Proton

Proton is the Malaysian national carmaker which was established in 1983. The name Proton is the Malay acronym for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional (National Automobile Enterprise). The company was founded under the direction of the former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad. Proton is listed on the Bursa Malaysia (Malaysian stock exchange).

Proton Saga was the first Proton model, based on the Mitsubishi Lancer Fiore. It rolled off the Shah Alam assembly line for the first time in September 1985. The 100,000th Proton Saga was produced in January 1989. It remains the top-selling model even though newer, more advanced models have been launched.[1] There have been a few other face-lifted models: Proton Knight, Proton CARES and Iswara Aeroback, Iswara Limited Edition (painted in light purple with power steering and sporty exhaust note). This model is extremely popular with taxi drivers in Kuala Lumpur who repaint the vehicles red and white.
Proton Saga Iswara, is a face-lifted version of the Proton Saga; originally launched way-back in 1992 and is still one of the top selling models for Proton in 2004 because of its low price. In past decades, this model had been well known for its low fuel consumption. However, with the advancement of technology Iswara has lost in this field. Sometime in 2005, the Saga Iswara was facelifted again and renamed back to the Proton Saga. This new version featured remodeled headlamps both front and rear. It also had an Audi TT-inspired dashboard and 1st generation Lotus Elise-derived dashboard display. In 2006, the Saga was facelifted yet again to include a new wau grille to match the rest of the family.

Proton Wira (also known as the Proton Persona in Europe and some other international markets, not to be confused with the 2007 Proton Persona) was introduced in 1993 and is based on Mitsubishi Lancer/Colt. More than 220,000 units were sold between 1996 and 1998 [2]. This car was, and still is, very popular in Malaysia. The word Wira translates into English as "Hero" but instead of using this as the name in English-speaking countries, Proton chose to use the word Persona. However, from about 2001 onwards, the car has been sold as the Wira in the United Kingdom, whilst in 2002 the Wira was put into production in Iran by Zagross Khodro. • Proton Wira Aeroback • Proton Wira SE

Proton Satria, (also called Proton Compact in the UK) a sporty 3-door hatchback based on the Mitsubishi Mirage / Mitsubishi Colt. Proton gained a lot of valuable engineering knowledge from its takeover of Lotus which ultimately led to a special Lotus badged version of the Satria being produced. • Proton Satria GTi is a 3-door sports hatchback. This was Proton's entry in the sport performance hatchback market. The Satria GTi is popular in Malaysia and has a large following in Australia. It is powered by a 4-cylinder 1,800 cc DOHC engine and featured Lotus-tuned suspension. • Proton Satria R3 is a limited edition road-legal race-spec Satria with only 150 units in production. It features a double seam-welded lightened chassis and a tweaked engine with more aggressive cam timing. • Proton Satria SE is the last batch of Proton Satrias to roll out. Featuring Proton Arena sports rims and grille, and many extras in the interior similar to the Proton Wira SE, this would be the last of the Satrias before the long-awaited SRM (Satria Replacement Model) rolls out. • Proton Satria Neo is the replacement model of the previous Satria variants, using all-new design, chassis and powerplant. Launched on 16 June 2006, the Satria Neo is available in 1.6L and 1.3L variants, where both variants are powered by Campro engine.

Proton Putra, a 2-door sporty coupe based on the Mitsubishi Mirage. Considered by many as one of the better looking of the Mitsubishi-based models, the Putra was well-received and commands good second-hand value.

Proton Perdana, based on the Mitsubishi Eterna, first produced in 1994, intended for the higher-end market. • Proton Perdana V6 was the facelifted version of the Perdana, featuring a more powerful V6 engine and new front and rear look. It was later facelifted to include the Alfa-Romeo-inspired grille that earned it the nickname Alfa-dana among enthusiasts.

