectivity.”
Perodua? All the tongkat it receives, forever loved by consumers for having Toyota DNA all this while, yet today, they’re puny to Geely that’s way younger than them, ptuik.
Proton got so much potential based on things they acquired as well as showcased in the past
Get rid of all the incompetent monkeys. That’s the first move to increase sales.
Proton can increase their sales if hire purchase tenure revert back to maximum 7 years. People opt to buy H & T badge due to only RM150-RM200 difference for 9 years loan.
I like new proton perdana .Cantik !
When Proton is sold to Geely, our dear old man, Tun M still crying………..Hey, we do not such a national car if it does not make us proud and majority of Malaysian is not accepting it. Everyone is expecting Persona and Saga when they were about to launch last year. What do we have? If Proton does not have the technology, nevermind, please learn. Or at least exterior and interior be designed nicely. We can not even have a god designer?
Quality is the major concern. Suprima S, steering starts to vibrate and create noise. The rear door vertical bar for the window, guess what? Only the second year, paint is totally faded and steel is corroded.
Proton persona, after 4 years, plastic layer of steering starts to peel off while Avanza 12 yrs car, the steering is still in good shape.
Very easy and everyone know what to do. All the CEO, high post staffs should be sacked and changed all the suppliers.