Ever since 2006, Proton lost their number one spot in the market to Perodua - a position that they are currently trying to reclaim with the help of Geely. 

Let's see how is Proton performing in order to close the gap with Perodua.

In 2020, Proton managed to shift 109,716 cars, an increase of 8.8% from 2019. In the process, Proton managed to increase its market share by 4.4%, reaching 21.1 percent.

While Proton's figures seem impressive, Perodua on the other hand sold 220,163 new vehicles in 2020 - more than double what Proton managed. That was achieved with a Perodua's 5-car line-up, as opposed to Proton's 6-car line-up.

Diving into the figures, the Perodua Myvi is Malaysia’s best-selling B-segment hatchback in 2020, with a total of 66,330 units sold last year. The Myvi’s closest rival, the Proton Iriz, only managed to shift a miniscule 7,636 units in the same period.

As for A-segment sedans, the best-selling model is the Perodua Bezza, with 56,996 units sold in 2020 - more than what Proton managed with the Saga (46,527 units).

Even Perodua’s ageing MPV, the Alza managed to outsell the larger-but-equally-old Proton Exora, recording 14,691 units against Proton’s 5,849 units.

The sales data also highlights an interesting picture: Proton’s best-selling model is the entry-level Proton Saga, but Perodua’s best-selling model isn’t the entry level Bezza or Axia – it’s the B-segment Perodua Myvi. Looks like people are willing to spend a bit more money just to get fancier features found in the Myvi, rather than settling for an Axia.

Perodua aims to sell 240,000 new vehicles this year, a bullish approach that is expected to be driven by the continued demand of models like the Myvi and imminent arrival of the Perodua D55L.