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Over 1,000 Proton Cars Sold In Thailand In Two Weeks
By D. Arul Rajoo
BANGKOK, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- Proton has made an impressive debut in the tough Thailand auto market with sales of over 1,000 cars during the Thailand International Motor Expo which ended at the Muang Thong Thani Challenger Hall here yesterday.
Phranakorn Auto Sales General Manager (Operations), Apichart Wangsatorntanakhun, said the compact Savvy was the hottest model, accounting for 50 percent of the sales while the Gen 2 and Satria Neo registered 28 percent and 22 percent respectively.
Apichart said the company was only expecting between 700 and 800 sales at Proton's debut in the Kingdom, where world's top manufacturers like Toyota and Honda have been dominating the market for decades.
"The response was very, very good. We did not expect such an excellent reception," said Apichart, who has 14 years experience in the industry, having served as a top executive in firms dealing with major brands like BMW, Honda and Chevrolet in Thailand.
Phranakorn Auto Sales, a subsidiary of the PNA Group which is one of Thailand's largest automotive companies, is Proton's authorised dealer in the country.
With the Savvy being priced between Bt399,000 and Bt460,000 (100Bt=RM11.81), it's the cheapest car in the market.
Apichart said one of the factors contributing to Savvy's good demand is its low fuel consumption as buyers are looking at cars that can help them reduce costs in view of the current high fuel price, with petrol price being more than Bt30 a litre here.
On the Gen 2 and Satria Neo, he said their shape, handling and good engine performance attracted buyers at the two-week show.
The company, which has already opened six outlets in Bangkok and eight in other provinces, plans to set up 20 outlets initially and double this within the next four years, with a first year sale target of 3,000 cars.
"In fact, we received many requests from dealers to open Proton outlets during the motor show," he added.
Apichart said the company has a marketing budget of Bt100 million, with an advertisement blitz in the mass media and taking up space at light rail train stations in the capital.
More models are expected to be launched at another motor show here in April, he added.
The Thai auto market is expected to see sales of between 620,000 and 650,000 units for this year, including 270,000 passenger cars.
-- BERNAMA |
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