All about Proton

Announced on July 26, 2024, Proton, Malaysia held the groundbreaking ceremony for new additions to its stamping facilities in Tanjong Malim on July 23. With an additional investment of MYR 253 million, the new lines will expand the volume of parts stamping at this plant. 

The new E-Line will feature a four-stage stamping process with a 1600-ton stamping machine and three 800-ton machines. Meanwhile, the new F-Line will have a five-stage stamping process using a 2000-ton, 1200-ton, and three 1000-ton stamping force machines. Robots will also be used to transfer parts between workstations while IR 4.0 technology will be implemented using real-time data and machine learning to improve the quality of parts produced.

This second planned expansion to Proton’s parts stamping capabilities followed the inauguration of the D-Line stamping plant in March 2023. The new stamping lines will allow Proton to be less dependent on imported parts for its models.

Proton added that for the whole of 2023 and up to June 2024, its Tanjong Malim plant has stamped out 6,067,064 components, of which 395,211 are from the new D-Line, and this number will grow exponentially when production for the Proton Saga sedan is relocated from Shah Alam plant to Tanjong Malim plant in 2026.

(From Proton press release on July 26, 2024)

On July 19, 2024, Proton, Malaysia announced that the 2024 X50 SUV has received an overwhelming response, with 8,000 bookings already collected since its launch in June. Therefore, Proton is ramping up its production to expedite delivery timeline for eager customers by August 2024. 

Since its original debut in 2020, the Proton X50 has been Malaysia's best-selling SUV, with 115,262 units sold up to June 2024.

(From Proton press release on July 19, 2024)

Announced on July 3, 2024, Proton, Malaysia sold 10,999 cars in June (domestic and export) (down 23.4% YoY). 

Proton said sales volume was affected by a planned 1-week plant shutdown for scheduled operations improvement activities but overall, the company achieved a market share figure of 19.1% for the month, the same as its YTD market share figure. 

Proton’s sales in H1/2024 reached 73,696 units, down 4.7% from H1/2023.

In June, Proton X50 regained its title of the best-selling B-SUV with 1,711 units, following the launch of its refreshed version that features over 20 NVH improvements. With production set to increase after the improvements to the plant, sales are expected to rise in the coming months. Sales of Proton Saga reached 5,441 units in June, while sales of the S70 and the Persona reached 1,440 units and 1,309 units, respectively.

In terms of EV business, Proton added that with a new model launch from smart brand and the impending arrival of the first EV model from e.MAS, the Malaysian market can expect more positive developments from Proton for the latter half of 2024.

(From Proton press release on July 3, 2024 and on July 6, 2023)