e.MAS 7 LEADS EV SALES FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT MONTH AS PROTON GAINS MARKET SHARE
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Group sales of 12,692 units in April raises estimated market share for the month to 20.8%
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Proton X50 regains YTD segment lead while Proton S70 and X90 continue to head their class
Subang Jaya, 6 May 2025 – PROTON had a productive sales month in April, which saw an increase in market share for the company. Group sales closed the month at 12,692 units (domestic, export, smart, Proton e.MAS), an impressive 14.7% increase over the same month in 2024 and as a result, market share for the month is projected to be 20.8%. By comparison, Total Industry Volume (TIV) is estimated to have grown by just 1.8% over April last year to 60,886 and is down by 16.3% compared to March as automotive sales dipped during the festive period.
The strong results have strengthened the company’s grip on second position in the overall automotive sales table in Malaysia, coming at a time when offerings and price cuts from new brands have created an extremely competitive market environment leaving car buyers with a wide range of options.
Proton e.MAS 7 heads sales for all EVs while three ICE models lead respective segments
One of the biggest success stories for 2025 has been the strong sales performance of the Proton e.MAS 7, which has seen its numbers climb each month since the 16 December 2024 launch. That trend continued in April as PROTON’s first EV model smashed through the 800-unit barrier by achieving 863 units (domestic + export). This brought year-to-date (YTD) sales to 2,716 units and positions the model as the best-selling EV in the country and the Proton e.MAS brand in second place for overall EV sales despite currently having only one model in its range. More importantly, the result means EVs now account for 6% of overall Proton sales.
Not to be outdone, the Proton X50 had an outstanding month in April to retake the lead in the B-segment SUV market. With 2,389 units sold in April, its highest volume for 2025, YTD sales have now climbed to a segment leading 7,506 units as well as 420 units ahead of YTD sales from the previous year.
Two other Proton ICE models ended the month as segment leaders both for April and YTD sales. The Proton X90 remains the default choice for buyers looking for a D-segment SUV with six or seven seats and 194 units were sold in April to bring the YTD total to 873 units. The Proton S70 meanwhile remains as the dominant C-segment sedan model in Malaysia with another 1,716 units sold in April to boost its YTD total to 6,181 units.
One Proton model in the lineup continued to build on its volume growth in 2025 despite the introduction of numerous new rivals. The Proton X70 has now racked up 2,839 YTD sales after a further 682 units were sold in April, and the achievement means the C-segment SUV now sits 44% ahead of its volume up to April last year. As for the other Proton ICE models, the Proton Saga achieved 5,213 sales in April to bring its YTD total to nearly 21,000 units, the Proton Persona finished the month as the second ranked B-segment sedan with 1,328 units sold while the Proton Iriz posted 290 sales and currently sits fourth for B-segment hatchback sales.
“Automotive sales in Malaysia continue to be robust, though as expected, TIV in 2025 sits behind the record-setting pace from the previous year. Our figures show the deficit currently stands at 5%, which is respectable after two big festive periods in the first four months of the year. With many new models slated for introduction over the next eight months, expect the gap to shrink as buyers are presented with a bevy of new options.
“For PROTON, the first four months of 2025 have been about consolidating our sales to build a strong base from which to launch our assault in the latter part of the year. Those plans have been bolstered by our robust performance in the EV market as public acceptance of the e.MAS 7 has been outstanding. With new launches in the pipeline for both our ICE and EV range, we look forward to even more sales success this year,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.
Export sales reach new high as e.MAS 7 previewed in Singapore
PROTON’s export growth agenda continued to gather momentum in April as the company had its best month for export sales in 2025. 520 units were exported last month led by the Proton X50, Proton Saga and Proton e.MAS 7, the latter being previewed at The Car Expo in Singapore during the first weekend of May, signalling its impending arrival to the island nation and a return for Proton to a market it exited in 2012. Additionally, the locally assembled Proton X70 was unveiled in Bangladesh on 30 April, which will help to grow volume in the market over the coming months.
“Export sales remain a vital area of focus for PROTON as we view it as the main driver of sales growth in the future. We continue to lay the groundwork for our expansion by adding our EV offerings to our export markets, which will help keep us ahead of the curve when EV adoption takes off overseas,” added Roslan Abdullah.