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Why is Proton going to Indonesia when the waiting list in Malaysia is more than 3 months for their MPV, Exora? I know going for international market is good for business but Proton is short changing its own fellow Malaysia. I would understand Proton going outside Malaysia if the waiting time for Exora locally is about 1 months. It would means that the factory has surplus production. Anyway, below is the extract from The Star:

Managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamad Tahir said the first half was a challenging period but things were starting to look up for the national carmaker since the launch of the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) on April 15.  Proton Holdings Bhd expects its Exora to beef up sales and help mitigate the impact of the global economic downturn.

“We are lucky that we have the Exora. It has helped improve our performance to some extent,” he told reporters after the My Proton Journey programme at the company’s Centre of Excellence yesterday.
Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohammad Tahir: »Bookings have been stable«

“Bookings have been stable. The financial institutions have been supportive and we are also happy with the Government for coming up with the scrap programme. This is helping us to recover from the economic downturn,” Syed Zainal added.

According to a Proton official, there have been 15,767 bookings and 6,200 registrations for the Exora since its launch.

Proton aimed to sell 36,000 units of the Exora in the financial year ending March 31, 2010 (FY10), he said, adding that its total vehicle sales target for the period was 150,950. Proton sold 141,000 units in FY09.

Syed Zainal said the carmaker would launch the Exora in Indonesia on Friday, and he was optimistic that the MPV would be well received.

He said the second half of 2009 would be a challenging period.

“Towards the Hari Raya period, demand would be stronger. But towards the end of the year, there would be a dip, which is why we need to come up with initiatives to excite the customers to come to the showroom.”

Meanwhile, the My Proton Journey programme will be a monthly initiative where as many as 15 of its newest buyers will be randomly selected to visit its plant in Shah Alam.

Customers can also test-drive Proton and Lotus cars at the company’s in-house test track at the same location.

Syed Zainal said the programme was part of Proton’s initiative to communicate better with its customers on issues such as product changes, progresses and developments.
Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamad Tahir says Proton will launch the E xora in Indonesia on Friday

He also said the programme would act as a means for Proton to address any misconceptions the public might have about the carmaker, especially on the qualitative aspects of its products.

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PROTON Holdings Bhd (5304) posted a net loss of RM74.6 million in its third quarter ended December 31 2008, compared to a net profit of RM10.3 million in the corresponding period of the previous year, as car sales slumped amid the global financial crisis.

“The financial crisis and its impact on the global car market and appreciation in foreign currency rates would continue to impact the group’s profitability,” the national carmarker said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia.

Chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh said the group’s loss was due to the contraction of vehicle sales as buyers turned cautious in the face of the economic downturn.

“Proton’s domestic sales volume declined by 15 per cent compared to the immediate preceding quarter.
“Correspondingly, the group’s revenue for the quarter declined to RM1.5 billion from RM1.8 billion in the preceding quarter mainly due to lower sales volume,” he said in a statement.

Mohd Nadzmi said the loss was compounded by higher foreign currency exchange rates, particularly the Japanese yen and US dollar. The group also incurred higher raw material and component costs.

Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said the Malaysian automotive industry is expected to face increasingly challenging conditions due to the ongoing global financial crisis.

The group posted a net profit of RM21.1 million for the nine-month period, compared to a loss of RM32.9 million previously.

Revenue for the same period improved by 30 per cent to RM5.1 billion compared to RM3.9 billion before.

A total of 122,355 Proton cars were sold in the nine-month period compared with 99,039 units in the same period of the previous year.

Proton is optimistic about the prospects for the new Proton Exora, a home-grown multi-purpose vehicle which will be launched in mid-April, Syed Zainal Abidin said.

Proton has received firm bookings for more than 800 units of the Exora since bookings opened on February 21.

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