Proton ends Q1 2019 with record figures – 2,979 X70 sold in March, highest ever SUV sales in M’sian history

Proton ends Q1 2019 with record figures – 2,979 X70 sold in March, highest ever SUV sales in M’sian history

Proton has ended the first quarter of 2019 on a high, with 6,145 vehicles registered in March alone, representing a market share or 11%, which is a 2.6% improvement over the same month in 2018. For comparison’s sake, the national carmaker sold 5,283 units in February, and 7,007 cars in January.

What’s more, Proton recorded a 46.1% increase in vehicle registrations in March (vs March 2018), which it says is equivalent to a growth rate nearly four times higher than the industry as a whole. Compared to the first three months of 2018, Proton’s cumulative sales figure for Q1 2019 increased by 43.5%, while the TIV only grew by 6.7%. Proton claims that this puts it ahead of all its rival brands in terms of growth, along with a sizeable lead over the fourth best-selling automotive brand in Malaysia (Toyota).

Proton CEO, Dr Li Chunrong said, “the numbers posted by Proton in 2019 is the direct result of hard work put in at every level of the company. These achievements are possible due to the growth in the number of 3S/4S outlets, an increase in product quality, refocusing on customer service and improvements in many other areas. With the forthcoming launch of our updated models later this year, Proton is confident its investment in the business will continue to benefit sales growth.”


The X70 SUV is the most popular Proton model in the line-up for 2019, with nearly 10,000 units sold since its launch in December 2018

To break the numbers down, 2,979 units of the Proton X70 were registered in March. The figure represents a new record for the Malaysian auto industry for the most registrations ever obtained by an SUV in a single month, according to the company. It’s also the most popular SUV for the first three months of the year, with 8,579 units sold so far in 2019. Total registrations for the X70 from its launch late last year now stand at 9,906 units, with over 25,000 bookings received to date.

“With delivery numbers of the Proton X70 increasing, we are hopeful of being able to reduce waiting times for our customers. At the same time, we are working diligently to ensure each unit we deliver is perfect as our aim is for our new SUV to be the highest rated vehicle for the Initial Quality Study rankings for Malaysia in 2019,” added Dr Li.

As for dealer network, Proton currently has 75 3S/4S outlets spread across the country, and it claims to lead all automotive brands in terms of numbers of such outlets.

“One of the reasons why sales are increasing is the number of 3S/4S outlets in Proton’s network. We have proven that these outlets are very effective at attracting new and current customers to our brand as they are able to deliver a premium sales and after sales service experience. Therefore, we will be adding more such outlets in 2019 in preparation for the introduction of our future models,” Dr Li noted.

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Comments

  • Semi-Value (Member) on Apr 02, 2019 at 12:15 pm

    cos its cheap and decent.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 17
    • Rm100k is certainly not cheap, but decent is an understatement. It is a very, very good car for the price you pay.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 53 Thumb down 5
      • john 2019 on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:32 pm

        I think the X70 is not the highest. After doing research in the web, I’ve found that the Game Changing Aruz IS the highest ever SUV sales here in history

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 47
        • Share your “research” or I’m calling your bluff.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
        • john Reborned on Apr 02, 2019 at 6:28 pm

          Ikr, probably this article is like the Toyota Etios one, April Fool article. Gud job PT teams for the great April Fool article!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 7
        • Kunta kentut on Apr 02, 2019 at 6:44 pm

          Dare to share the link?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 2
        • john (Roti) on Apr 02, 2019 at 7:21 pm

          I agree bro! The Game Changing Aruz is just the perfect car for an SUV lover. Why people dont like X70? Because when you activate voice command and say :” Proton, john minum teh 8x”, X70 masuk parit and Game Over

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 50
          • redpilled on Apr 02, 2019 at 8:48 pm

            Why are you so sour to this news? Aren’t you glad P1 is on the right trajectory?
            Why do you have to be like the Democrats who are not happy to hear Trump did not collude with Russia and not relieved Trump is not a Russian spy?

            Would you rather see P1 go under and 10,000 Malaysians out of work? Not to mention stake holders going kaput as well and more Malaysians out of work some more?

            Are you really Malaysia at heart?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 1
        • Kunta K0n3k on Apr 02, 2019 at 9:03 pm

          Link please.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
          • Anyone can help ? on Apr 03, 2019 at 9:59 pm

            My x70 cannot go above 350km … How ?!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3
        • Ur research in ur living area was not correct, from Jan-Mar:- Aruz 6100 units, X70 got 8600 units on the road.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
      • YB Kunta Kinte on Apr 02, 2019 at 6:01 pm

        What Malaysians really want to know is whether Proton is making money or not. Since we supported Proton for 20 years using our LHDN money, it is our right to know whether Proton is making any money now.

