NATIONAL carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd has recorded improved sales performance year-to-date.
As of Nov 30, the company reported a two per cent increase from the 65,069 units sold in the same period last year.
“It has been a challenging journey for Proton for the past 5 years and the steady growth that we recorded from January to November this year, is a positive achievement for Proton.
“We will continue to push ourselves harder in the coming months and hope that our customers will take advantage of the incredible year-end deals for Proton cars,” said Proton Holdings Bhd vice-president (sales and marketing) Abdul Rashid Musa.
The automaker, which is 50.1 per cent owned by DRB Hicom Bhd and 49.9 per cent owned by Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holdings Group Co Ltd (Geely), attributed the improved sales performance to its two models: the Proton Saga and Persona.
The Saga and Persona have continued to lead all other Proton models with 28,368 and 18,113 units sold respectively year-to-date, making up for 70 per cent of Proton’s total car sales.
He attributed the products’ sales growth to the company’s ongoing efforts in improving its vehicles’ quality.
“Together with our partner, Proton has intensified quality improvement processes and efforts, with exceptional sharing of knowledge and skills; and the opportunity for our local team to be trained at Geely in China.
“The progress has been positive since Proton already owns good and durable products. The reliability and durability of our cars were tested for nine hours in the gruelling Sepang 1,000km Endurance Race 2017 last month where a Proton Iriz was the overall winner.
“We shall keep working on further improving our cars and we look forward to provide better customer satisfaction,” Rashid added.
With the championship win, the Proton Iriz gained slight traction in sales with a 2.8 per cent increase in November compared to October, after a lacklustre performance year-to-date.
Proton is running its Year End Bonanza, where the company provides hassle-free maintenance at RM0 for up to 5 years or 100,000km (whichever comes first), inclusive of engine oil and labour.
From just RM398 a month for a Saga or RM506 a month for a Persona, customers can conveniently own a Proton car, that comes with a 5-year or 150,000km warranty, whichever comes first. Savings and instalment value depends on car model with terms and conditions apply.
“The Saga and Persona have been the most popular choices among our customers due to their excellent value for money propositions. The Saga offers great drivability and has a smoother performance. It has modern, practical and convenient features, and is suitable for first-time car buyers, while the Persona has greater flexibility for individuals of all sorts of personalities.
“Best of all, they are equipped with good safety features and provide a pleasurable drive,” Rashid said.