kuala lumpur: State-owned automaker Proton Holdings Bhd has a strong presence in South Africa, having shipped 1,000 vehicles to the country just two months after its official return to the market.
Proton’s director of international sales, Stephen Shu, said the rapid spread of the car in South Africa, driven by strong demand, has made both Proton as a brand and its model range attractive to local car buyers. Said it was proof of something.
“We have a strong working relationship with CMH Group and they have initiated a number of ground operations to get as many South Africans as possible to taste the current range.
Proton’s journey back to South Africa after a 10-year hiatus began in April 2022 when it appointed CMH Group as Rainbow Nation’s distributor, with the first shipment of vehicles including the Proton X50 and Proton X70 in May. was done. In 2022, the official branding and product relaunch took place on September 14th this year.
“Since then, CMH has gradually expanded its distribution network and increased market access while actively promoting Proton vehicles on social media. It is still available, but the Proton Saga will be added to the lineup in 2023.
“Despite being a mature and competitive market, both Proton and CMH are optimistic about their domestic sales prospects, with strong sales performance to date to double sales volume in 2023. Our goal is to achieve this,” the company said.
Xu said Proton and CMH are confident that sales in South Africa can grow exponentially as the response received so far has been very encouraging.
“We are committed to providing affordable luxury SUVs to South African car buyers and the Proton X50 and Proton X70 have the right combination of features and value to compete with other brands.
“At the other end of the spectrum, we feel Proton Saga will find its own niche with its combination of style, advanced features, and affordability,” he added.
With a total export volume of 5,028 units by the end of November this year and with one month to go before the end of the year, the company’s international sales department is looking forward to adding even more.
Pakistan was the largest market so far this year with 2,610 units, South Africa had the second largest volume despite being a new addition, and Brunei was third.
In terms of model rankings, the Proton Saga continues to be the most popular product, with the Proton X70 nearly doubling its volume this year and the Proton X50 in third place, though growing threefold year-to-date. – Bernama