        Sometimes, sales can be so good but since they are still keeping their overbloated staff of 10,000, it may not be making money at all.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 9
        • Roti John Sdn Bhd on Apr 04, 2019 at 11:09 am

          Now no more using ur lhdn fund la, still dreaming kah? Using lhdn fund is atok’s idea…. But guess he is once more all friend with China again since he would actually like to revive ECRL and stopped bashing China over some Uighurs

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
    • Kun Fa Ten on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:12 pm

      Kodi car ma,no resale value in 5 yrs

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 26
    • YB Kunta Kinte on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:16 pm

      According to MAA figures, Proton sales are the same as last year. It is as if Proton never launched the Proton X70.

      This is because, all the Exora, Suprima, Persona, Iriz and Ertiga buyers forgone buying those cars and migrated to buying the Proton X70

      So, Exora, Persona, Iriz sales are super low now.

      In other words, at the end of the year, Proton will sell 60,000 to 80,000 cars.

      How to make money like this?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 22
      • All those are legacy products. Proton is currently in a transition period so we’d have to wait until more modern platforms from Geely come to Malaysia and utilise the Tanjung Malik plant to it’s full potential. I think in two years, Proton will give the Japs a real run for their money.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 5
      • ya..ya.. those potential buyer of RM50 – 60k Exora Iriz etc simply jump to RM100k+ X70
        ..

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
      • But profit increase because X70 selling well.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
      • Khairul on Apr 03, 2019 at 10:12 am

        Really? The same customer range that bought Persona can afford the X70? Then why people said X70 is expensive?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • P2macai on Apr 02, 2019 at 12:26 pm

    highest ever SUV sales in M’sian history? P2 Aruz

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 41
    • YB Kunta Kinte on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:19 pm

      Sales is sales. Most important, can Proton make money? Currently it is losing RM4 mil per day.

      Can it make money???

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 20
    • 2019 john on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:35 pm

      You’re right, I suspect that this article is actually an April Fool article like the Toyota Etios article.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 13
    • January – March SUV sales, Perodua less 2000 units behind Proton.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • MyNewToy on Apr 02, 2019 at 12:44 pm

    That’s work. Proven how to make easy money without work hard. Proton rebadges Geely China, Modenas rebadge Baja India. Inokom Hyundai Korea, Perodua should rebadge CX7 and CX3!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 12
    • theblues on Apr 02, 2019 at 4:42 pm

      perodua did it for a long2 time.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 2
    • CarSD on Apr 02, 2019 at 4:56 pm

      Perodua should rebadge Lexus NX200 and put the price par on X70, then we call it direct competitor

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 1
    • CarSD on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:33 pm

      Perodua should rebadge Lexus NX200, then we call direct competitor to X70

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 2
  • AiyaaEhh on Apr 02, 2019 at 12:46 pm

    6145 cars sold since Jan til March?
    P2 sold 20k cars in Jan alone also tidak heboh. Lols.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 31
    • Veneno on Apr 02, 2019 at 4:11 pm

      Too lazy to read, eh..??

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 2
    • PlainBS on Apr 02, 2019 at 4:13 pm

      Ask P2 selling model that are worth RM90k above and let’s see how they can achieve in sales, probably less than 500 units b4 cease production lol. Heck, last time their Nautica isn’t even RM90k.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 0
    • Calvin on Apr 02, 2019 at 4:28 pm

      Ferrari only sold 1,000 cars since Jan til March. Tak heboh pun?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 4
      • Pro2Pelari on Apr 02, 2019 at 10:05 pm

        Bugatti Chiron sold 500 cars since 2016 til 2018 tak heboh pun.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • And how many Aruz did Perodua despite being much cheaper and have ready stock in March? Wait until X50 is here, by then you will see Proton taking back the top spot. LOLs

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 1
    • typical malaysian on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:00 pm

      p2 laku keras=orang tidak mampu
      p1 laku keras= orang semakin mampu

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
    • YB Kunta Kinte on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:21 pm

      Most important….can Proton make money??? Or will they ask another RM1.5 bil bailout?

      Currently all X70 is CBU. So all profits go back to Geely China as the car is 100% Made in China.

