With less than 2 months to go before the year ends, Proton’s sales has finally caught up and improved upon last year’s miserable MCO-marred performance. Cumulative sales from January to October 2021 now stands at 84,999 units, up 1.6 percent over year 2020.

More importantly, its October sales came in at 13,362 units, up 28.7 percent from September.

The Malaysia Automotive Association (MAA) has yet to announce its official tally for October’s Total Industry Volume (TIV) but Proton says TIV is estimated to have contracted by 4.7 percent year-on-year.

Proton also estimates that its market share for October is now at 20.5 percent, while year-to-date figures puts it at 22.7 percent, meaning that more than 1 in every 5 new cars sold in Malaysia is a Proton.

The Proton Saga is the company’s best-seller, with 5,107 units sold in October. It still trail behind the Perodua Bezza but Proton says based on year-to-date figures, the Saga is still leading the A-segment sedan market.

The B-segment Proton Persona sold 1,393 units, trailing behind the Honda City and Toyota Vios. Proton says the Persona and Iriz (497 units) are most affected by the on-going chip supply shortage.

The Proton X50 and Proton X70 maintain their position as market leaders in their respective segments, with 3,839 units and 2,165 units sold respectively.

“Proton’s sales in October can be summarised as a story of strong buyer demand and unrealised sales potential. While we are happy with the continued popularity of the Proton Saga and our achievement with the two SUVs, we missed out on adding more units to our final tally as we continue ramping up our supply of components. Market demand however is expected to remain strong towards the end of year, so we are working diligently towards closing 2021 on a high note,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.

On the extension of SST exemption period to 30-June 2022, Roslan said “Proton would like to thank the Malaysian government for extending the SST exemption. By doing so, it gives us a chance to fulfil the bookings we have already received and doesn’t unfairly penalise customers who are waiting due to circumstances beyond their control. We predict the extension will also help to spur sales through the first half of next year when there could be more new models introduced to the market.”