National carmaker Proton closed 2023 by posting its best sales performance since 2012, achieving a fifth consecutive year of sales growth. In December, 12,711 units were sold, bringing the year-end total to 154,611 units (domestic + export), a 9.3% increase over the 2022 sales of 141,432 units.

Proton's overall market share is calculated at 19.4%, and it ended the year ranked second in overall sales, maintaining this position for the fifth consecutive year.

Strong market demand for the Persona, Iriz, Exora, and Saga (PIES) models fueled sales growth in 2023, with the Proton Saga emerging as the best-selling model, notching an impressive 70,184 units sold.

The Proton Persona rebounded by 48.9%, the Proton Iriz increased sales by 33.8%, and the Proton Exora, in its final year of production, saw a 4.6% sales increase.

Also read: Proton Exora records impressive 11.5% sales surge in its final year, bids farewell after nearly 200k units

The Proton X50 and Proton X90 led their respective SUV segments, with the Proton X50 maintaining strong demand with 31,829 units sold. The Proton X90 remained dominant in the D-segment SUV market, ending the year with 4,815 units sold since its launch on May 7, 2023.

The Proton X70 was the second most popular C-segment SUV in 2023 with 11,200 units sold.

Meanwhile, customer deliveries for the Proton S70 will begin in 2024, with over 5,000 bookings received to date.

“2023 was another record-setting year for the automotive industry as total sales surged by 10.3% over the previous volume high set just twelve months earlier. Factors such as the fulfilment of orders for tax free cars up till the end of March no doubt fuelled the volume increase in the first quarter of the year, but it was also an active year for car launches with minimal disruptions caused by parts shortages, said Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of Proton.

"Proton is truly thankful for the warm reception of Malaysians towards our products. This success is a testament to our commitment to delivering more than just affordable vehicles as we also emphasize stylish design, advanced technology, and a strong commitment to safety in all Proton models.

Looking ahead to 2024, we are confident that we will sustain this momentum, supported by the introduction of our new model, the S70," Dr. Li continued.

Also read: The hottest sedan in Malaysia? Here are all the prices and specs of the 2024 Proton S70 variants