      So, can Proton make any money?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 12
      • PlainBS on Apr 03, 2019 at 8:09 am

        China management won’t pull some strategy that aren’t profitable, they aren’t as incompetent and stupid as previous management. This is Chinaman we are talking about, not some ninja fruit cutter LoL.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • Tak tahu baca bahasa ingeris ke?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Abu John on Apr 02, 2019 at 12:48 pm

    Careful proton. While the number looks good for x70, you need to take into account those are backlogged orders. And what did happen to sale of other models ie saga, Iriz, persona, exora, perdana? Sales figures are surprisingly similar to the year before. So, where is the improvement?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 6
    • No doubt sales are disproportionately skewed towards the X70 right now. On the contrary, I think this bodes well for the company because now we know that the cars Geely designs are very popular here. Once the legacy pre-Geely models are phased out with much more modern Geely models, that’s when we should see Proton really see sales soar.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Karim A. Bachik on Apr 02, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    Why the figure of January 2019 sales in this article is different from yesterday’s article?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • geely on Apr 02, 2019 at 1:16 pm

    congrats Geely for the great sales result in Malaysia. Time to ask for more tax exemption for CBU…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
  • sam001 on Apr 02, 2019 at 1:19 pm

    Yaya, more excited product please

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Daddykasi on Apr 02, 2019 at 1:20 pm

    The number figure tell the truth. Buyer dont want campro & punch cvt inside. X70 using TGDI.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 2
  • Well done geely. You have saved proton. I hope proton wont ask money from Gov. Good idea to sell proton to geely in the first place.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
    • geely on Apr 03, 2019 at 12:23 pm

      proton didnt ask but geely asking for more tax exemption to import more CBU. big no no.. geely should start pushing for CKD

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Pearl on Apr 02, 2019 at 1:24 pm

    The upcoming proton MPV based on geely will be a hit. That one going to lift proton sale even higher.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • Pakulupapito on Apr 02, 2019 at 1:32 pm

    Guest Malaysia are getting more clever. Value>brands

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • To the basher: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    P1, Geely, Mesidis, VolvoCar, VolvoTrucks, Lotus > all

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 4
    • 1 April john on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:34 pm

      This article is clearly an April Fool. Why? Because the Aruz “is” the real Game Changer with the highest sales record in history

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 20
    • YB Kunta Kinte on Apr 02, 2019 at 6:02 pm

      After getting caught during the weekend for multiple dupes and impersonating and framing others, you still persist in making fun of other people

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
  • Henry on Apr 02, 2019 at 2:02 pm

    What have we learned here? It is the product. What is Proton doing during the past many years?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 4
  • typical malaysian on Apr 02, 2019 at 2:06 pm

    queue the bashing in 3…2…1…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • Abesla on Apr 02, 2019 at 2:08 pm

    WTF?! Over 25,000 booking compared to just 13,000 for Aruz?! Nearly double of Aruz figures!

    Double WTF?! X70 units delivered is still outpacing Aruz?!
    X70: March (2,979), Feb (2,823)
    Aruz: March (2,000), Feb (2,000)

    Abesla Aruz! With such lagging figures, abesla Perodua!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 6
  • YB Albert on Apr 02, 2019 at 2:11 pm

    MR DRB…might as well bungkus the rest of the product range and just sell X70.
    The exoras,subprima,hondana,ertiga hardly move.except sagas and personas.
    Aiyah..dr.Li just cut the crap…bring in all the latest Tongsan right hand versions of suv,mpv,sedans and fight it out with the big boys.
    GEELY MALAYSIA BERHAD…A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 12
    • Geely ultimate plan is for Proton to be independent like Volvo and become a major player in the region. Unfortunately, Proton was in such a bad state of health and lacked any new models in development Geely provided the Boyue as a stopgap measure to shore up sales. This also help saving time and money from developing a SUV from scratch, money that Proton didn’t have.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 0
    • YB Kunta Kinte on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:22 pm

      30 years of motoring by Proton has gone down the drain. We are just a reseller now.

      Malu betul. Rakyat suffered for 30 years with high car prices protecting Proton.

