Proton ended 2022 with a fourth consecutive year of sales growth with 141,432 units sold domestically and overseas. This comes after the Malaysian tiger recorded 14,750 units in December, its fourth-best monthly performance for the year.

Compared to 2021, total sales have grown by 23.3% despite the setbacks faced by Proton early in the year which was due to a combination of parts vendors affected by floods as well as acute shortages in the global chip industry.

Meanwhile, 5,406 units accounted for the total sales volume for international markets in 2022 which saw a growth of 79.1% compared to the year before. As such, Proton comfortably took the title of the industry’s leading exporter.

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Domestically though, Proton retains its ranking of second in the automotive sales table with an estimated market share of 19.6%. Total industry volume (TIV) for 2022 is estimated to have around 720,000 units which is a new industry high.

Five out of six Proton models have also grown in 2022 with three models ending the year as segment leaders. The Proton X50 continues to be Malaysia’s best-selling SUV with 40,681 units sold throughout 2022. 3,764 units of the B-segment SUV were sold in December.

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The second model to retain its title in the segment is the Proton X70. With 1,787 units sold in December, this adds up to 18,533 units of the bigger Proton SUV that were sold throughout 2022. As such, the X70 retained its position as the best-selling C-segment SUV for the fourth year in a row.

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The third model that led its segment in 2022 is the Proton Exora. A total of 4,275 units were sold in 2022 and thus, the Exora continued its ironclad grip on the C-segment MPV market.

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The best-selling Proton model however is the Proton Saga which saw 55,878 units sold throughout the year. December sales contributed 5,913 units of the evergreen sedan though the Saga can only manage number 2 in the A-segment sedan sales rankings.

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The Saga is also the most popular export model with 2,408 units sold in 2022, a 31% increase over the previous year. Meanwhile, the Proton SUVs performed exceptionally well in exports that year with the X70 and X50 having 101% and 277% sales increases respectively.

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“Looking ahead towards 2023, Proton is confident of achieving more growth as we add to our range of offerings with our new model launches this year. However, we expect TIV to recede from the record volume in 2022 as deliveries for orders placed during the sales tax exemption period will be fulfilled by the end of March,” said Roslan Abdullah, Proton Deputy Chief Executive Officer

“Interest rates are also expected to increase again this year so it will be tough for the automotive industry to continue an upwards trajectory,” he continues.