Proton Saga

[AlexNg]

VW and Toyota still produce those in developing &/or third world country as it is cheaper to produce then spanking new Golf V GTis hehe...

 

[ALBundy]

Proton has certainly improved under the new CEO. Quality issues are definitely being addressed and more cars are being launched.

The question now is whether these changes have come in too late to rescue Proton from oblivion. Can Proton still complete with the Korean and Japanese manufacturers in the globalised world economy?

While the Saga, Savvy and the new Satria Neo are all very nice cars, can they compete head-on with the Accent, Suzuki Swift, Vios and etc in the global market?

Proton knows and Khazanah knows as well that it cant just depend on the local market, especially knowing how saturated the local C segment of the market is (with Perodua in the fray as well).

Let's hope Proton will produce a nice MPV that caters to the needs of Msians.

 

[astroboy]

Heard the MPV is Korean design, locally developed and ETA Jan-09, 7 seater, Cam Advance engine, 1.6L, price around RM60k and was told nicer than Toyota WISH!!

Sound great!

 

[AlexNg]

nicer than Wish? the last time they tried to compare that made me laugh was Waja to 3-series.... hehe

 

[affan66]

nicer than wish probably is not the right way to say it.
The MPV is benchmarked against the Wish. A number of them were taken in, stripped apart and studied on what's best and what people like, from ergonomics, feel, space, etc.
Let's not talk about the prev mgmt.

 

[AlexNg]

really look forward if it surprises me as much as the new Saga, which is in itself a very attractive car! IMO btw.

hopefully it'll take design cues from other sporty (the likes of Wish, Grandis, Stream) and apply it here instead of another Unser / Innova / Avanza box like car, though it'll still sell well. hehe

 

[funfer_fahrer]

Proton has certainly improved under the new CEO. Quality issues are definitely being addressed and more cars are being launched.

The question now is whether these changes have come in too late to rescue Proton from oblivion. Can Proton still complete with the Korean and Japanese manufacturers in the globalised world economy?

While the Saga, Savvy and the new Satria Neo are all very nice cars, can they compete head-on with the Accent, Suzuki Swift, Vios and etc in the global market?

Proton knows and Khazanah knows as well that it cant just depend on the local market, especially knowing how saturated the local C segment of the market is (with Perodua in the fray as well).

Let's hope Proton will produce a nice MPV that caters to the needs of Msians.

Tun Dr. Mahathir himself admitted that Proton doesn't have the economies of scale (in an interview in Malaysian Business magazine regarding Tengku Mahaleel). That's why the price is of the car is quite high. I was very surprised to read that statement. If that was so, why must we start a national car project? Because of this, Proton will never succeed in the global market because it started with the wrong footing, for the wrong reasons. Bottom line, TDM knew about it from the beginning and all of us got conned. At the end of the day, the rakyat in general who suffer. And we, the car enthusiasts also feel the pinch.

My 2 cents.

P/S : Before I forget, Anwar Ibrahim was the one who proposed to the cabinet to increase the import duty of imported cars up to150%. They accepted his idea. He was no longer in the cabinet but the policy stands. Let's hope they get rid of this policy and also road tax based on cubic capacity policy that was introduced by TDM.

 

[funfer_fahrer]

at least a brand new car is out now. and no longer based on 70's mitsu lancer(not colt).
i think the new management of proton has finally managed to reduce their new model introduction time, with a satria in 06, persona in 07, and saga in o8, with a 7 seater on the horizon in 09. i think credit should be given where its due.

On hindsight, selling old models new is not as funny as you guys make it out, because toyota still sells 1980's starlets brand new today in some countries(south africa comes to mind), likewise, you can buy VW golf mk1's brand new as well in some emerging markets. For a small company like proton to hang on to an old model that still sells, to me, its no big deal. but toyota and vw??

but who cares, the cars are cheap, and they meet the needs of a developing country, especially when the majority of the population are only starting to afford 4 wheeled transport. some people are also laughing at the tata nano, but its most likely the right car for the indian market right now, and at the right price. not everyone can afford a bmw.

I just came back from South Africa last week and I didn't see any of those Toyota Starlets. I knew how it looked like because I drove one of those in the early 90s. It was a rear wheel drive and very prone to oversteer. Mind you, the cars in South Africa are dirt cheap and they have good taste too. Cayennes, Golf GTis, BMWs, Mercs, Saabs..basically they are everywhere and heaps of them! Are you sure it was South Africa bro?
China also has their own local market VW. It is called VW Santana. A bit dated, but serve the purpose. Majority become taxis. But the price is not as pricey as our Potong Zaka. Why is that so? Again, they have the economies of scale and also they want to have it for the right reasons.
What makes our cars (P. Zaka) funny is that they have no quality at all but the price is so expensive. (With the exception of Perodua cars). That is why you see only Malaysia produces funny cars. At this point, I really pity the new Proton CEO because he is going to turn around a company that was not supposed to exist.

My 2 cents.