      Now we got nothing to show

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 16
      • So should we be malu for Perodua since they are just a Toyota crap car reseller for 30 years now? Even now we still got nothing to show.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
      • john Reborned on Apr 02, 2019 at 7:13 pm

        At least we still got the Game Changing Perodua to provide us the best car with cheap price. Not like Proton, 30 years of automotive now Game Over already

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 12
        • Keith on Apr 02, 2019 at 7:56 pm

          Perodua from d start backup by toyota. Personally think both same same.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
        • YAB Alberto on Apr 02, 2019 at 10:38 pm

          Perodua what? Its a kampung car that no one out of malaysian border knows

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
        • Aruz very expensive, Perodua greedy. That car should cost 60k+ instead of 70k+.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Tahniah!
    P1, Geely, Mesidis, VolvoCar, VolvoTrucks, Lotus, L&C, Polestar > all

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 4
  • jamal on Apr 02, 2019 at 2:20 pm

    No retreat No surrender! Dongibap!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 2
  • This should be seen as good news for the Malaysian SUV market.

    As I mentioned a few times late last year, if Proton came out with a good price and well executed launch then it could give other SUV manufacturers a well deserved shake up. Not before time, IMO, as the buying market has been treated with disrespect from some other companies by watering down their features for the Malaysian market.

    The interesting question is who is losing out on sales of SUV’s? I suspect Honda, although have no proof of that yet.

    Let’s see if other SUV manufacturers start to react to these compelling numbers.

    Interesting times.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
    • Lets See on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:51 pm

      The losers are from many brands and from various of segments.

      Toyota & Honda are losing steam in their SUV sales despite Toyota launching a slew of SUVs last year (Rush, Fortuner) as well cannibalising customers that were considering Innova & Avanza.

      Honda HRV & lower spec CRV sales are badly affected by X70 too as to date Honda sales figure are within reach of Proton. Only the V-Spec CRV customers remained unswayed solely because of branding.

      What the most surprising loser is Perodua Aruz. As a poster above noted Aruz registration is consistently behind X70 registration. Supposedly as a much cheaper option Aruz would have outsold X70 much like all other Perodua models but in the couple of months going head to head the X70 sales outnumbered Aruz. This would indicate Perodua isn’t pulling enough customers as they had since their cars are in the cheaper price range. Paying RM70k is a lot to ask for from the lower end segment that Perodua have always attracted. It seems many would prefer to take a slightly bigger loan and go for the X70.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • tokmoh. on Apr 02, 2019 at 3:52 pm

    What’s that I hear? Proton gone mad? Who gonna pay RM100k for Chinese junk? Majority will cancel X70 booking? Honda, Mazda SA can have peace of mind?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Glory to Geely Empire!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 5
  • Proton could easily achieve 4k units of X70 sold per month if they have more stock. Interestingly, X70 Premium is the most popular judging from its waiting list is the longest.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 2
  • Ma Ah Seng on Apr 02, 2019 at 5:08 pm

    No second value ma.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 7
    • Bruno Mars on Apr 02, 2019 at 6:07 pm

      And yet people are still plonking their money for a brand new X70. This showed their confidence in Proton is iron-willed.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
    • Optimus on Apr 03, 2019 at 12:34 am

      Second value? You mean secondhand value? If I were a buyer, why would I care about secondhand value when I get to enjoy the upfront RM40000 price difference with CRV TC-P?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
    • How u know?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • If a typical Honda CRV’s poor built quality makes you upset like some Malaysians, just buy this X70.
    Premium interior and of course better built quality than the CRV. Many are seen on the roads now especially in KL and Selangor.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • taiko on Apr 03, 2019 at 9:01 am

    End of this year, REBATE

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Hentamajela on Apr 03, 2019 at 1:42 pm

    Wait for x70 ckd with 1.5 turbo 7 speed….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Nice ! This is the prove that X70 worth for money.

    I’ve read most of the comment, i still dont know why people keep comparing X70 vs Aruz. Imo , maybe you guys are so poor that u cannot even afford a RM100k+ and you start talking nonsense to make yourself feel better ? 100k+ is certainly not cheap but you should compare X70 with cars in the same segment such Mazda Cx5 and Honda Cx5.

    I tested drive the X70 and im seriously amaze with how well built this car is. The driving experience is not at the same level as my Cx5 but its better compare to my brother’s CRV. And it even got Nappa leather, 360 camera and sunroof ! Im speechless because the price gap between this X70 and my Cx5 is almost Rm40k.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Catherine Pua on Apr 04, 2019 at 8:52 am

    Why is the BEZZA not listed here! It is one of the most popular models ? And please inform the price of this car .

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Farid on Apr 04, 2019 at 12:48 pm

    Because of Geely.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Literally, the car was selling like hotcakes. I mean the SUV. and it is the only car that selling like hotcakes and the rest of the model are represent their failure. Even though there are new facelift models introduce later.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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