MALAYSIAN DRIVER

Is Proton good or bad?

2008-07-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

I am taking cue from Rocky here in wishing Proton Happy Birthday.

I love cars, from as as young as I can remember, cars have always had a strong hold on me and as most young boys my dream cars were Italian or German. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, De Tomaso, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen were names that drew my admiration.

From England cars from Lotus, Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce, MG and TVR were the stuff of dreams while the Americans showed off what they could do with the Chevrolet Corvette, Pontiac Trans Am and Dodge Charger.

The Saga was acceptable for the 1980's but it stayed too long and Proton became too comfortable on its success and that of the Wira to develop their own models.

I was only 15 when Proton was launched and it was a piece of exciting news but not because it meant that I could buy a Malaysian brand but because it meant that I had a chance to pursue a goal as a car designer or automotive engineer in my own country.

After SPM I applied to study engineering but the JPA told me that we had too many engineers and not enough lawyers and took cue from my less than stellar additional maths result to deny my ambition.

I had no choice but to study law because otherwise it would mean not getting a scholarship.

So my hopes of becoming an automotive engineer was dashed but thankfully I was given the opportunity to become an automotive journalist and apply my love of cars as part of my role.

Mahaleel is a fantastic planner and had a great vision for the company but some accuse it of being tunnel vision

Since 1994 I have observed the company closely and when Tunku Mahaleel Ariff was given the helm, it was a great day for the automotive industry because now we had a car guy running the country's largest car company.

Mahaleel is a fantastic planner and had great vision for the company, he spent money beefing up the company's research and development capabilities and began work on designing our own car from the ground up.

The Auto Industry is highly competitive, massively cost intensive and fast moving, only the biggest and best can survive

He also had the foresight to understand that the future of the car industry lies not just in volume but in building a premium brand and took advantage of their alliance with Lotus to come up with cars that are actually decent to drive.

He began toying with the idea of building the company in the mould of BMW, leveraging on Lotus's ride and handling expertise to give the cars credibility as a driver's car.

The first car that Proton designed on their own was the Waja using a Mitsubishi-derived platform that was improved and altered to suit our own needs. The statistics were impressive, they came up with a chassis that was stiffer and more rigid than many of the competition and when we got behind the wheel, it was actually pretty good to drive.

The Waja was a decent family car, ti had space, practicality and it was even fun to drive but build quality was spotty for the first few years.
Personally I think the Waja has rather peculiar ergonomics, the driver cannot sit upright and be able to see all the dials as they are blocked by the top of the steering wheel

At this point problems with quality were on the rise and at the Malay Mail (Under Fauzi Omar then) had to deal with many Proton-related complaints through the Hotline and of course this did no favours to the company's image.

Proton's mantra then was: We are having problems with our vendors. We gave them a bit of breathing room but after a few years the excuse started to wear thin. I mean you can only blame the vendors for a short period, as the Principal, Proton should whip their vendors into shape or find new ones. Apparently this did not really happen.

I remember an interview with Bob Hall, an old hand in the automotive industry and whose biggest claim to fame was creating the iconic Mazda MX5. He had been hired by Mahaleel in his effort to create more interesting cars that people wanted.

Vendor quality problems and low worker morale plagued Proton in the 1900s and it is only now being seriously addressed

The interview went well until I told Hall that I think Proton is not quite capable of building good quality cars because of their inability to solve the vendor problem and poor workers morale.

He was very angry and began shouting at me. He could not understand why a Malaysian could be so cynical and skeptical of the company's ability to build god quality cars.

I understand his enthusiasm, he has been infected by Mahaleel's charm and I can tell you that Mahaleel had huge reserves of it.

During the launch of the Gen.2 Mahaleel called me and took me on a ride in the new car around their test track. I had become a vocal critic of the company and he wanted to set me straight.

He demonstrated the car's good handling qualities and rather impressive ride comfort. I told him I though the dashboard centre console is rubbish because the buttons are too small and the circular display hard to read in daylight.

Mahaleel talked about the difficulties he was having with some vendors and how they would give him grief through their political connections.

