KUALA LUMPUR (March 2): Proton Holdings Bhd sold 11,873 units to customers in February 2021, nearly double the 5,964 units sold in the month earlier.

The carmaker also saw a 19.9% increase in sales volume from February 2020. Overall, however, total sales for the first two months of the year were still 643 units or 3.5% behind last year’s cumulative total as of the same period, it said in a statement today.

Not only that, the sales volume in February — equivalent to an estimated market share of 27.1% — was the highest for the company since September 2013.

“February continued to be a difficult month for Malaysia’s automotive industry but it turned out very well for Proton. Thanks to efforts of the government to ensure continuation of economic activity during the MCO (movement control order), we were able to produce more cars and in doing so started to clear our backlog of orders,” said Proton Edar chief executive officer (CEO) Roslan Abdullah.

He added that it is important for Proton to consistently deliver on the bookings made to avoid a rush before the PENJANA incentives expire at the end of June this year.

“The automotive sector continues to be vibrant with exciting new model launches sure to spark consumer interest and create healthy competition among Proton and other brands, but we will continue to be cautious even as we push forward to avoid infection rates flaring up again and disrupting operations,” said Roslan.

Proton Saga continued to be the most sought-after model in Feburary with 4,217 units delivered, making it the A-segment sedan with the second-highest sales volume.

“The A-segment sedan remains a popular choice among car buyers who value its combination of practicality, attractive design and value for money proposition,” said Proton, adding that the sedan also spread its wings by being the first Proton model to go on sale in Kenya on Feb 25, where it is locally assembled by Proton’s partner, Simba Corp.

Proton also saw an overwhelming response from the market to its second sport utility vehicle (SUV) — the Proton X50 launched on Oct 27 last year.

With 3,345 units delivered in February, a total of 8,141 units are now in the hands of buyers as supply slowly catches up to demand, it said.

“This number was also the highest monthly volume ever achieved by an SUV in Malaysia, and therefore made the Proton X50 the bestselling SUV in its segment and overall,” said the carmaker.

Over 30,000 bookings were collected before the end of the year, but delays in the production schedule as well as the focus on build quality meant delivery times built up quickly, it explained.

Having said that, together with the 1,475 units of the Proton X70 delivered in February — the figure being the highest for a C-segment SUV — the company sold a combined total of 4,820 SUVs, the highest sales ever for Proton as well as any brand in Malaysia.

Moreover, Proton launched four special edition models this month. The Proton Persona and Exora Black Edition as well as the Proton Saga and Iriz R3 Limited Edition were unveiled online on Feb 18, and are available in limited numbers.

As of Feb 26, 1,169 bookings had been placed from a total production run of just 3,500 units, indicating strong interest from buyers.

Moving forward, Proton said the focus this year is on the improvement of the entire aftersales value chain, so that customers can enjoy a premium brand experience after buying its cars.

“Proton admits that some aspects of our business have not been able to keep up with our recent successes. While we have dramatically moved forward in product quality, brand image and the technology offered in our cars, our aftersales service has not made the same leap,” said Roslan, adding that this situation was exacerbated in 2020 by Covid-19.

Thus, the company had decided to invest in a completely new back-end ordering and delivery system, he added.