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KUALA LUMPUR – Proton management initially targeted a sensible 4,000 units of the X50 to be booked from its preview date. The situation has changed drastically over the past 6 days and Proton management will now be scrambling to get their parts suppliers and technology partners in China to work overtime to produce enough parts to assemble much more than 12,000 units of the just launched Proton X50 crossover to deliver to waiting Malaysian customers.
This is great news for Proton sales people, however, for the Proton X50 buyer you should take note. If you book the Proton X50 today whilst the sales tax discount is being offered by the government and your new X50 is only delivered in early 2021 due to high consumer demand, you will not get the sales tax discount. The sales tax discount is based on the date of vehicle registration and NOT the vehicle booking date.
So, the date your new X50 is registered in your name has to be during the sales tax discount holiday for you to be entitled to the lower selling price.
This means, many Malaysians might pull out their booking free of RM500.00 if they cannot be promised delivery of the X50 during the sales tax discount holiday which ends this 31st December 2020.
With bookings surpassing 12,000 units in just six days, this reminds us of the sales success of Proton Wira models when it was first introduced back in 1993. A re-badged Mitsubishi Lancer, the Proton Wira was an instant hit due to its lower selling price against all its immediate rivals with its Japanese drivetrain and features.
Right after the launch, all Proton showrooms nationwide were packed with Malaysians trying very hard to get a Wira into their garage as fast as possible and the waiting list for the Wira grew to almost 6 months at one point.
The same is happening right now with the Proton X50.
The only pending issue at Proton right now is after-sales and parts availability which seems to be a growing issue with the current range of Proton models. Being a locally made car, why are there issues with spare parts? The reasons shared with us starts with the Covid-19 lockdown globally and the closure of many factories that produce these parts. Then there is the supply of raw materials for the parts and the restrictions by some governments of the movement of cargo ships between countries even till today.
As Proton dealers nationwide celebrate the rising demand for the X50 and the continued sales demand for the 2-year old X70 SUV, the immediate rivals are looking at how to keep their showrooms running with a demand slowdown.
This article is powered by www.dsf.my. For more automotive updates, follow DSF.my on Facebook and Instagram. – Daniel Fernandez, September 22, 2020
