National carmaker Proton continued its strong start to the year by selling 52% more vehicles in February compared to the same month last year.

With 14,033 units (domestic and export) sold last month, sales volume was 20.1% higher than January while for the first two months of the year, year-to-date (YTD) volume has swelled by 88% to 25,714 units.

The company’s market share for the month is estimated to be 22.7%, placing it second in the rankings, and representing a 7.3% increase over February 2022.

Overall, Malaysian car sales continued to surge for a second month in a row with an estimated total-industry-volume (TIV) of 62,300 units as industry players rush to fulfil sales tax exempt bookings before the 31-March deadline.

Persona continues to lead B-segment sedan sales as three models achieve segment sales leadership

With a second consecutive month of sales leadership for B-segment sedans, the Proton Persona (Specs | News) is proving its appeal against newer rivals when supply is unaffected by component shortages.

With 2,313 units sold in February, the model broke through the 2,000-unit barrier for a third consecutive month, the first time it has achieved the feat since doing it for five months in a row from June – October 2020.

Also read: Review: 2022 Proton Persona facelift – Is the jerky CVT finally fixed?

Another segment leading Proton model is the Proton X50 (Specs | News), which retained leadership of the B-segment SUV market and remained as the most popular SUV overall. 3,247 units were sold in February and sales are up by 11% over the first two months of the year.

Also read: Review: 2020 Proton X50 - all the pros and flaws about Malaysia's most-hyped SUV!

The third segment leader is the Proton Exora (Specs | News), which is enjoying a resurgence as sales of the C-segment MPV leader has grown by 216% over the same period in 2022.

Also read: 2023 Proton Exora updated with subtle changes, what can you spot?

Two other Proton models finished second last month in their respective segments. The Proton Saga (Specs | News) ended the month with 6,345 units, retaining its position as the best-selling Proton and posting an impressive 11,133 units sold so far this year.

Also read: Review: 2020 Proton Saga 1.3L Premium facelift, true definition of value for money

The Proton X70 (Specs | News) meanwhile is matching its performance from the first two months of 2022 with 981 units delivered in February and 1,914 units overall for the year.

Also read: Review: New 2022 Proton X70 MC - Now with the X50's 1.5 Turbo, is it better?

Finally, the Proton Iriz (Specs | News) had its best performance since August 2022 with 811 units sold leading to an improvement of 156% for the first two months of the year.

Also read: Ratings: 2022 Proton Iriz Active - How much better is this updated Myvi rival?

“Proton's strong start to the year reflects the popularity of our current model offerings. Just like our competitors, a lot of volume is being driven by fulfilment of tax-exempt bookings, but our new booking numbers remain healthy,
so we are hopeful of continuing our sales growth trajectory for the rest of the year.

“Over the next few months, Proton will also be making several announcements to shape the company’s direction for 2023 and beyond. This will be a busy year as we establish our presence in new segments, enter the new energy vehicle (NEV) market and build our EV credentials when sales of the smart #1 (Specs | News) begin,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Proton.