Proton confident of 12-15 per cent growth

Proton Holdings Bhd (Proton) is confident of recording sales of between 12 per cent and 15 per cent this year, based on the brisk sales enjoyed by its latest Iriz model.

Its Chief Executive Officer Datuk Abdul Harith Abdullah said 11,000 units of this model have been sold throughout the country todate since its launch in September.

"Almost 30 per cent of the sales were done in the southern region while the balance came from the Klang Valley and other regions," he told reporters after closing a Proton carnival here today.

Abdul Harith said sales was expected to pick up in the next few months with the Hari Raya festival around the corner.

"The Iriz is very saleable as it has technological characteristics only available in continental cars.

"But consumers only pay half of what they would pay for a continental car," he said.

Proton, this year is targeting sales of 130,000 units against 115,000 units sold last year.

As for short-term plans, Abdul Harith said the focus would not be launching new models but push the sales of the Iriz to the optimum.

"There is a product life cycle. We develop products from the point we launch the products until the end of the product's life. It may take about five to seven years for us to come in with another new car model," he said.