Proton Tiara was a supermini class 5 door compact car based on the Citroën AX. It was built under licence from PSA Peugeot Citroën by Proton from 1996 to 2000. The Tiara was powered by a 1.1L engine and featured a different grille, tail lights and bumpers than the Citroën AX. Its successor is the Proton Savvy.

Proton Juara, MPV based on the Mitsubishi Town Box Wide. This model was the first batch being totally CKD models from Japan. The external appearance of the car, which was a modification of the original Town Box, was not popular with the Malaysian market and suffered from poor sales. The Proton Juara was very economical in fuel consumption and was very versatile. It is also one of the best-equipped Mitsubishi-based models offered from Proton. Some features were keyless entry, auto-dim lights, safety lock for gear, child locks for doors, a digital odometer and Mercedes-Benz-style wing mirror-mounted signal indicators.

Proton Waja (Proton Impian in Europe) is the first Proton to be designed and styled in-house. However, the car's chassis and engine were sourced and adapted from Mitsubishi (except for the 1,800 cc variant, which was powered by a Renault engine). The word Waja translates into English as "steel" while Impian translates into "dreams" or "ambition". The name Impian was chosen as it was considered to be a more pleasant sounding word for the international market. In January 2006, the car was fitted with a CamPro engine which has been re-tuned to boost the horsepower to 86 kW (115 bhp) and 155 N-m of torque. This made it go full-circle, as the CamPro was originally developed for the Waja, but was deemed not ready for production when the Waja was launched, hence debuting in the Proton Gen-2. The facelifted 2007 Proton Waja was launched on 19 January 2007 with the new grille nearly identical to the Proton Savvy. • Proton Chancellor Proton Chancellor is a variant of the Waja for the executive market with a 250mm wheelbase stretch and luxury fittings and accessories, including a space-robbing rear centre console that restricts seating to four persons. It is fitted with the V6 engine from the Proton Perdana V6. It is a rare sight on Malaysian roads. • Proton Waja R3 MME Edition

Proton Arena (Called Proton Jumbuck in UK and Australia), a coupe utility vehicle. Based on the Wira platform, Proton engineers managed to develop a vehicle that would cater for those who have an active lifestyle and also those who need a small and economical utility vehicle as opposed to a commercial truck. 1200 units were sold in Australia in its first year. The Arena comes in 3 bodystyles.

Proton Gen-2 is the first fully Malaysian-developed (including chassis and engine) Proton car and the replacement model for the Proton Wira; launched on February 8, 2004. Proton still continued to sell the Wira after the Gen.2 was launched, due primarily to the popularity of sedan/saloon vehicles in the target market. The Gen.2, a hatchback design, is considered by many to be the best-looking Proton. It has a minimalist and modern interior with design cues from the Lotus subsidiary. However, very low quality of materials and fit and finish of interior components seriously hurt the public's perception of the quality of the vehicle at launch. Later models used improved quality materials and assistance from the TUV of Germany to help maintain the quality improvements. The Gen.2 was the first Proton to receive the (inappropriately) named CamPro engine, which at launch was widely criticised for the lack of low- to mid-range torque (pulling puwer), due to a late decision to drop Camshaft Profiling from the engine feature-list in production models. Attempts to improve this torque deficit by adjusting ECU parameters have largely been unsuccessful. Published engine torque curves still show a pronounced DIP in torque output in the crucial 2000-3000 RPM engine speed region, presumably due to the missing engine feature. • Proton Gen-2 R3 MME Edition • Proton Gen-2 EVE Hybrid is a hybrid concept version of the Gen-2, revealed during the 2007 Geneva Auto Show. It retains the S4PH Campro engine coupled together with a 30 kW, 144 V electric motor.

