Market Resiliency Shines as Proton Sales Drive Record Market Share
Proton Holdings Bhd announced strong sales figures for September, reporting that the company successfully sold 13,395 vehicles, securing a substantial market share of 23.4%.
This significant achievement is particularly notable as it coincided with a challenging market environment where the Total Industry Volume (TIV) for the month shrank by an estimated 21.7% to approximately 57,169 units, occurring just one month after the industry had reached its highest sales point for 2025.
The September sales tally, which includes both domestic deliveries and international exports, represented a marked 18.9% increase compared with the 11,369 units sold in the corresponding month last year. However, it did register a 12% decline from the exceptional volume of 15,228 units achieved in August.
Despite monthly fluctuations, the company’s year-to-date (YTD) sales remained robust, standing at 14,297 units, a slight but important 0.9% ahead of the figures recorded last year.
This performance has boosted Proton’s YTD market share to 19.9%, which the company proudly highlighted as its best figure for the year so far, demonstrating its aggressive push to achieve a more than 20% share of automotive sales in 2025, even when facing increasingly stiff competition within the Malaysian market.
Zhang Qiang, the Deputy Executive Officer of Proton Edar, noted that the September sales performance confirmed the company’s ability to excite the market with its diverse offerings and stated, “3Q of 2025 has been exceptionally good for the company and we plan to carry this momentum into the final three months of the year to both meet our volume target and act as a springboard for 2026.”
Dominance in Key Segments and EV Momentum
The continued success of Proton is largely driven by its dominance in several key market segments, with its models consistently leading in sales, complemented by growing momentum in the electric vehicle (EV) sector.
Three of Proton’s popular internal combustion engine (ICE) models— the Proton X50, Proton S70, and Proton X90—maintained their leadership positions in their respective market segments throughout September.
The Proton X50, in particular, delivered an impressive 3,438 units to customers during the month, outselling all its rivals to be crowned the most popular SUV for the second consecutive month.
In other segments, the Proton X90 sold 194 units, and the Proton S70 achieved sales of 979 units.
The perennial favorite, the Proton Saga, surpassed the 6,000-unit sales mark for the third straight month, underscoring its enduring appeal as a volume leader.
Additionally, the Proton Persona contributed 1,161 sales, and the Proton Iriz accounted for 278 units in September.
Significant growth was also recorded in the electric segment with the Proton e.Mas 7 EV model, which sold 845 units in September. This brings its YTD sales to 6,656 units, establishing it as the most popular EV in the country.
The company, which is jointly owned by DRB-Hicom Bhd (50.1%) and China’s Geely (49.9%), is now preparing for a substantial increase in its EV sales in the coming year.
This confidence is based on the impending arrival of the Proton e.MAS 5 and the scheduled commencement of local assembly operations at the company’s new dedicated EV plant in Tanjong Malim.
Export Triumphs Solidify Global Market Position
Proton’s strategic focus on international markets yielded its best export performance yet, solidifying its status as Malaysia’s leading automotive export brand and promising further global growth.
September proved to be Proton’s best sales month for exports, with a total of 815 units successfully shipped overseas.
This single-month achievement brings the year-to-date export sales figure to 3,959 units, marking a remarkable 56% growth rate compared to the previous year and firmly positioning Proton as the number one automotive export brand originating from Malaysia.
This substantial growth in exports is primarily attributed to the soaring popularity of the Proton X50, which saw its export volume grow by an outstanding 220%.
The stalwart Proton Saga also made a major contribution to the overall export success with a volume growth of 14%.
Furthermore, the electric vehicle segment contributed, with the Proton e.Mas 7 having exported 443 units so far in 2025.
The company is aggressively expanding its international footprint, announcing that Singapore became the third country to receive Proton’s first EV model in September, with Mauritius expected to join the list of export markets later in the month.
With this continuing geographic and product expansion, the expectations for significant EV sales growth in export markets remain very high for Proton, suggesting a bright future for the brand’s presence on the global stage.
