Proton – 150,000 car bookings in first 6 months of 2022

In the first six months of 2022, Proton has received over 150,000 vehicle bookings. This was revealed by deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah during the launch of Proton’s new engine plant in Tanjung Malim yesterday and was mentioned in the company’s latest sales performance announcement recently.

The end of the sales and service tax (SST) exemption on June 30 undoubtedly had an impact on bookings, with car buyers rushing to take advantage of the savings that came with the tax holiday. For instance, the X70 MC launched on June 9 originally had a starting price of RM93,900 on-the-road without insurance, inclusive of the SST exemption.

After June 30, the SUV now starts from RM98,800, or RM4,900 higher than before. This applies to the base 1.5 TGDi Standard 2WD variant, although the other four options also saw a price increase without the exemption in play. According to Roslan, 10,985 bookings for the X70 MC were received since the model’s launch, while the Saga saw 34,017 bookings during the first six months of 2022.

In a July 4 release, Roslan said, “June was a busy month for the automotive industry with most brands trying to produce as many cars as possible to satisfy market demand. The announcement that SST incentives would be removed on July 1 also created a surge in bookings as customers rushed to take advantage of the savings offered.”

“Proton has received more than 150,000 bookings for the first six months of the year and when added to carry-over orders from 2021, we will need to work hard to deliver cars as quickly as possible to eager customers,” he added.

Prior to the end of the SST exemption, Proton said it would stop accepting new orders on a model-to-model basis depending on its production limit. It added that it will strive to ensure customers who have placed a booking before the end of the SST exemption period are able to receive and register their vehicles before April 1, 2023 to enjoy the tax savings.

While the number of bookings is encouraging, purchase transactions are still subject to terms and conditions, including bank loan approval. As such, not all bookings will necessarily be converted into a sale, Roslan said then.

From January to June this year, Proton has managed to deliver a total of 60,124 vehicles, with 14,787 units sold in June alone. According to its estimates, market share for the year-to-date is currently 18.2%, which is 5.1% down from this time last year.

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