Proton Savvy was launched on June 8, 2005. The 1,200 cc 5-door supermini car is the replacement model for the Proton Tiara. The car is fitted with an engine and a gearbox sourced from Renault. In an official on-road test made by Proton in mid-2006, Proton Savvy recorded the fuel consumption rate of about 24 km/L at constant speed of 90km/h(or about RM0.08/km of fuel), making the car as the most fuel-efficient Malaysian car as verified by Malaysian Book of Records. • Proton Savvy R3 Zerokit was based on the Proton Savvy R3 prototype and could be added to a Savvy purchase for an additional RM3000. It featured a roof spoiler, front and rear lips and side skirting.

Proton PERT (Petronas-EON Racing Team), a near-identical copy of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The current model resembles the Evolution VII and participates in the production class of the World Rally Championship.

Proton Persona was launched on 15 August 2007. The 1.6 liter sedan is based on the Proton Gen-2 and features a sedan body instead of the Gen-2's hatchback body. It retains the same 82kW Campro engine.

• 1981 Joint venture proposed with Mitsubishi to build a Malaysian car.
• 1982 National Car Project given cabinet approval. Heavy Industries Corporation of Malaysia (HICOM) signs agreement with Mitsubishi.
• 1983 Proton established on 7 May. Proton factory established in HICOM area.
• 1984 Prototype model on test. Edaran Otomobil Nasional Sendirian Berhad (EON) Privatised. First car named Proton Saga.
• 1985 Saga launched.
• 1986 Saga exported to Bangladesh.
• 1987 Production reaches 50,000 cars. Agreement to sell Proton cars in UK.
• 1988 Saga wins 2 gold medals and 1 bronze medal at International Exhibition in Birmingham (UK).
• 1989 Local engine plant opens. Production reaches 150,000.
• 1990 Saga wins 2 more gold medals at Birmingham International Exhibition (UK). Production reaches 200,000, Saga enters Thailand Rally and ended as winners.
• 1991 What Car awards Saga "Best Purchase" accolade. 12 valve engine released in the UK. 300,000 cars produced. Transmission and Engine Facility opened by the then-Prime Minister - Mahathir bin Mohamad.
• 1992 Robotic upgrade to the Proton factory. Saga variant, Proton Iswara launched. Proton's hat-trick. 2 gold medals at the Birmingham Exhibition for the 3rd consecutive year. En Adzmi Abdul Wahab appointed Managing Director of EON.
• 1993 Proton R&D facility opens. Proton Wira launched. Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh appointed Managing Director of Proton. Production reaches 500,000 cars. Proton finishes 2nd in Rally of Dubai.
• 1994 Proton Satria launched. Agreement to export cars to Indonesia signed.
• 1995 Proton Perdana launched by the Prime Minister at Putra World Trade Center. A more sporty Proton Wira called Wira Aeroback was launched. In June 1995 proton launched in Australia with the Wira sedan.
• 1996 Production of Proton Tiara begins. Proton now exporting to 31 countries. Proton Wira 400 Series launched in Zagreb, Croatia.
• 1997 YB Dato' Saleh Sulong becomes Chairman of Proton. Production of Lotus Elise begins.
• 1998 Proton gains ISO 9002 certification. Satria GTi and Perdana V6 launched.
• 1999 Perdana V6 and Satria GTi launched in Singapore and Brunei.
• 2000 Launch of Proton Juara mini-MPV.
• 2001 Proton Waja launched.
• 2002 Launch of Proton Arena and Waja 1.8.
• 2003 Sponsorship of Norwich City Football Club begins.
• 2004 Proton Gen-2 launched.
• 2005 Launch of Proton Savvy.
• 2005 Syed Zainal Abidin Tahir appointed the new MD.
• 2006 Launch of Waja Campro 1.6 DOHC
• 2006 Proton reduced car prices in Malaysia along with several other car manufacturers in a move by the government to lower car prices.
• 2006 Proton holds talks with sources in Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Thailand, and China.
• 2006 Launch of Satria Neo.
• 2006 15/sept Launched in Pakistan.
• 2007 Proton Gen-2 EVE Hybrid concept car was revealed during the 2007 Geneva Auto Show.
• 2007 Launch of Proton Persona.