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Dato Syed Zainal - Proton's Managing Director, announcing its 4th Quarter financial standings to the press
While announcing its 4th Quarter financial standings to the press, Proton’s MD Datuk Syed Zainal also revealed bits and pieces of Proton’s plan for the future.
According the report by The Star Business
The plan, which is up to the 2016 financial year, will see Proton focus its efforts in the high growth markets of South-East Asia, China, India and the Middle East and North Africa.
The plan, which is up to the 2016 financial year, will see Proton focus its efforts in the high growth markets of South-East Asia, China, India and the Middle East and North Africa.
Managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said the company might also maximise localisation to reduce costs and would look at having multiple production hubs.
He said the plan would also see Proton cut down on the number of platforms and models to two platforms and three to five core models by financial year 2010/11. The three models are Persona, Saga and an MPV slated for launch next year.
“For small volume models, it will be done on a collaboration basis,” he added.
If I may infer from his words – the target export markets are all developing countries in the region of Asia-pacific + Africa. Thus, expect a stronger focus on vehicle durability over bad road surfaces, having sufficiently high ground clearance and ease of maintainence. Assuming the reporting by Star was correct, it would mean that the MPV will be based on the GX platform currently used by Waja (Impian), Persona and Gen2.
With the eventual target export markets comprising mainly developing markets, it would make very little sense of the widely circulated rumour that the MPV will look like a low riding Toyota Wish, as expected.
An MPV designed with developing markets in mind must have sufficiently high ground clearance to accomodate the sort of less than ideal road surfaces and flash floods frequently seen in Third World cities. Think of something more like the Nissan Grand Livina, Toyota Avanza and Innova and you will get the picture as these MPVs are designed solely for the developing markets. Also, the typically larger average family size of developing market socities meant that the MPV must be a proper 7 seater, meaning no pseudo 5+2 seating in the Honda Stream and Toyota Wish, whose third row seats are suited more for children rather than full-size adults.
As for other low volume models, DSZ hinted that it will be done on collaboration basis. The next new model introduction from Proton after its MPV launch in March ’09 will be the replacement for Waja. Launched in August 2000, it is currently into its 8th model year. The Waja is way overdue for a replacement. Rumour has it that the Waja replacement will be released between end-2009 and early-2010.
Launched amidst much fanfare by the previous controversial MD, Tengku Mahalel who famously quoted the Waja as some sort of Asian BMW. Of course in reality it was far from it. A rushed development, poor discipline in following specs lock-in schedule and government’s insistence on Proton’s parts sourcing from underperforming Bumi-owned companies meant the car was plagued with various quality issues, including the infamous power-window failures. Which was a pity. On paper the Waja was a highly competent car, quality issues aside, it still drives a lot better than any equivalent Japanese models, even better than the boring Corolla Altis.
I understand prior to the VW-Proton merger negotiations, work has already begun on a replacement for the Waja / Impian. However, the project was put on hold due to the uncertainty of the outcome from VW-Proton discussions. Now that talks with VW has ceased, and no other party is interested to negotiate with Proton any further (who would, after the kind of “stunts” pulled by the Malaysian government), the only foreign partner that is still willing to work with Proton is its former technical partner; Mitsubishi.
Though collaborations on the Mitsubishi 380 Perdana replacement project and MoU with Mitsubishi failed to materialise, there is still a possibility of a model-by-model collaboration with Mitsubishi. Thus, do not be surprised if the Waja replacement turns out to be a rebadged / re-engineered Mitsubishi Lancer, albeit with a 1.6-litre engine. To avoid any negative image of association or cannibalisation by the Waja II into the Lancer 2.0 market, they could agree to adopt a different, slightly more conservative front fascia currently used by Lancer Fortis in Taiwan.
Taiwanese Lancer. Could this be the basis of the next Waja?
Taiwanese Lancer
The sporty Lancer iO 2.0
The standard Mitsubishi Lancer Fortis 1.8
Compared to the Lancer 2.0GT in Malaysia, the Lancer in Taiwan is expected to cater to a much wider crowd. Thus it can’t afford to have an overly sporty Lancer like the one we have in Singapore and Malaysia. This is because the C-segment sedan market on this side of the world is a duopoly of the Toyota Corolla Altis and Honda Civic. Mitsubishi would stand no chance if it were challenge the market’s traditional favourites head-on. Thus explains the Evo-like exterior design and highly competitive “introductory” pricing to enable the Lancer to break away from the Altis and Civic.