He tried to change things but there were limits as to what he could do, at least that was what he said and I had no reason to disbelieve him because Mahaleel is not someone who gives in to bullying. He has a strong character and got what he wanted most of the time.

Some people laughed when Mahaleel told the world that he wanted to turn Proton into a sort of budget BMW brand, a company that builds enjoyable driver's car. I think it was a great idea but he had little time and Proton had committed to hatchback models which was clearly not loved by the market and things went downhill for him from then on.

Mahaleel's vision of Proton as a manufacturer of enthusiast cars is typical of car guys heading car companies, just take a look at Bernd Pischestreider at BMW and later VW. Their desire to build cars for enthusiasts can sometime distract them from market realities.

Recently VW realised that the cars built under Pischestreider were too good and too expensive to build, they were over engineered beyond their station.

At Proton, Mahaleel was adamant that the company should focus their efforts on the enthusiast and they gave birth to the Gen.2. Personally I think the Gen.2 is swell looking car and it handled beautifully for a car in that price category. But it should not have been the launch model for their second generation platform (thus the Gen.2 name).

Malaysia, like most of Asia, is sedan country, hatchbacks don't do very well here. This is why the Gen.2 tanked. Most people complained about the lack of rear headroom and there is merit in their whining but there was also another problem. The new Campro engine was not set up for relaxed every day driving.

On the Sepang International Circuit, the car Gen.2's high strung engine was wonderful, it hit the power band at the right places because you always kept the engine at high revs to maintain high speed on the track.

On the road the engine was gutless, it needed at least 3,500rpm before anything happened and as a result the car felt grossly underpowered at normal driving speed.

Mahaleel figured that the peculiarly Malaysian worry of Renault engines was an irrational fear. The fear may have been irrational but it was real and contributed to the car's poor showing.
The Savvy also suffered from its looks. The car stands out in a crowd but few people understood why it looked the way it did - that is to say they thought it was ugly.

The Savvy, another slow seller is also a good driver's car but it had a Renault engine and was not the prettiest car on the lot.

Now you may think that Renault is a fantastic brand, after all they are winning Formula One races so they must know how to build good engines. They do but in Malaysia the brand was poorly represented in the 1990s and that is the image that stuck in people's minds. Folks out of the city hesitated to buy the car and sales tanked.

The Gen.2 has been transformed into the Persona and is now a hot seller while the Savvy has been stretched and widened into the Saga and now has a fat order book. This proves that Mahaleel had got the fundamentals correct but he did not read the market correctly. Of course people may say that hindsight is 20/20 so it is unfair to blame Mahaleel for sticking to his vision of Proton as a premium enthusiast brand.

The Persona and Saga is a good seller but it brings Proton back to square one, as an entry level mass market manufacturer, something that Mahaleel was keen to avoid and he had a very good reason for wanting to move away from being a bottom-feeding volume manufacturer.

Hyundai-Kia climbed the ladder from top ten biggest car manufacturer to being top five in 10 years. They did it because they knew they had no choice. Volume was the name of the game

In order to understand why Mahaleel was keen to move away from this label, we have to look at the recent history of Hyundai-Kia. 10 years ago journalists were invited to Seoul for the company's Vision 21 plan, which is their long term master plan for the 21st century and at they told us in no uncertain terms that the company will become the fifth largest carmaker within a decade.

At that point the world's largest carmaker were

1. General Motors
2. Ford
3. Toyota
4. Daimler Chrysler
5. Volkswagen
6. Fiat
7. Honda
8. Hyundai Kia

Hyundai Kia realised as did Mahaleel, that in order to remain competitive you had two choices, improve your margins or increase your volume.

Each new model costs around US1 billion and most car companies have at least five models in their range while full-range manufacturers may have around 15-20 models. With at least one new model launched a year, companies have to spend at least UD1 bilion in R&D annually.
Prestige brands like Mercedes-Benz , BMW and Audi will probably spend double or triple that because they need to ensure higher quality levels and need to develop new features to attract buyers.

In the highly competitive world automotive market, a mass market car company with volume of less than one million cars a year would find itself in trouble, ideally they should be looking at a total volume of around two million cars a year.

