KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Proton Holdings Bhd is set to finish 2021 strongly with the resumption of production, sales and export activities, which is expected to contribute towards increased sales volume beginning this month.
In a statement today, the national carmaker said it achieved a total sales volume of 5,354 units from June to August 2021, comprising a mix of online registrations and exports.
“Limited production was undertaken at the company’s plant in Tanjung Malim after Perak was declared a Phase 2 state under the National Recovery Plan (NRP) on July 5, 2021.
“However, this was for a limited time due to a shortage of parts from vendors located in Selangor,” Proton said.
As at end-August, the total sales volume was 62,637 units, an increase of 1.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2020.
“Our total sales volume up to August reflects Proton’s strong performance over the first five months of the year.
Proton Edar Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said this year has been challenging for the automotive industry as lockdowns, chip shortages and a number of other issues have stunted sales growth.
“However, we are confident of an industry-wide surge in numbers over the final four months of the year,” he said.
Proton is also now able to resume export activities to export markets, among others, Pakistan.
The nation will receive three shipments of the Proton X70, amounting to about 108 units, this month, along with completely knock-down (CKD) units of the Proton Saga at the end of October.
“Aside from Malaysian market customers, Proton’s export markets have also benefitted from the resumption of production activities.
“It’s still too early to tell how quickly we can fulfil our outstanding orders but we are closing the gap every day,” Roslan said.
Additionally, he said further implementation of the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (PIKAS) will be vital to Proton’s performance for the rest of the year.
The carmaker noted that over 93 per cent of its staff are fully vaccinated while over 75 per cent of employees at vendors and dealers are also similarly classified. — Bernama
