PROTON began as Malaysia’s national car project, founded with the aim to spearhead the nation’s economic development and lay the foundations for the local automotive industry. The birth of the Proton Saga in 1985 marked the beginning of a colourful journey for the national car brand as it was constantly promoted as the “Pride of the Nation”. PROTON continues to progress as a fully fledged manufacturer that leads the nation’s automotive industrialisation effort and ecosystem. Fast forward to 2017, PROTON entered the next phase of its plan to be a global and respected automotive brand with the signing of a partnership between its two principals, DRB-HICOM and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. PROTON was aquired by DRB-HICOM in early 2012.
proton.com
Customer Care Hotline: 1-800-88-8398 (Operating Hours. Monday – Friday : 8am – 5:30pm)
History
PROTON is Malaysia’s largest manufacturer of automobiles, and the only full-fledged automotive OEM in South-East Asia. It is headquartered in Shah Alam, Selangor with its manufacturing plants both in Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim, Perak. Incorporated on 7 May 1983, PROTON pioneered Malaysia’s venture into the heavy industries. PROTON was aquired by DRB-HICOM in early 2012.
With substantial capital investment over the last quarter of a century and the corporate philosophy that success can be achieved by having ‘the right car for the right market, at the right price and at the right time’, PROTON commands a substantial share of the domestic market for passenger cars and through the years, has grown to become a global automotive player. To date the company has expanded its presence internationally to major markets in South East Asia, China, Taiwan, countries in the Indian Subcontinent such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa, United Kingdom and Australia. PROTON’s business activities span throughout the whole automotive value chain encompassing vehicle engineering, research and development, manufacturing, distribution, sales, after-sales services as well as financing.
The foundation of the Group’s growth is due to the understanding of the economic development stimulus, diverse customer needs and the ability to translate them into products that customers want, through research and development.
The portfolio of PROTON models includes the Saga, which was named Best Model of the Year for two consecutive years 2009 and 2010; the Persona, winner of the 2008 ASEAN Automotive Award for Best Model of the Year; the stylish Gen.2; the fun-to drive Savvy; the desirably sporty Satria Neo; Malaysia’s first home-grown multipurpose vehicle (MPV), the Exora; the sporty family car, the Inspira as well as the all new family sedan, the Prevé.
Proton was the owner of Lotus Cars from 1996 to 2017. The world-renowned Lotus sportscar brand, with models such as Elise, Exige, Europa and the Evora, the latest supercar that remains true to Lotus’ heritage and core philosophies of being Visually Stunning, Exhilarating, Agile and Responsive, to suit a range of customer demands and preference.
As a global automotive challenger, the Group conducts research in its centres throughout the world, on new technologies to create cars that are unique in both design and driving performance. Through Lotus, the Group provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. Group Lotus was organized into two business divisions. Lotus Cars focuses on sales of world-class, prestigious, high-performance sports cars, whilst Lotus Engineering provides engineering solutions for automotive manufacturers and suppliers.
With staff strength close to 12,000 employees worldwide, we ensure that each individual is aligned to our core values, thereby ensuring strong customer orientation in order to produce competitive products that drive our business forward.
In May 2017, DRB-HICOM announced plans to sell a 49.9% stake in Proton and a 51% stake in Lotus Cars to Geely Automobile Holdings. The deal was signed in June 2017, and Lotus has ceased to be a unit of Proton
Perusahan Otomobil Nasional Berhad (PROTON) was incorporated in May 7, 1983 to manufacture, assemble and sell motor vehicles and related products, including accessories, spare parts and other components. PROTON produced Malaysia’s first car, the Proton Saga, commercially launched on July 9, 1985 by then Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Mahathir Mohamed, who had originally conceived the idea of a Malaysian car.
PROTON
HICOM Industrial Estate,
Batu Tiga, 40000, Shah Alam,
Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia.
Tel: +603-5191 1055
proton.com