Proton aims to double its export volume over the next 12 months, assuming that export activities are not overly hampered by restrictions due to the global pandemic, said Proton in a press statement released today.

Spearheading Proton’s export ambitions will be the Proton Saga, Proton X70, and Proton X50.

The Proton Saga has since been exported to Kenya as knocked down (KD) kits to be assembled there, as well as to Nepal, as a completely built-up (CBU) car.

Meanwhile, the Proton X70 has also been exported (CBU) to Pakistan and Brunei. Also adding to the list of cars sent to Brunei is the Proton X50.

Proton didn’t release its export figures for the past two years but we understand that it’s around 1,000 plus units. In 2018, Proton exported 1,388 cars.

The company had previously announced an export target of over 4,000 cars for 2020 but obviously that was no longer realistic as many countries closed their borders due to Covid-19.

The latest announcement implies that Proton aims to export about 2,000 cars this year, half of its original target announced in 2020.

Steven Xu, Proton’s director of international sales said, “Over the last two years, Proton's international sales division has been aggressively pursuing export sales in numerous markets. We have deployed multiple strategies to achieve our goals, from shipping CBU vehicles built in Malaysia to inking agreements with local conglomerates to assemble CKD cars to benefit from local tax incentives.

“We targeted to see significant gains in 2020 but those plans were affected by Covid-19. Still, we managed to grow our export volume, enter new markets such as Kenya and even launch the Proton X50 in Brunei barely two months after its Malaysian debut so there are many positives to take in to the new calendar year,” he said.

Proton also added its export cars feature market-specific modifications to better meet local needs. The Nepalese specs Saga for example, adds a heater while the Kenyan specs Saga had a smaller 1,299 cc engine versus Malaysia’s 1,332 cc engine to meet local tax requirements there.