This large number is necessary because the cost of developing a totally new model is at least USD 1 billion while top brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW would spend two or three times that in order to achieve the necessary level of quality and premium specifications.

Given that most companies have a range of between seven to 20 models and a model lifespan of between five and seven years, it means that they need to launch a new model every year. That means spending at least USD 1 billion a year on R&D.

The companies then need to defray the R&D cost to about USD1,000 per car, which means that they have to build at least a million of each model and sell around 200,000 a year. Multiply that with a five-model range, it means selling a million cars a year, at least.

These are obviously grossly simplified numbers but they are a relatively accurate representation of reality.

Proton is lucky if they can sell around 200,000 cars a year, given the Waja- Gen.2/Persona, Savvy/Saga, Satria and Perdana model range, they are selling an average of 50,000 cars per model. Obviously this means that they need to spread their R&D cost over a smaller number of cars sold.

Proton solved this problem through some innovative cost cutting and by taking advantage of the country's low labour cost. The spent around an average RM500 million per new model and less than RM200 million for updates such as the Persona and Saga. They did it on a veritable shoestring budget.

Mahaleel saw that it was difficult for Proton to hit a million cars a year so he decided to go on the premium path and focus on the enthusiast. The reasoning was faultless but what it needed was balance against market realities.

This year Proton looks set to get back in the black but it is far from being globally competitive in terms of cost and quality and the current management has their hands full trying to balance the books and move forward.

I think they need at least another five years to establish the company as a globally viable automotive corporation and the target for a million cars must be in their long range scope. In the short to medium range, they can get away with 200,000 to 400,000 cars a year but this severely limits their growth potential.

In terms of comparison, Subaru is similarly sized and sells about 400,000 cars last year but even they are not able to maintain their independence and are now allied with Toyota, the world's largest carmaker with sales expected to hit 10 million cars this year.

Subaru was the last independent niche manufacturer in Japan. They sell about 400,000 cars a year and they sold some really outstanding cars with much admired all wheel drive technology.
However even Subaru had to tie knots with Toyota to survive. Technical alliance is unavoidable if Proton wants to thrive.

If Proton is to remain at 400,000 units per year in their forseeable future, then it is unlikely they can survive as even premium brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi are selling more than a million cars a year these days. taking into account the level of technology investment needed to remain competitive, Proton will have no choice but to become a million unit company within the next 10 years.

In terms of the company's benefit to the Malaysian economy, i will say that Proton was a good engine for growth in terms of our expertise and industrial capacity. Tun Mahathir himself has pointed out that the company was set up to build our capacity and the automotive sector was chosen as the engine because it requires a wide range of skills to engineer, build and market cars.

However, like many of Mahathir's grand plans, something was lost in its implementation. Proton should have been technically independent five to ten years ago but they started very late. they were content to be resellers of badge-engineered Mitsubishi cars.

Obviously Malaysians had to bear the cost of building Proton through higher import duties for foreign cars as the Government gave Proton room to breathe and grow but obviously it is time to ask the more difficult questions 23 years later.

How long can we continue to protect Proton with tariff barriers, can the company stand on its own in the face of global challenges in the next decade?

Is there a plan to make the company globally competitive and can they share with us the roadmap?

Proton gives hundreds of thousands of Malaysians their livelihood so we do have to act carefully but it also means that we have to act decisively because a company that relies on protectionism is not a viable company.

A company that cannot provide competitively priced and specified products is also not a viable company, not if we want to be plugged into the global market.

At this point, Proton still have markets such as Africa, China, India, the former Soviet Union maybe even South America where it can establish itself through price competitiveness as these markets are still not as demanding when it comes to specifications but they need to move fast as Chinese carmakers are taking huge strides in some of these markets.

Proton should be more aggressive in promoting its association or ownership of Lotus despite concerns that it may dilute the British brand, after all we had paid a lot of money for it, lets make it go to work for us.

I also believe that Proton should be more aggressive in promoting its association or ownership of Lotus. I know that there are concerns that it may dilute the British brand but it is a risk that we should take, after all we have paid good money to acquire the brand and its expertise, we should make full use of it. Proton must be the primary concern and Lotus must play the supporting role, even if it is a sacrificial role.

