KUALA LUMPUR – Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (Proton) remains cautious on its production capacity amid chip supply issues and pressure from rising costs in the global car industry, said Proton Edar chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah.
However, Roslan said the national carmaker has secured its chip supply for May and June and is anticipating a quick turnaround in the coming months following a difficult month in April.
“The situation is still uncertain for the rest of the year and the global car industry is under pressure from rising costs, but the company is working on countermeasures against these issues to ensure our customers get the best products and value in Malaysia and abroad,” he said in a statement.
Despite best efforts to turn around a shortfall in production in the first quarter, April proved to be another challenging month as chip supply issues continued to limit the number of cars sold, the statement said.
“After two years of pandemic-affected sales, Malaysia’s automotive market continues to show strong growth potential in 2022, as evidenced by the long waiting list for new car deliveries.
“Proton is also trying to catch up to market demand, but we also must acknowledge being most affected by chip supply issues,” he said.
Its sales for April slumped 41% to 8,839 units compared to a year earlier, and down 32% compared to March.
Export sales for April, meanwhile, stood at 456 units, “a figure that was also affected by parts supply issues,” the company said.
Year-to-date export sales stood at 1,573 units, an increase of 109.7% compared to the first four months of 2021.
Pakistan is the biggest export market with 1,050 units, followed by Egypt and Brunei with 172 and 138 units respectively. – Bernama, May 6, 2022
