KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd has gained a firm foothold in South Africa, having shipped 1,000 units of vehicles to the country just two months after making its official return to the market.

Proton director of international sales Steven Xu said, on the back of strong demand, the quick take-up of vehicles in South Africa is proof of the appeal of both Proton as a brand and of its model range to car buyers there.

"We have a strong working relationship with CMH Group, and they have initiated many on-ground activities to give a taste of our current range to as many South Africans as possible,” he said in a statement today.

Proton’s journey to return to the South Africa after a 10-year hiatus began when it appointed CMH Group as its distributor for the Rainbow Nation in April 2022, with the first shipment of vehicles, comprising the Proton X50 and Proton X70, took place in May 2022 while the official brand and product relaunch occurred on September 14 this year.

"Since then, CMH has progressively expanded the distribution network to increase access to the market while also actively promoting Proton vehicles on social media. Currently, only Proton’s sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are offered in the country, but the Proton Saga will be added to the range in 2023.

"Despite being a matured and competitive market, both Proton and CMH are optimistic about sales prospects in the country and with the strong sales performance thus far, they are targeting to double the sales volume in 2023,” it said.

Xu said Proton and CMH are confident of being able to grow sales exponentially in South Africa as the response received thus far has been very encouraging.

"We are committed to providing affordable luxury SUVs for South African car buyers and the Proton X50, Proton X70 have the right combination of features and value to compete with other brands.

"At the other end of the spectrum, we also feel that the Proton Saga will find its own niche with its combination of style, advanced features, and affordability,” he added.

Total exports up to end-November this year stood at 5,028 units and with one month remaining before the end of the year, the company’s international sales division is looking forward to growing the number further.

Pakistan remains as the biggest market with 2,610 units thus far this year, South Africa is the second largest in terms of volume despite being a new addition, while Brunei took third spot.

As for model rankings, the Proton Saga remains the most popular offering and the Proton X70 has nearly doubled its volume this year, while the Proton X50 is third but has grown three times year-to-date. — Bernama