Proton has revealed it managed to deliver 789 vehicles in Brunei last year, which is 87% more than the 422 units sold in 2022. With this result, Proton placed fifth among car brands in Brunei, one spot higher than in 2022, while its market share increased by 2.2% to 5.4%. On a domestic level, the carmaker sold well over 150,000 units in Malaysia last year.
Brunei is one of Proton’s earliest export markets since the Geely partnership, and the country’s total industry volume (TIV) grew to 14,640 units last year from 13,000 units in 2022.
In an official release, the carmaker said the X50 was its best-selling model in Brunei, making up approximately 60% of total sales with 476 units. The X50 was launched in Malaysia in October 2020 and was open for bookings in Brunei shortly after in November the same year.
“The popularity of the Proton X50 in Brunei can be attributed to clear communications about its value and features, as well as our brand equity. Proton worked closely with our importers, Pad Motors, to promote the competitive price and superior features the model had over its rivals while also offering finance packages to make ownership easier,” said Steven Xu, director of international sales division at Proton.
“This was then bolstered by our on-ground activities to promote the PROTON brand, which were assisted by the success of the X50 in Malaysia that helped build the confidence of Brunei customers,” he added.
Meanwhile, other Proton models ranked in the top 10 of their respective segments in Brunei last year. These include the Persona (sixth) and Iriz (eighth) among B-segment cars, and the X90 in seventh among D-segment SUVs despite being on sale there for less than half a year.
For 2024, Proton is confident it will sell over 1,000 units in Brunei, with the S70 being an important model to achieve this goal. The sedan was launched in Malaysia last November and Brunei will be its first export market. Proton is planning to launch the S70 there before the end of February, with 15 units already shipped there a month before the official launch.
The post Proton sales in Brunei up 87% in 2023 – 789 units; X50 best-seller; first export country to get the S70 in Feb appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
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