Proton finished the month ranked second by delivering 5,964 units, giving it a market share of about 18.5%, 1% lower than for the same period last year.

However, it said the overall figures were a reflection of supply not being able to meet demand, rather than a reduction in bookings.

Its CEO Roslan Abdullah, said that January had been a difficult month for the country’s automotive industry.

He said there was a lot of hope for the momentum built in the last quarter of 2020 being carried forward to this year especially after the announcement that Penjana incentives, such as the waiver on sales and services tax, would remain in place until the end of June this year.

“Unfortunately, the second movement control order put a damper on those hopes,” he said in a statement this evening.

Roslan went on to reveal that the Proton Saga was the most popular A-segment sedan in the country, with 2,583 units delivered.

The Proton X70 and Proton X50 SUV continued to lead the C-segment SUV and B-segment SUV (five-seat) categories although registered units were down to 892 and 1,082 units, respectively.

He said the Proton Persona finished second in the B-segment sedan category while the Proton Exora maintained its standing as the best-selling C-segment MPV in the country. The Proton Iriz ended January in third place for B-segment hatchbacks.

Roslan said that while orders for Proton vehicles remain healthy with orders carried over from the end of last year, the company is still working hard to meet the demand.

“Our supply lines have been disrupted over the last few months by the pandemic making it difficult to ensure a steady flow of parts needed to build our cars.

“It’s something all car manufacturers have been facing for the past year but we are hopeful that with the arrival of a vaccine things will stabilise by the middle of the year.”

Despite the delays, Roslan said Proton intends to go ahead with its product launch plans for 2021.

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