Honda Outsells Proton, Toyota In April 2015

Although the car market is down by almost a third in April 2015 following March's pre-GST buying frenzy, something very seriously wrong is happening at Proton, whose April numbers dropped by more than 50 percent month-on-month.

According to data compiled by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), Proton sold only 4,972 cars last month, 52.8 percent lower than March 2015's sales of 10,528 units.

Even after considering the fact that March's numbers are just a temporary spike, artificially boosted by pre-GST buying rush from consumers, Proton's sales is still a cause for concern as its year-to-date sales is still 23.8 percent lower than the same four month period in 2014.

On the whole, Malaysia's total new vehicle sales in April 2015 dropped 32.9 percent month-on-month, while year-to-date sales (January to April 2015) is down 2.4 percent from the same period last year.

As a result, Proton has ceded one spot to Honda. The sales hierarchy now follows the order of Perodua (17,584 units), Honda (6,562 units), Proton (4.972 units), Toyota (4,200 units) and Nissan (2,722 units).

Year-on-year, Honda's sales is now up 27.3 percent, boosted by strong reception for the City, Jazz, CR-V, Accord, and also the HR-V.