KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd says it ended the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 with "positive sales" of 39,150 vehicles.
This included 12,666 units sold domestically and abroad in March, with export sales rising 63 per cent year-on-year.
Proton Edar chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said Q1 had ended positively for the national car brand.
"With no external factors encouraging sales growth this year, the numbers achieved offer a more accurate reading of market demand," Roslan said in a statement today.
After setting a new sales record in 2023, Proton said the total industry volume (TIV) for the Malaysian automotive market is estimated to be at 202,492 units for the first three months of 2024, equating to a 5.1 per cent growth.
Proton's market share is estimated at 19.3 per cent, the second highest among all automotive brands, it added.
The company said Proton Saga achieved its best Q1 volume since 2013 with 18,247 units sold.
A total of 5,906 units of the flagship model were sold in March, making it the second most popular in the A-segment sedan market.
Meanwhile, 2,072 units of Proton S70 were sold last month, bringing total Q1 sales to 5,828 units.
Proton said the production volume of the S70, which is now its second best-selling model, is still catching up to demand.
As for the Persona and Iriz, the former saw sales of 1,665 units in March, bringing its Q1 total to 5,370 units and positioning it as the second most popular B-segment sedan in the country.
Its hatchback sibling achieved 468 units in March and 1,534 units for the quarter to retain fourth position in its market segment.
Moving forward, Roslan said the automotive industry in Malaysia continues to be buoyant, and this is evident by the overall growth in TIV.
"For the rest of the year, Proton will look for continued sales growth by working closely with our vendors to produce more units of our best-selling models, such as the Saga and S70, while continuing to build our export sales volume.
"We are confident of meeting our growth targets while also working towards our other commitments such as the development and introduction of our own EV model in the future," Roslan added.