KUALA LUMPUR (March 3): Sales of national car maker Proton Holdings Bhd jumped 107% month-on-month in February to 9,225 units.

In a statement on Thursday (March 3), the company said this allowed it to reclaim second position in the automotive sales table and putting it on track to recover lost sales from January.

Proton said its domestic market share for the month is estimated at 20.2% while for the first two months of the year, the cumulative market share is estimated to be at 15.9%.

It said for the automotive market in general, total industry volume (TIV) for the year is estimated to have grown by 11.4% compared to the first two months of 2021.

Proton said that with the full resumption of production in Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim, there was a marked increase in sales numbers across the board.

However, models such as the Proton Saga only managed half a month of normal production and sales activities, suppressing its full potential.

The car maker said the Saga achieved 2,951 units in February, and while this is less than its usual monthly average, the numbers are expected to return to their previous level in the coming months.

It said other models fared better in comparison to their sales targets.

The Proton X50 and Proton X70 closed February with 3,002 and 1,119 units sold, allowing both to retain their hold on first place in their respective segments.

The Proton X50 was also the best-selling SUV in the country and has attracted over 100,000 bookings in just 16 months.

The company explained that while domestic sales still trail last year’s volume, export sales are trending upwards and have grown by 72.8% in 2022.

It said for the first two months of the year, 323 units have been sold in export markets compared to just 187 units of various Proton cars in 2021.

Proton Edar chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said February’s rebound in sales was a direct result of the company being able to produce more cars.

He added that this was only made possible by the joint efforts of vendors and Proton staff, who worked and continue to work ceaselessly to get the company back on track.

“As for the Malaysian automotive industry, the first two months of the year have seen strong demand as evidenced by the growth in TIV compared to 2021.

“This is good news for both car companies and the vendor community and is also testament to the effectiveness of policies set by the government,” he said.