NUSAJAYA, Johor: Proton Holdings Bhd is confident that bookings
for its latest model, Suprima S, will exceed the intial sales target of 750 units in its first month.

Its chief operating officer (commercial) Hisham Othman said the response for the hatchback model was very encouraging as the company had received hundreds of bookings although it was introduced in the market just about a week.

"From our observation, our customers are attracted to the model's exterior design, styling, colour choices and hatchback profile.

"During the test drive, they found out that this model is also good in terms of performance," he told reporters here today.

Hisham expected the Suprima S to contribute about 10 per cent to the overall monthly sales of Proton, based on growing interest for the hatchback model.

"The hatchback segment in Malaysia represents a niche market. Local customers are more fond of owning sedan models compared with the hatchback," he said.

He said hatchback models such as Suprima S were more favoured by customers with a small family.

Nevertheless, Hisham believed the hatchback market would grow every year and the model would become more popular among car enthusiasts in Malaysia.

"Our biggest market to date is Malaysia, and certainly it is our intention to export the Suprima S to foreign markets such as Australia, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand, just like our other models previously.

"We are confident this model will get the reception in foreign market as it is recognised by the Australian NCAP (New Car Assesment Programme) with five-star rating, indicating the highest level of safety," he said.-- Bernama