KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd sold 14,989 vehicles in both domestic and export market in March 2021, up 26.2 per cent from February, giving it an estimated market share of 23.5 per cent.

The national car manufacturer recorded not only a new sales high for the year but also achieved its best sales month since September 2013.

Following this, Proton has retained its second position in the sales rankings table.

"For the first quarter of the year, the company achieved a cumulative sales total of 32,826 vehicles and its highest quarterly market share figure since March 2012," it said in a statement today.

Additionally, Proton said the two sport utility vehicle (SUV) models continued to grow in March as the company's new production line at Tanjung Malim increased its output for the month, with 3,513 units of the X50 delivered while the X70 saw a month-on-month increase of 58.4 per cent to 2,337 vehicles.

"When combined, it means Proton has set another internal record with 5,850 SUVs delivered, beating the previous record of 4,820 units that was set just last month," it added.

However, Proton said the Saga remained its top seller with 5,589 vehicles delivered, with sales for the A-segment sedan growing by 32.5 per cent compared to February.

Persona, Iriz and Exora also posted the best figures for the year with the evergreen multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) once again claiming the crown for highest C-segment MPV sales with 2,151 vehicles, 810 vehicles, 584 vehicles respectively sold in March.

Proton Edar Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said after a soft start to the year, Malaysia's automotive industry had finally hit its stride this year.

"We estimate total industry volume to be over 63,000 units, suggesting that all brands will post their best numbers for the year.

"For Proton, March was a very good sales month as we achieved our highest figure in 90 months but our sense of achievement is tempered by the fact that it could have been even better if we were able to produce more units," he said.

Roslan added that as things stand, Proton still have a large order bank to fulfil, and over the next few months, the car maker will strive to increase production while maintaining its focus on delivering high quality products.

"We are also mindful that the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) incentives are currently due to expire by the end-June, so we aim to ensure as many customers as possible are able to enjoy the tax holiday given by the government," he said.

-- BERNAMA