Proton Saga leads April 2022 sales; Final month of sale before facelift’s arrival

The second quarter of the year has started off with a challenging month for national car maker Proton. Despite its best efforts to turn around a shortfall in production from the first three months of 2022, April proved to be another challenging month as chip supply issues continued to limit the number of units sold.

Sales for April ended at 8,839 units (domestic + export), a decrease of 32.2 percent compared to March and 41.1 percent less compared to the same month in 2021.

Market share for the month is estimated at 15.6 percent while for the year, Proton sales account for a YTD market share of 17 percent. Overall, for the whole of 2022, the company ranks second for cumulative sales and market share.

SUVs and Exora continue to lead segments as exports continue upward trajectory

Despite an overall decrease in sales and market share, Proton models still lead three market segments. The Proton X50, Proton X70, and Proton Exora continue to be at the top of the B-SUV, C-SUV and C-MPV segments with sales of 1,554 units, 1,530 units, and 301 units respectively.

The best-selling model in April however was the Proton Saga with 4,579 units sold leading to a YTD total of 14,028 units in its final full month of sales before the launch of the 2022 Proton Saga.

Overall, it sits in second position in its class with strong export demand expected to keep the current model in the line-up for some time to come.

“After two years of pandemic affected sales, Malaysia’s automotive market continues to show strong growth potential in 2022, as evidenced by the long waiting list for new car deliveries. Proton is also trying to catch up to market demand, but we also must acknowledge being the most affected by chip supply issues.

“Thankfully for our customers, we have secured our supply of chips for May and June and are projecting a quick turnaround in the coming months.

Also read: March 2022 vehicle sales are 62.5 percent higher than month before, exceeds target for Q1

“The situation is still uncertain for the rest of the year and the global car industry is under pressure from rising costs, but the company is working on countermeasures against these issues to ensure our customers get the best products and value in Malaysia and abroad,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.

Export sales for April meanwhile stood at 456 units, a figure that was also affected by parts supply issues. YTD export sales now stand at 1,573 units, an increase of 109.7 percent compared to the first four months of 2021.

Pakistan is the biggest export market with 1,050 units followed by Egypt and Brunei with 172 and 138 units respectively.

Also read: Proton to make South Africa comeback; Proton X50, X70, and Saga to lead the show