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Proton Holdings, the Malaysian carmaker partly owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, plans to launch sales of two rebadged Geely crossovers in South Africa in September, expanding its global presence.

The first two models to be exported to South Africa from its Malaysian plant will be the X50 and X70 crossovers, Proton said.

The X50 and X70 are right-hand-drive versions of Geely’s Binyue and Boyue compact crossovers. Local dealer CMH Group will distribute the crossovers in South Africa under the Proton brand.

Geely acquired a 49.9 percent stake in Proton in 2017 from Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom.

With new investments and products developed under Geely, Proton’s sales have increased three straight years, with 2021 volume rising 4.5 percent to 114,708.

Proton’s exports also climbed to 3,018 vehicles in 2021 from 248 vehicles in 2017.

The number of its export markets has reached 13, most of which are countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia, according to Proton.

In 2022, it aims to boost exports to 10,000 vehicles, Proton said.

Source: https://www.autonews.com/china/proton-export-rebadged-geely-crossovers-south-africa

KUALA LUMPUR: National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd has signed an agreement to appoint CMH Group as the distributor of its vehicles in South Africa, which will see the first shipment of fully imported models going on sale in September.

The company said the Proton X50 and X70 models will lead sales there, followed by the Proton Saga, which is making a return to the nation 10 years after its sales ended in 2012.

“Proton is bullish about its sales prospects in South Africa, projecting strong sales this year, and targeting to more than double its volume in 2023. For the first quarter of this year, the total export sales had increased by 175% over the same period from 2021,” it said in a statement.

“That number is expected to increase as the company takes aim at growing export sales by more than 300% by the end of the year.”

For 2022, the company’s international sales department is targeting to grow export sales exponentially to 10,000 units by entering new markets and growing assembly or knocked-down operations overseas.

Proton director for international sales Steven Xu said the company’s long-term goals required exports to play a major role to grow the company’s overall sales as the total industry volume in Malaysia is expected to remain flat.

“We are exploiting the strength of our new products, brand, and even the links Malaysia has with other countries to establish a foothold in many new markets,” he said. — Bernama

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2022/04/29/proton-returns-to-south-africa-market

Malaysian carmaker Proton makes a return to South Africa by entering into an agreement with Combined Motor Holdings (CMH) to be a distributor for its vehicles locally.

The deal will see the first shipment of fully imported models go on sale in September, with the Proton X50 and X70 currently confirmed for sale later this year. The Proton Saga is also expected to be made available for sale in the country at a later date.

In 2015, Proton announced that it would halt sales in South Africa, citing deteriorating market conditions. At the time it said that the brand would remain active in the country, with after-sales support continuing for as long as there is demand.

“We are exploiting the strength of our new products, our brand, and even the links Malaysia has with other countries to establish a foothold in many new markets,” said Proton international sales director Steven Xu.

“Our new model range offers advanced features that are on par with many competitors from other brands and in many of our markets, the X50 and Proton X70 sit near the top of their class in terms of specifications yet are sold at prices equivalent to or less than their direct rivals,” he said.

• The Proton X70 costs RM94,800 in local currency – R348,000
• The Proton X50 costs RM79,200 – R290,000

CMH Group confirmed to BusinessTech that it has been appointed as the importer and distributor of Proton vehicles for South Africa.

“Proton is a member of Geely Holdings which is a Fortune Global 500 company and now the 9th largest automotive group globally. Volvo, London Electric taxi, Polestar, Lotus and Zheekr are all subsidiaries of Geely Holdings.

“The new Proton range will make use of the new generation energy-efficient drive train developed jointly by Geely and Volvo. Dealer development and set-up costs will be absorbed during the current year, so it is unlikely that the project will have a significant impact on earnings during the year to February 2023.”

The return of Proton to South Africa follows the news that Japanese vehicle manufacturer Nissan has ceased all production under the Datsun brand. Datsun gained traction in South Africa’s lower-end market through the sale of its popular GO sub-brand.

“As part of Nissan’s global transformation strategy, Nissan is focusing on core models and segments that bring the most benefit to customers, dealer partners, and the business,” Nissan South Africa said.

“We can reassure all existing and future Datsun owners that customer satisfaction remains our priority, and we will continue to provide the highest levels of aftersales service, parts availability, and warranty support from our national dealership network.”

Source: https://businesstech.co.za/news/motoring/581344/proton-cars-to-make-return-to-south-africa-later-this-year/

Its return to South Africa rather quietly announced back in April, the first batch of models from Malaysian brand, Proton, has departed ahead of the marque’s relaunch in September.

Reportedly on track to dock in Durban around July, the ship carrying an unspecified number of Saga sedans, X50 and X70 SUVs, left the port city of Klang last week Friday (27 May) for the almost 9 000 km journey following the signing of an agreement with Combined Motor Holding (CHM) for the sale and distribution of Proton vehicles in South Africa.

Last present a decade ago with a line-up consisting of the Savvy, Gen.2, Persona, Satrio Neo and Arena, the now streamlined three model range is set to be largely spearheaded by the X50 and X70 that originate from Geely products as a result of the Chinese brand’s acquiring of Proton five years ago.

“This shipment marks another significant milestone achieved by Proton this year. South Africa is a matured and competitive market, but we are confident the Proton X50, X70 and Saga have the right combination of features and value to compete with other brands there,” Proton’s Director for International Sales, Steven Xu, said.

“CMH Group is working diligently to prepare their distribution network and the current plan is to launch our models by the end of the third quarter this year. Ahead of this, several members of the CMH Group visited Malaysia last week to have discussions with our team and visit dealers as well as the Tanjung Malim plant.”

Proton’s return to South Africa will see it expand its footprint to 14 countries and the second in Africa after Kenya following the opening of a plant there two years ago using complete knockdown kits (CKD) of the Saga.

At present, nothing is known about the model’s pricing or which derivatives South Africa will be getting.

Source: https://www.citizen.co.za/motoring/3109733/protons-return-to-south-africa-officially-at-sea/