Proton, which today announced that it was targeting to increase its sales volume by 32% this year, is looking at a significant growth in exports to help it achieve its aim. According to its CEO Li Chunrong, the national automaker is targeting 4,000 units for export in 2020, a considerable increase from that managed last year.
Speaking at the company’s Chinese New Year medial luncheon earlier today, he said that the figure could potentially swell to around 6,000 units with additional help and incentives from the government. In December, Li said that the automaker planned to increase its exports once it launched new and upgraded models this year, and had at that point mentioned a target of 5,000 cars a year.
In the last two years, Proton has been able to increase its exports to 1,000 units from the 200 vehicles it did in 2017, but as Li said last month, this – and the country’s 3% export rate for its locally-assembled cars – is not enough.
He said that with the company seeking to become an “international brand” and a top three player in ASEAN by 2027, exports – and the right products – would play an important part in getting the company there. Li has also said that the automaker, which is targeting to shift 400,000 units annually and have a 30% market share locally by 2027, is ready to mix it up with the likes of Honda and Toyota,
The automaker’s largest export market currently is Egypt, where it sells left-hand drive Saga and Exora models. Proton is also set to ramp up its presence in Pakistan – it is collaborating with local distributor Alhaj Automotive to build a CKD assembly plant in Karachi.
Production activities are scheduled to begin in 2021, with plans to assemble several Proton models – including the X70 SUV – in the country. It has been previously reported that around 2,000 direct employment opportunities will be created within the plant’s first three years of operations, with a further 20,000 indirect jobs expected.
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Actually Proton should have enhance the local models with latest technology especially in term of engine and transmission as they’re obviously aging compare to the competitor…
Thank you Geely China for teaching Proton to do business in international market. Without your Game-Changing teaching, I think by today Proton would have only exported 0 unit and Game Over in international market
Proton like to syiok sendiri and claim to be “The BMW of Asia” which is what Kunta always mention before. Funny is that Proton could not do well in Southeast Asia market despite being called as The BMW of Asia
Thanks to all our abang-abang engineers, technicians, operators, all the way down to the cleaners for making Proton a great success since Day One. You all have contributed much to the national automotive sectors and made your country proud. Without you guys, we would not have reached this level today. So tahniah to you all! You have made Proton proud, you have made DRB proud, you have made Malaysia proud, you have made us rakyat proud. Now is time to impress Geely and make them proud. Majulah Proton!
In 2030, proton brand will leading, bmw and Mercedes, soon will leading Ferrari , Lamborghini these brands…lolzz
Govt incentives? P1 oh p1 still need govt help to boost sales? Wat a shame.
Huh? Haven’t you heard that is what’s Trump-China tariff war is all about? So what if Proton need government help to boost exports if the 2 largest economies in the world are doing the same?
Geely only started in 1997. Proton started in 1985.
Yet Geely can make USD$30 billion in profit last year.
I wonder why Proton could not make it also when they also could have exported Proton cars to the China market and to the world market.
Geely only had the China market to market their cars in the past and that also they had to compete with so many local China car producers.
How come a younger company like Geely can do so well? Answer is hard work.
Proton started out in 1985 and within 20 years they could develop and produce their own cars and engines.
Yet Perodua 30 years on and still relied on Daihatsu and Toyota to rebadge their cars and use their engines.
How come in the same period Proton by themselves could come out with their own cars and engines, but Perodua with Daihatsu and Toyota support still continue to rebadge their cars and use their engines? Answer is hard work & Proton innovation.
Wat a shame you don’t know how export commerce goes. No country have done it without governmental help. The same reason why tariffs and trade barriers are around the supposedly free world countries.
what is the meaning of “national automaker” when it’s owned by China corporation? national as in China nationality?
Lambo (Italian), Skoda (Czech) owned by German.. JLR (UK) owned by Indian.. Holden (Aus) owned by US..
Nevermind, all that partying, GRO pu$$¥ and blow is frying his brain…
Swedes still consider Volvo as being a Swedish brand even when it’s owned by China. So?
Nissan is sold to Renault. Does it make it a French company? So why did their Japanese managers backstabbed Ghosn?
Perodua tak perlu insentif kerajaan pun jualan meletup sentiasa melepasi 200k.
Tak usah pening tak usah banyak fikir, beli jer perodua.
Perodua still got national carmaker tax incentives despite being just a car assembler for so long. Why don’t they start paying taxes they owed and not rely on government help to export?
Incentive vs tax deduction.
Both Proton and Perodua get tax deduction.
Proton get more incentives.
Are you confused Brian?
Perodua got the same national car incentives as Proton did despite them being mainly a car assembler and not doing as extensive R&D compared to Proton. Learn more and not just stay in your hole.
You sell cheap cars, your sales sure high lah. Last time when Proton was the cheapest brand before P2 was formed, they were No. 1 also mah. It is all about who buys what cars they can afford and it is obvious, there are the most people at the bottom of the pyramid. That is where P2’s market is, at the bottom of the pyramid. Good place to be for them actually. Not easy for P1 to get at that stage unless the economy booms and people start abandoning the cheapest cars available.
Proton has moved on from pandering to the bottom segments. We can see the reason, by targeting the middle class and upper middle, they could up their profit margins and this clearly reaped results when Proton turned black within a year. And this results is even more commendable on the backdrop of their 2019 expenditures to setup the new line, improving and launching 3 facelifted models, and upgrading Proton aftersales into 3S/4S centers.
Ohh maiii. Need gov help AGAIN to gain sales volume???
Looks like Proton is skipping Indonesia market? Well if Proton want to capture Indonesia market should produce at decent MPV with Iriz/Persona chassis plus Geely’s transmission and engine…
Their biggest mistake was that they left the german market in the 1990s. I still frequently see Satrias or Wiras on the roads there, not bad as there are mandatory TUV (Puspakom) inspections every two years.
The German market demanded higher safety standards than what Proton was geared to do at the time they exited. Only recently did they have sufficient safety standards in their cars to meet those requirements.
If it wasn’t because of Anthony Loke this wouldn’t have happened. Thank you!!
Elaborate how Loke & Co is contributing to Proton’s achievements other than increasing car prices across the board, limiting X70 imports, and choosing Velfires & Accords as their minister cars?
Kindly clarify how this particular politician made it happen???