PROTON'S sales have exceeded the 100,000-mark for the sixth year in a row.

Sales of national carmaker reached 101,489 units sold year-to-date (YTD), after achieving sales of 12,690 units (domestic and export) in August. 

This places the company in second position in the overall national automotive sales ranking table with a forecast market share of 19%. 

Notable highlights for the month include strong sales numbers for the B-segment sports utility vehicle (SUV) SUV Proton X50 for a second consecutive month and export sales volume doubling compared to July driven by sales in Brunei hitting an all-time high.

Launched in June 4 this year, it was reported that 2,440 units of the 2024 X50 were delivered in August making it the third time its volume has breached the 2,000 threshold in 2024.

YTD sales now stand at 15,229 units, making the X50 the most popular SUV in Proton’s range.

Following record deliveries of 7,855 units in July, sales of the Saga came in at 6,211 units in August leading to YTD sales of 48,904 units, an uptick of 6.7% over 2023. 

The C-segment sedan S70 was at 1,205 units for a total of 13,755 units, while its B-segment sedan sister Persona saw 1,452 units change hands, bringing its YTD total to 13,116 units. 

Meanwhile, the flagship X90 retained leadership for its segment with 241 being delivered in August and a YTD figure of 2,507 units. 

Lastly, the B-segment hatchback Iriz sold 403 units to bring its total sales to date to 3,719 units.

Total industry volume (TIV) for the Malaysian automotive market is estimated to have grown by 1.3% month-on-month to approximately 72,678 units in August while the YTD figure is estimated to be at 534,766 units, an increase of 6.2% over 2023. 

Proton Edar chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah in a statement said market response to Proton’s latest updated models has been positive with strong booking numbers seen nationwide despite heavy competition this year from new brands.

"This is a testament to the effectiveness of the enhancements made and speaks volumes about the importance of having a market leading network of 3S/4S outlets to serve our customers’ needs.

In light of the resilient domestic economy, with GDP growth projected at 4% to 5%, Roslan added that the company agrees with the Malaysian Automotive Association’s (MAA) decision to increase the full-year TIV projection to 765,000 units as Proton remain optimistic about the potential for further growth in the local automotive industry.

"Malaysia’s automotive market remains buoyant, and this is reflected by our sales volume exceeding 100,000 units for a sixth consecutive year with four months remaining in 2024," said Roslan.

Brunei has also played a pivotal role in the company's August sales with more than a 100% growth - the highest ever monthly sales performance with 120 Proton units sold to customers in the country.

Export sales of Proton models were noted to be steadily picking up pace as the company strives to expand and re-establish its brand with various models in its existing export portfolio. This comes after a slow month in July.

The Saga remains as the best-selling export model since February this year as it led the pack with 140 units exported in August. 

Other models also saw an uptick in August export shipments, bringing the cumulative export sales from Proton to its distributors to 2,110 units since January this year.

“Proton has a long history with Bruneian car buyers stretching back to the original Saga as one of our first export markets. The brand has undergone a rejuvenation in the country leading to achieving a record sales month in August thanks to the painstaking efforts of Pad Motors Proton Brunei and our latest range of intelligent models,” added Roslan.