Malaysian-Singapore Lancer GT 2.0
Of course, these are just my own speculations – which again I must say, could be dead wrong. You never know, we might end up with a rebadged Renault Laguna instead.
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nape la gi amek lg design mitsubishi??? proton dh xde duit ke nk wat kete sindri dgn design sddri??? xde jatidiri la namenye… pastu org compare2 kn dgn mitsubishi lak… hope jgn la jd cam wira@lancer tu… org dh leh tau dh tu design sape sbnrnye… pls proton,dont be so mitsubishi look sgt k… all da best!!!
proton bukan takde bajet tapi malas nak buat model dan design sndiri. nak buat model sendiri pon kene bajet lebih besar. bek amek model keta jepon pastu convert sikit2 bubuh jenama proton pastu jual. hmm…sbijik mcm pondan!!
I’m really pity and feel shame to proton. after more then 25 years in car industry, the only thing they can do is copy back from Mitsubishi model. History repeats by its self. Proton should be aggressive and learn from others manufacture example KIA motor.
Please don’t tell me Proton now cut cost in R&D and just thinking about profit but low in quality and poor after sales & service. by the way i’m not a Proton Basher i’m using Proton car for 10 years. Cograts Proton you make others smiling.
saya pun kurang berpuas hati dgn proton jika betul mereka mahu mengeluarkan kereta yg reka bentuk asalnye di hasil kan oleh org jepun…smpi saje ke proton,terus ubah sana ubah sini, lepas tu jaja nama kononnye kereta Malaysia. kereta mmg buatan malaysia tp rekaan org asing. mengapa tidak dibuat rekaan sdri, saya yakin yg ramai rakyat Malaysia yg hebat2 dlm rekacipta kereta.
korang yg sembab..tulis xde basic knowledge lansung..pi la baca skit requirement nk wat design keta..jgn baca blog je.. letih aa baca komen korang.. haiah..
ini la orang Malaysia… kereta belum nampak bonet bumper…. dah komen macam2… tunggu kereta tu keluar dulu.. pastu korang nak komplen, lantak korang la… kalau tak puas ati lagi… lukis design kete macam mana korang nak, pastu hantar kat proton, abis citer….
Sesiapa yg ada maklumat terkini ttg model baru Proton (pengganti waja),kalau ada photo lagi bagus up load terus,aku teringin nak tambah koleksi jenama proton nie.Harap-harap dapat booking bulan Sept. nanti………
sape rakyat malaysia yg bleh beli kete proton harga 70k skang, angkat tangan? tu la realiti rakyat malaysia terutama MELAYU… dari celik mata sampai pejam sume nk murah (Subsidi)…terus terang aku cakap operator kt kilang proton pun senang2 bleh wat design kete sendiri…tp org yg cume tau kete dibuat atas dasar design la yg byk komplen…lain kali tau btul2 psl proses buat kete baru la nk komplen pun..tau x aper die platform? nk wat platform kete pun org jepun terkial2…kalo x caye kenapa lancer dikeluarkan dlm 3 siri baru rupe die ade ubah…kenapa vios tukar lampu depan blakang…kenapa civic kuar dlm mcm2 variant? sume sbb platform…nk wat satu platform bleh mkn juta ringgit…kalo x tau ape itu platform google je la pasal platform kete….aku hrp korang phm..
btui2, aku sokong, bia la cam ne pun, proton pesona (IAFM) aku calet 190kmh dgn setting standard, handling tip top, xcaye? try la kat hgway…:>
x kisah kalu proton nk ikut mana2 design mitsubishi..dah nama JV kan.
tp, yg penting ialah nama2 model proton haruslah maintain + mantap.
belum ada lg nama model proton yg maintain kecuali model
proton SAGA (1985) = SAGA (2000)an…tu pun slps lbh 20 thn lahir SAGA
SATRIA (1996) = SATRIA neo ( jgn lupa pnh ada survey samada nk kekalkan nama SATRIA atau nama lain) sib baik kekal nama tuh..
lps ni adakah kita pnh dgr ada nama model wira (1994) = mana new wira.
so…jgn sibuk nak ltk nama model mcm2 nama.
mana new PERDANA = ?
