Comparatively, the overall total industry volume (TIV) for Malaysia is estimated to have shrunk 4.6% to just over 505,000 units.
Proton said in a statement its market share in 2021 is estimated to have stood at 22.7%, which was a 2% improvement over 2020 as it narrowed the gap with market sales leader Perodua.
In December alone, Proton said it registered December sales of 14,147 units, which gave it a market share of 20.6%.
"From a global chip shortage to a spike in Covid-19 numbers that lead to another lockdown to skyrocketing transport costs, there were many challenges for industry players to overcome.
"That is why Proton’s sales growth in a year where the market contracted is significant as it is the result of careful planning and juggling of available resources," said Proton Edar CEO Roslan Abdullah.
Proton is seeing a growing market share in the SUV segments, particularly after the launch of the X50 in October 2020.
"By selling 45,149 SUVs in 2021, Proton was crowned as the best-selling SUV brand in Malaysia, with the number accounting for nearly 40% of total sales volume," said Proton.
The X50 was the best-selling SUV overall with 28,774 units sold, and posted its best-ever month in December with 4,310 units.
The C-segment SUV X70 saw sales of 16,375 units in 2021 and a December sales figure of 1,616 units, placing it third in overall SUV sales.
Leading the automaker's sales, the Saga registered sales of 42,627 units in 2021.
There were 4,035 units of the Exora sold over the year while the Persona and Iriz registered 16,153 and 6,708 units respectively as the chip supply issue improved slightly.
International shipments of Proton more than doubled to 3,018 units in 2021, making it the most exported Malaysian automotive brand last year.
Meanwhile, Proton's finance arm, Proton Commerce, recorded 14,550 disbursements in 2021 and grew the number of 3S/4S outlets by seven to 147.
"The growth of Proton’s ancillary businesses such as Proton Commerce and the increase in the number of outlets is directly linked to the number of vehicles we sell.
"As sales have grown, so have our facilities to cater to an increased number of customers," said Roslan Abdullah.
