After a record-breaking year in 2024 with a Total Industry Volume (TIV) of 813,521 units, Malaysian automotive sales began 2025 on a slower note. The high sales rush in December 2024, coupled with the Chinese New Year festivities, led to a significant decline in new car purchases. An estimated 50,278 units were sold in January 2025, marking a 38.7% drop compared to December’s 81,987 units and a 24.9% decrease from January 2024’s 66,925 units.
Proton followed the industry trend, reporting sales of 9,914 units in January 2025 (domestic, export, Proton e.MAS, and smart cars), a decline from 12,882 units (ICE cars only) in January 2024. Despite this, the company’s market share grew to an estimated 19.7%, compared to 18.7% last year. Key highlights included the Proton e.MAS 7 emerging as Malaysia’s best-selling EV, export volumes surging by 86.9% year-on-year, and three Proton models maintaining leadership in their respective segments.
Officially launched on December 16, 2024, the Proton e.MAS 7 has quickly captured buyer interest, establishing itself as Malaysia’s top EV. With over 4,000 bookings to date, the company added 3,000 more units to its launch package to meet demand. January saw 421 units of the C-segment EV SUV delivered, giving it a commanding 25% share of Malaysia’s EV market.
Delivered through Proton’s 30 e.MAS outlets, over 80% of bookings were for the Premium model, with numbers expected to grow as more units arrive and additional dealerships open.
“It took just one month for the Proton e.MAS 7 to lead national EV sales, proving Malaysians will make the switch to EVs when the product and price proposition are correct,” said Zhang Qiang, Deputy CEO of Proton Edar.
Proton’s export efforts have paid off, with January marking the best opening month for export volume since its partnership with Geely began in 2018. Export sales hit 200 units, an 86.9% year-on-year growth from 107 units in January 2024. The Proton Saga led export sales, followed by the Proton X50 and S70.
Domestically, the Proton Saga continued to be a bestseller with 4,597 units sold. The Proton Persona and Proton Iriz contributed 1,221 and 291 units, respectively. Additionally, the Proton X50 (1,436 units), X90 (203 units), and S70 (1,143 units) led their segments in sales, showcasing Proton’s dominance in the B-segment SUV, D-segment SUV, and C-segment sedan categories.
“The automotive industry was expected to start slow in 2025 after the unprecedented sales rush to close out 2024. With over 1.6 million vehicles sold in the past two years, many buyers are in the early stages of ownership, leading to a lull in the replacement cycle. Combined with a saturated market from numerous launches last year, industry players will need to work harder to capture buyer interest,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar.