ISWARA = ?
SAVVY = ?
mgkin lps ni kita akan dgr pula nama lain kete nasional spt:
proton BAYAM = replacement WIRA
proton SAWI = replace SAVVY
proton SEROJA = replace proton PERDANA.
proton JOGHO = replace proton JUARA (kalau anda ingat lg mpv ni)
kalu dah mmg ganti WAJA,,,why not tak guna je nama WAJA.
Tak perlu sibuk2 nk ltk WAJA 3 @ WAJA III.
senario model proton mcm2 kt negara kita tanpa ada kesinambungan model sebaliknya bnyk model br dikenalkan.
tak kisah la nak tiru sapa pun.Complain mmg senang,apa sumbangan org yg byk complain tu…nak design sendiri konon,ckp pki air liur mmg sng,yg nak buat kena perah otak..silap2 org yg complain byk tu yang booking dulu…apa2 pn bila dh keluar waja tu tgk respon camner..kalu rega rm80k kebwh byk rakyat malaysia yg mampu..baru ekonomi maju..aku sokong dzul platform dude..just buy it or leave it..
hahaha whateva, suke angkat je kalau mampu, xsuke?. ramai lg org lain suke n support barangan buatan malaysia, kalau ramai yg xsuke, kenapa bersepah2 keta waja convert jd mcm evo?, byk lg model proton yg org jelmakan jd mitsu?. hahaha dari byk komplen tu lebih baik la support barangan malaysia. kalau mampu n xmau support barang buatan malaysia tu gi je beli keta import. emm lagi satu ni, kalau xsuke proton n xminat apsal korg2 yg komplen2 ni surf pasal article ni?. hahahaaha kantoi sudah. xske2 pon masih search info ni gak. hahahaha jgn hipokrit wahai rakyat malaysia.. sekadar renungan je….
yups..aku pon tak tau nak komen apa…yela 25 years proton bukan kejap…saya setuju dgn korang semua..hehe…jom kit a pakai kereta sorong jer…hahahah
bukan aku taknak guna keta luar!! tapi kerajaan malaysia ni yg terlampau jaga keta buatan dorang sampai keta import kena bagi tax yg melampau BODOH!! patut cukai yg dikenakan tu sederhana dan masuk akal kemudian bersainglah secara sihat baru dinamakan GENTLEmen!!
Sapa yg mampu pki je lar keta luar yg mahal.Yg tak mampu mcm aku pki la keta m’sia…bukan semua org m’sia kaya…rmi yg wira/waja convert evo..apa maknanya..dah la slah..baik beli jer keta ni x payah nak convert bodykit…proud to be malaysian..we belong to you,we will fight for you…its for the stripe the moon and star.coz we all proud that we was made in malaysia.
ikutlah seperti mana pengeluar kereta mitsubishi di jepun.kalu dia wat keluar model baru lancer pasti dia kekalkan nama lancer tu…kalu keluar model evo pasti dia kekal nama evo tu…cuma ubah rupa paras dia jer dan bubuh le nombor siri dia cam evo 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.lancer MX,GLX,GLS,GS,GT,EX…
kalu nak ganti nama waja baru,aku cadangkan buh je nama wajahbaru…ha..ha..ha…buh la nama Waja GT…best ckit.
hmm just like the md said
“For small volume models, it will be done on a collaboration basis”
from one aspect, it is more economical way for proton as developing new platform is very expensive, which in car industry volume is the main thing
then considering waja which has been more than 5 years should stop its production as i believe very less people interested in waja while there are many other ‘newer’ choices in the market
still, i have faith that proton that will use this ‘collaboration’ opportunity to come out with its own model that could be truly waja or even perdana replacement
toyota reject …2nd class ..jadi daihatsu ..
proton takkan nak jadi sampah mitsubishi?
stop je proton ni … rakyat terpaksa pakai proton …. kena paksa ….ahahaha
kalau stakat market malaysia aje…kalau bukan nak tolong rakyat … proton ni kita suruh dia pi voluntary winding up aje..
competitive la sket …. gamen pun jgn tolong … biar dia kapitalis sket…
kenapa nak gi mitsubishi? mana g LOTUS?? kereta buatan LOTUS cantik apa..
