Proton is planning to return to both the Thailand and Indonesia markets in the near future.
This news was shared with us during a media event where they briefly explained their export strategy that involves an interim breakthrough of 10,000 units. It’s indeed an achievable figure to accomplish considering that Proton saw an increase in exports by 79.1% in 2022 with a total of 5,406 units exported across several markets.
Proton available in 14 countries in 2022
2022 showed a lot of improvements for Proton’s export game which grew from just nine countries in 2018 to 14 countries last year. The biggest markets outside of Malaysia right now are Pakistan and Bangladesh where they’ve established CKD operations in both countries.
Other markets include South Africa, Brunei, Egypt, Irag, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Fiji, Bermuda, Jordan, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea. As for Thailand and Indonesia, the return of Proton into these particular markets would be a vital one considering that both countries are prominent automotive markets in Southeast Asia.
The core of the brand’s strategy to re-enter these two very vital markets includes the use of new subsidiaries that handle the load in both Thailand and Indonesia. Interesting times ahead for Proton, wouldn’t you say?
Proton Saga remains the crowd favourite
Close to half of the total exported units were of the Proton Saga unit with 2,408 units delivered to several markets around the globe in 2022. The X70 and X50 SUV duo also showed promising results with tremendous growth in demand by 101% and 277% respectively.
Proton is currently in the second half of its 10-year business plan to become not only the automotive leader in Malaysia, but also looking to be placed in the top 3 spots in ASEAN. That timeline will also include the launches of several model upgrades as well as NEV models involving mild-hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and yes, electric vehicles.