Proton sold 14,033 units in February 2023; B-segment Persona sedan, X50 SUV continue to lead segments

Proton has continued its sales momentum this year by selling 52% more vehicles in the month of February 2023 compared to the month before, which equals a 162% gain over the same month last year, the national carmaker has announced.

A sales volume of 14,033 units, including both domestic and export sales was achieved last month, and which represented a 20.1% increase over its sales volume in January. The carmaker’s sales performance for the first two months of the year increased 88% to 25,714 units, it said.

With this month’s sales performance, Proton has estimated its market share for February to be 22.7%, or a gain of 7.3% over the same month last year, thus continuing to be the second bestselling brand in the country.

Malaysian car sales overall experienced gains for the second month in a row with an estimated total industry volume (TIV) of 62,300 units, which Proton has attributed to companies working to fulfil bookings before the March 31 deadline for the sales tax exemption.

The Persona continues to be the top B-segment sedan sales performer for Proton, with 2,313 units sold in February and thus surpassing the 2,000-unit mark three months in a row, which follows its previous feat of selling more than 2,000 units a month for five months in a row from June to October 2020, according to Proton.

Also held by Proton is market leadership in the B-SUV segment through the X50, which continues to be the Malaysian market’s most popular SUV overall with 3,247 units sold in February 2023. The X50 also saw an 11% gain this year, for the period of the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2022.

Also remaining king of its domain is the Exora, which leads the C-segment MPV category with 336 units sold last month, and 668 units were sold in total for 2023 so far, representing a 216% gain over the same period last year.

Retaining its position as Proton’s bestselling model is the Saga, which attained a sales volume of 6,345 units in February and arriving at 11,333 units sold so far this year, also retaining position as the second-best seller in its A-sedan segment.

The brand’s first SUV, the Proton X70 matched its sales performance in the first two months of the year, says Proton, with 981 units sold in February for a total of 1,914 units in the year to date. Meanwhile, its B-segment hatchback, the Iriz achieved its strongest sales performance since August 2022 with 811 units sold last month, arriving at a 156% gain for the first two months of the year compared to 2022.

“Over the next few months, Proton will also be making several announcements to shape the company’s direction for 2023 and beyond. This will be a busy year as we establish our presence in new segments, enter the new energy vehicle market and build our EV credentials when sales of the smart #1 begin,” said Proton deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah.

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