Proton sales performance opposite to market trend

Quick look:

• Despite the market softening, Proton sales show no sign of slowing down and have in fact increased, even for the e.MAS electrified models.
• To meet rapidly growing demand for EVs, PROTON is investing another RM37 million to increase output to 42,000 units annually.

With the conflict in the Middle East ongoing since the beginning of March 2026, some uncertainties along with the increase in fuel prices have dampened sales. The Total Industry Volume (TIV) of new vehicle sales in May fell an estimated 15.4%, with most brands recording reporting reduced deliveries.

However, PROTON went in the opposite direction with 16,995 vehicles delivered, taking the national automaker’s cumulative volume of sales in the first 5 months of the year to 84,294 units. This is an impressive 38% increase over the same period in 2025 and should give PROTON a 26.7% market share.

Saga is No.1
The Proton Saga reclaimed its crown as Malaysia’s best-selling vehicle, with 7,398 units delivered in May. The cumulative volume after 5 months is now 37,375 units which is 41% greater than the for the same period last year.

Besides the Saga, the other ICE (internal combustion engine) models continue to win more new customers (and bring back existing owners). The C-segment S70 sedan cleared the 2,000-unit threshold for the third consecutive month, recording 2,350 deliveries to push its year-to-date performance 32.5% ahead of last year.

Meanwhile, the popular X50 continues to comfortably dominate its segment in the SUV market with 2,793 deliveries in May. At the top end of the X range, the D-segment X90 – which recently received a new i-GT engine and upgraded connectivity – is seeing increased interest with 402 units delivered in May and cumulative volume 38.6% ahead of its 2025 performance.

Proton e.MAS dominates
On the electrified front, the e.MAS brand maintains dominance in the market with total deliveries of 3,022 units (domestic and export) in May. This takes its 5-month cumulative total to 14,687 vehicles.

The star performer of the range is the Dual Power e.MAS 7 PHEV, which had a second consecutive record month with 1,181 units delivered. Just 4 months after making its debut, it has already cemented its status as the nation’s top-selling PHEV with 2,936 cumulative sales. Not to be outdone, the fully electric e.MAS 7 reclaimed the title of Malaysia’s best-selling EV for the month.

Thanks to stabilized local production, more vehicles could be delivered, and 958 customers received their EVs during the month.

The sale volume also remains consistently high for the e.MAS 5, which continues to be the overall best-selling EV in Malaysia in 2026. After 5 months, Proton e.MAS delivered 9,357 units nationwide.

Increasing EV production
With demand for EVs clearly heading upwards, PROTON has made additional investment of RM37 million to its dedicated EV plant in Tanjung Malim, Selangor to increase production capacity. The plant, which began operations less than a year ago, started off with a capacity of 20,000 vehicles annually. With the expansion, this will increase to 42,000 units.

Output from the EV plant will primarily be for the Malaysian market but some proportion will also be exported (as Proton e.MAS or Geely products) as Geely has designated the plant as a regional hub for New Energy Vehicle manufacturing in ASEAN. Currently operating with 391 employees, the investment is also expected to generate new employment opportunities and further strengthen Malaysia’s EV supply chain and technical capabilities.

According to Dato’ Ir. Abdul Rashid Musa, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROTON, the expansion reflects both strong consumer confidence in the company’s products and PROTON’s long-term commitment to supporting Malaysia’s EV transformation.

“The need to expand the capacity for PROTON’s NEV plant has come earlier than anticipated due to the exceptionally strong market acceptance for our Proton e.MAS models. Customer demand has exceeded our initial projections, and this has accelerated our plans to localise production capacity,” he said.

“Beyond increasing production volume, this investment also reflects PROTON’s commitment to helping develop Malaysia’s EV ecosystem. By expanding local assembly activities, we are also creating opportunities for talent development, job creation, and the strengthening of the local automotive supply chain as Malaysia moves towards a more electrified future,” he added.

Find out more about Proton and Proton e.MAS products and services

Why more Malaysians choose the Proton e.MAS 7 PHEV