Proton Rolls Out 10,000th GEP3 Engine, Achieves 126,682 Vehicles Delivered

December 1st saw national automotive brand PROTON rolling out its 10,000th 1.5 TGDI engine proudly produced at its new Tanjung Malim engine assembly line. This comes in just a short seven months since it began production back in April. With that Proton is on track to better its best sales year back in 2013 having delivered 126,682 units thus far. 

The 10,000th 1.5 TGDI engine produced by PROTON is part of the company’s commitment to invest RM1.8 billion to upgrade its facilities in Tanjung Malim and the culmination of a journey that began in 2019 that was taken under challenging conditions and delayed by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now with the goal of hitting 60,000 engines in 2023 in sight thanks to Proton’s first strategic thrust of the DRB-HICOM Automotive High Technology Valley (AHTV) programme that aims to maximise manufacturing activities in the region.

Proton’s CEO, Dr Li Chunrong said “PROTON’s new engine line is testimony to the grit and determination of our workers to overcome obstacles and achieve our goals. It is one of the most advanced engine assembly lines in Malaysia with a high level of automation, a climate-controlled environment and multiple testing gateways to ensure the high quality of its output. In 2023 we are targeting an output of 60,000 engines, which will be used across several Proton models”.  

Five Proton models have already outsold their total volume for 2021, with two of them, the Proton X50 and Proton Exora, leading their respective segments throughout the year. Export sales have also increased by over 2,000 units year on year, with YTD sales now standing at 5,028 units, up from 3,018 for the entire previous year.

“November was an eventful sales month for PROTON as we experienced some temporary supply issues that prevented us from achieving our full potential. We are confident of being able to rectify them in December and remain positive about closing out the year strongly.

“PROTON will end 2022 with a fourth consecutive year of sales growth. Aside from benefiting the company, the increase in sales has also increased the volume of parts purchased from local vendors, increased our number of dealers, and created jobs for the automotive ecosystem. With new model introductions in the pipeline for 2023, we hope to be able to increase our contribution to the Malaysia economy by making more local investments, selling more vehicles, and further growing our export markets,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, PROTON.