Proton (automobile manufacturer)
Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional
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legal form | Corporation |
founding | 1983 |
Seat | Shah Alam , Malaysia |
sales | 6.49 billion ringgits (2008) |
Branch | Automobile manufacturer |
Website | www.proton.com |
Proton is a Malaysian automobile brand that has existed since 1983 .
history
Proton is the abbreviation for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional , translated "National Automobile Company" (Holding). This name is the result of the history of its origin. The group was founded in 1983 on the initiative of the then Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad through the cooperation of Heavy Industries of Malaysia with the Japanese automobile and hi-fi electrical company Mitsubishi . To date, the state of Malaysia is the main shareholder of Proton. The main plant is located in Shah Alam , Selangor . Another plant is located in Tanjong Malim , Perak , where the factory and subcontractor sites take up 30% of Proton City's area.
The original trademark was a yellow star on a dark blue background. The outline showed the shape of a diamond. Production began in 1985. Initially, all parts of the cars were manufactured by Mitsubishi , and over time, Malaysian companies produced more and more components. The company now mainly produces Mitsubishi licensed buildings as well as the in-house development Proton Waja, Gen2, Persona, Saga, Savvy, Arena (Jumbuck), Satria Neo, Exora .
In 1996 Proton acquired the majority of the British automobile manufacturer Lotus , since 2003 Proton has owned 100% of this company. In December 2004 Proton took over the majority stake in the Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta . At that time, MV Agusta also included the Husqvarna and Cagiva brands in addition to the parent brand . At the beginning of 2006, however, this stake was given up again.
From 1995 to 2001 Proton cars were also offered in Germany . The models 300 ( Proton Satria , license model of the Mitsubishi Colt ) and 400 ( Proton Wira , license model of the Mitsubishi Lancer ) were sold. Due to the disappointing sales figures (approx. 2000 pieces per year), the brand withdrew from this market.
In 2002 Proton had a market share of around 60% in Malaysia. This decreased to 30% by 2005. A further reduction in the share is expected if the development of the AFTA means that the tariffs have to be reduced to a maximum of 5%. Due to the weak demand on the home market, the Malaysian state, as the main shareholder, is exploring the possibility of selling 50 percent of the company and handing production over to a foreign automobile manufacturer. Negotiations were also conducted with Volkswagen AG , but they ended unsuccessfully. Instead, a development contract was signed with Mitsubishi in December 2008.
In 2017, the Chinese automaker Geely took over 49.9% of Proton.
Models
Former models
- Saga I (1985-2008; from 1992 to 2008 also "Saga Iswara")
- Wira / 400 (1993-2004)
- Satria / 300 (1993-2005)
- Putra / 418 LRS (1993-2006)
- Tiara (1996-2000)
- Júara (1998-2002)
- Waja (2000-2011)
- Arena / Jumbuck (2001-2010)
- Savvy (2005-2010)
- Saga (2008-2011)
- GEN • 2 (2004–2012)
- Satria Neo (2006-2015)
- Inspira (2010-2015)
- Suprima S (2013-2019)
- Ertiga (2016-2019)
- Prevé (2012-2020)
Current models
- Perdana (since 1986)
- Persona (since 2007)
- Exora (since 2009)
- Saga FLX (since 2011)
- Iriz (since 2014)
- X70 (since 2018)
Timeline
Proton models timeline since 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Type | 80s | 90s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 0 | |
Small car | Tiara [1] | Savvy | Iriz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Compact class | Satria / Compact / 300 [2] | Satria Neo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lower middle class | Saga / MPi / Knight / Aeroback / Saga Iswara [3] | Saga / S16 | Saga / FLX | Saga / BT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wira / Persona / 400 [4] | Persona / Gen-2 Persona | Persona / BH6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prevé | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Waja / Impian | Inspira [7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gen-2 | Suprima S | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Middle class | Perdana [5] | Perdana [9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coupe | Putra / Coupe M21 [6] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SUV | X70 [10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pick up | Arena / Jumbuck [7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Van | Juara [8] | Exora | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ertiga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Thomas Hundt: "Malaysia - National Motor Vehicle Industry Not Efficient" ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Asia Kurier 1/2009 , August 27, 2009, on asienkurier.com. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
- ↑ David Fickling: Geely Getting Proton Is Chance to Shift Into High Gear . In: Bloomberg Gadfly . May 24, 2017 ( bloomberg.com [accessed May 28, 2017]).