The car maker said the number of units sold during the month was 51.3% higher compared with April, boosting overall sales growth for the first five months of 2019 to over 70% year-on-year.

“Market share for the month is estimated at 17.2%, marking another high point for the company since January 2016,” it said in a statement today.

Proton attributed the strong sales growth to the Proton X70, the company’s first sports utility vehicle (SUV), with 2,439 units sold in May, bringing the total units delivered in the first five months of the year to 13,572.

“The Proton X70 remains as the SUV market leader in terms of overall sales,” it said.

Proton said the cumulative sales figure for recently launched models accounted for 36% of its overall sales, adding that it had also received over 10,000 bookings to-date.

Chief executive officer Li Chunrong said the company aimed to continue its sales growth by introducing improvements to its current model range and improving brand experience by opening more 3S/4S outlets.

“This will help to ensure that Proton’s brand image is improved as we continue to redefine our brand values in preparation for the introduction of more models that are jointly developed with Geely in the future,” he said.