16 Apr 2007
Proton and Lotus Top the Aussie Vehicle Sales Growth Charts
Melbourne, 16 April, 2007 (Bernama) - Proton and its subsidiary Lotus have been the biggest winners in the rapidly growing Australian car market in the first quarter of 2007 with both marquees registering significant sales increases while some key opponents struggled.
Lotus topped the charts as the fastest growing brand in the Australian market during the first three months of 2007 with a massive 450 per cent increase in sales volume over the same period in 2006 while Proton was the fifth fastest growing marquee chalking up a 54 per cent increase.
Proton's success in the Australian market in the first quarter comes at the expense of some of its key rivals in the market, including Hyundai and Kia both of which registered significant downturn in sales.
Hyundai sales dropped by just under 18 per cent during the period while Kia took an 11.58 per cent dip in its sales volumes in what was a record quarter for the Australian vehicle market, tipped to top the one million mark for the first time this year.
Proton Cars Australia and Lotus Cars Australia managing director John Startari said the results are particularly pleasing given the heavy discounting by competitors and the increasing number of new competitors in an already crowded market.
"We have put a plan in place and we are sticking to that plan with the aim of building higher presence in the market for both Proton and Lotus as well as a sustainable and solid growth for both marquees," he said.
"Importantly, we have scored major increases in our sales volumes without buying market share through discounting or extravagant marketing campaigns. We have met our sales and profit targets and been able to return a profit for our parent company in Malaysia.
"We have been growing our dealer network which has enabled us to build our presence in major markets such as Melbourne and we will continue that growth in Sydney with new dealers hopefully coming on stream over the next 12 months."
Startari said the arrival of new models such as the Satria Neo and Savvy over the past 12 months had also helped build Proton sales while a more reliable supply of the Jumbuck (Arena) utility had helped boost the total sales.
On the Lotus side, the performance of the specialist sports marquee has been exceptional, topping the growth of other similar marquees, including Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Porsche.
"Lotus has benefited from the arrival of new models such as the Exige S and Europa S which has broadened the appeal while we have consolidated our dealer network and reduced costs by using Proton's infrastructure and backroom services," Startari added.
"We have targeted our Lotus marketing and sharpened the pricing of the entry level Elise S, which has helped drive demand strongly in the first three months of this year."
Proton has been selling cars in Australia for the past 11 years and there are about 25,000 of its cars on Australian roads. The company has a national dealer network of 40 outlets.
-- BERNAMA
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