Proton production crosses 5-million mark

Production of vehicles by Proton crossed the 5 million mark with the recent completion of an X90 at the factory in Tanjung Malim, Perak. The milestone unit comes 39 years after the very first Malaysian car – the Proton Saga – was launched on July 9, 1985.

The achievement was highlighted during the visit of Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, and Jin Zhuanglong, China’s Minister of Industry, and Information Technology, to the Malaysian carmaker’s headquarters Centre of Excellence complex in Selangor.

The visit to Proton by representatives from the Chinese government was in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Malaysia, which was officially celebrated on 31 May this year.

The decades-long relationship between China and Malaysia is of significance in relation to Proton’s achievement in view of a major Chinese carmaker, the Geely Group, being a partner in the company. The Geely Group joined DRB-HICOM in 2017 and since then has helped to take the Malaysian carmaker to the next level with the aim of greater international exposure.

With Geely’s collaboration, Proton has launched 4 all-new models – the X50, X70, X90 and S70 – as well as upgraded its locally developed models such as the Saga, Persona and Iriz, and introduced intelligence and connectivity to its entire line-up.

Together with improvements in product quality, investments in aftersales and parts management as well as the establishment of a dealer network with the highest number of 3S/4S outlets, Proton has seen 5 consecutive years of sales growth with a corresponding increase in production.

Since the introduction of the X70 in December 2018, more than 217,000 units of the company’s X-series SUVs have been sold in the domestic and export markets. This makes Proton the clear in SUV sales in Malaysia during that time period. Sales of the Saga – the original Malaysian National Car – have surpassed 2 million units, allowing it to keep its position as the most popular Malaysian-made car of all time.

“The 5-millionth unit produced by Proton is the X90 Flagship, which is symbolic of how far the company has progressed since the beginning of the partnership with Geely. Today, as we set yet another milestone, the future is ripe with opportunities for Proton to continue to provide sustainable mobility for Malaysians and our export markets,” said Dr. Li Chunrong, CEO of Proton Holdings Bhd.

Proton sales keep growing at home and overseas