ala..nk bising2 apehal..satria neo adalah keta proton paling cantik di malaysia..hidop neo..
pakai jela kete malaysia je..
naik tarafkan negare sendri sudah..
biala proton nk kuarkan mcm mane pn jnji blh jln,sedap ble pandu..
aku pn pakai neo gk tp convert r3..
adik pn pki wira sedan conveet lancer ..
okie je..
nk bangakn negare wtpe,dorg da cukup kaya..
yela,yg byk komplen nih sume kaya2 kn(kaya la sgt!)
ape2pn aku sokong proton..
go proton..
aper nak diherankan…proton dah lame tiru design asal mitsubishi…walaubagaimanapun…hanya jauhari yg mengenal manikam…we wait n see!
ttg kreta mlysia ni, bukn x nk support tapi bnyk sgt problem, tu pasal aku pakai kereta honda, toyota, mazda dan ford. sepatutnya proton lbh bagus da kia n hyundai krana tlh lama brtapak. harap proton hire pekerja yang blh buat design yg baik dgn idea yg kreatif, bukan dgn cakap n tunjuk degree jer. ttg design mmg susah, aku faham ttg challenging kerja tu .
harap proton dpt mengembalikn kepercayaan pengguna trhdp proton, dan kalau dpt gunakan barang yg berkualiti. kami akan membeli kalau sesuatu product tu berkualiti walau harga tinggi.
future akuada brangan nk produce a very sporty n performance car maybe for my own use, insyaallah. thanks
ala…..bka la cket mnda tu..ubah mentality 2….owg msia pkai keta masia bkan sbb sngt patriotik…bpe persen sgt yg nk gnakan kta msia sbb cntakan msia…cukai yg dknakan terlalu tggi xstndg dgn quality yg dikelurkn….pleasela….npe keta msia yg diimport kualitinya bkn main lg…smpai proton arena bleh dpat award kat australia….kelisa dpat pujian di france….npe???tp kat msia keta mcm ap g….stkat satria neo keta yg plg cntik….cam gampang da la mahal nk mmpus…persoalannye skunk npe proton msih brada dalm takat yg sma dri dlu…npe proton x jd pngeluar kereta nasianal yg 100 pratus nasional…
ala stakat pndai cakap lehla..bagi aku proton berdiri di landasan yg betul. cube pikir lok2, perodua sebijik tiru & amik design daihatsu de orang bising? sume dok puji perodua tapi xtau cerita sebenar.
mentaliti orang malaysia terutama melayu memang agak susah untuk berubah. produk nak bagus tapi price kalu boleh nak murah mengalahkan harga borong….kebanyakan yang komen mengenai proton xpenahpn beli proton sekadar dengar pandangan dan komen dari orang lain……….
nih.. sape2 yg kaki komplen 2>> jgn ska2 je nak kutuk2 proton, aku nak tnya da ke korg penah pkai jenama proton nih?? asal je buatan malaysia korg nak kutuk, korg p la dok negara lain. korg pandai sgt ke nak design keta?? designer proton pn just ambik yg basic dari mitsu je, yg lain2 diorg design sndiri… kalo kepala otak korg bijak sgt buat paperwork anto kat proton, tanpa tiru mana2 bentuk keta lain.. ada berani ker?? dulu aku pkai saga.. pastu skrg aku pkai persona.. xde masalah apa pun.. mantap lg adalah, petrol pn jimat.. x caye cuba try.
betul tu..sapa yg ckp pndai try design bg proton tgk…dok buat mcm bagus pki honda la ford la…kalu stakat keta second hand tak yah sembang la…kalu sapa yg komplen x suka x yah pki..byk lg org lain yg nk support proton…x nk support sudah..minat org bkn sama..proud to be malaysian
Majoriti pengutuk proton yg ber$$$….sebab mampu beli yg beratus ribu…Bagi aku proton semakin ok…itulah step ke arah kecemerlangan.Dulu aku beli saga,pas2 wira,then waja,terkini Exora & still ada saga & waja…Overall ok janji guna spare part orignl.Cuma cadangan aku..proton buka lah contest mereka bentuk kereta nasional lebih kerap agar satu hari ada bentuk tersendiri….Good Luck Proton.Aku sentiasa sokong