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In October of 1981 the president of Mitsubishi visited Malaysia to discuss plans for a national car company in that country. By February of the following year, a team was established at HICOM to bring these plans to about. By December an agreement was signed with Mitsubishi. Soon after, Proton (Perusahaan Otomobil National Sdn. Bhd.) was established by using technical expertise, loans and supplies provided by Mitusbishi. This led to the production of Proton's first car, the SAGA, in 1985 and then exporting their vehicles by 1986. Within two years of rolling out their first car, Proton had produced over 50,000 units. Although early Protons were based on Mitsubishi technology, by 2004 they produced a car completely designed in-house, the Proton Waja, or Proton Impian in the UK.
Proton has a relatively small export base but is aggressively marketing their cars to new regions including the Middle East. They've been in the United Kingdom since 1989 and enjoy a reputation for being reliable and economic. Unfortunately they suffer from a poor public image with younger drivers and are thought of as unfashionable. Even with this, while many car companies have been struggling with decreased sales, Proton has enjoyed over a 50% increase in sales in the UK during 2006 and the firm expects this to continue.
Proton Cars History and Background
Proton Cars
Proton is Malasia’s first automobile manufacturer founded in 1983 by the Prime Minister. The first Proton was manufactured in 1985, the Proton Saga. Mitsubishi was the sole supplier of parts initially for Proton but slowly facilities were developed that allowed the company to produce their own parts.
Proton has since produced higher end models and the Proton Impian introduced in 2004 was the first car to be produced completely by Proton. In 1996 the company acquired Lotus technologies and with it acquired expertise and skill.
Proton has acquired other companies and shares as well, and in 2004 Proton teamed with Volkswagen AG. The agreement would be mutually beneficial for the two car makers. In 2007, Volkswagen is expected to buy a majority percentage of Proton.
Some popular Proton models include the Proton Impian, the Proton Gen-2, and the Proton Savvy.
The Proton Impian is the first passenger car designed completely by Proton. The Impian is a compact four-door saloon. The Impian was first introduced in 2000 with production continuing to date.
The Proton Gen-2 is a compact five-door hatchback that was first released in 2004. The Gen-2 replaced the Proton Wira. Production of the Gen-2 continues to date.
The Proton Savvy is a supermini. The Savvy comes in five-door hatchback form and replaced the Proton Tiara. The Savvy was first produced in 2005 and continues to the present.
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