Proton still has time but that time is very limited and the current management needs to make bold moves to expand the company's market reach and expand its product range to give it broader appeal.

As the auto industry finds itself at a technological crossroads in terms of it's propulsion technology as dictated by double concern of depleting oil reserves and environmental concern, Proton needs to quickly asses its future path and start planning for models that will give them an edge.

Perhaps a technical alliance is unavoidable, if so then Proton needs to build the value centres to attract the right kind of partners and I firmly believe that it should be our cost advantage in terms of engineering. Proton must expand its engineering capabilities and offer it to partners.

We are quite capable of undertaking the mechanical engineering work at a good price while the technology partners can concentrate on higher technology work.

The Proton that exists in five years time must not be recognisable as the same company that exists today, Proton needs to take a huge leap if it wants to earn the respect and admiration of Malaysians. Long enough has it been the brand that Malaysians settle for when they can afford nothing else.

Facelifted Aveo to debut at Geneva Autosalon

2008-02-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

Our Korean friends at general Motors have come up with a refreshed Chevrolet Aveo and not a moment too soon. This three-door version will debut at the Geneva Auto Salon in March.

For more pictures of the new Aveo and the full story click HERE

2008-02-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

Mercedes-Benz has been given the Environment Grand Prize is Paris for their Diesotto engine concept.
This variable compression engine is designed to run like a petrol engine at high loads and a diesel motor at cruising speed when power demand is low.
According to M-B the engine can achieve startling fuel efficiency and impressive torque of a diesel and driveability of a petrol motor.

For the full story click HERE

KITT is back and its UGLY!!

2008-02-11T04:52:00.000-08:00

Remember Knight Rider? Well it's making its way back to the big screen and this time they have decided to ditch the sleek Pontiac Trans Am for a butch Ford Mustang.
It does not work.

For more pictures of new and original KITT click HERE

Spyshot: baby Ferrari under heavy camo

2008-02-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

This cross between a Hearse and sporstcar is actually a mule of a new Ferrari.

Shot while testing at Ferrari's private test track, Fiorano, the car looks like its undergoing early shakedown.

Speculations about a 2+2 from Maranello have been rife despite strong denials from the company.

For the full story click HERE

Rossi fastest in second Sepang test

2008-02-06T00:17:00.000-08:00

The Doctor was highsided in the first 2008 Sepang test session which took place two weeks ago but that did not stop him from clocking the fastest time during the first day of the second test session at the Sepang International Circuit on Tuesday (feb 5,2008)

For the full story follow this lead to the Official MotoGP site.

PROTON INTRODUCES WAJA WITH CPS ENGINE

2008-02-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

We have been waiting for a few years for a variable valve engine from Proton and it's finally here.

I have not driven a car fitted with the engine so will reserve judgment till llater.

For now you can read their official Press release HERE

Proton's Jumbuck Greenest And Cleanest Ute In Australia

2008-02-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

By Neville D'Cruz

MELBOURNE, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- Proton's Jumbuck half tonne ute has been named the greenest and most economical ute or light utility vehicle on the Australian market, recording the best greenhouse rating and the best air pollution rating in the category, according to the Australian Government's Green Vehicle Guide.

The guide, which is put together by the Federal Government's Greenhouse Office, also declared the frugal Jumbuck to be the most economical ute on the Australian market with an average overall fuel consumption of just 7.1 litres per 100km.

For the rest of the Bernama story please click HERE

Corrupt auto execs nabbed

2008-02-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

Last week there was a story in the newspapers about seven corrupt executives of a national car company nabbed by the Anti Corruption Agency after they were found to be living well beyond their means.
That company is sending a strong message to their employees and suppliers that hanky-panky is not tolerated.
This is a good move by the company and others, especially Proton should take note and start taking similar stern action against anyone who is found to be on the take from suppliers since the company has long complained about problems with vendors.
After all if the vendor is really bad why don't you change them, unless you don't want to.

British quality is the pits: MG stops TF production after a few weeks

2008-02-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

The Chinese owner of the old rover plant in Longbridge revived production of the MG TF for a short while but had to stop it again after they found that the parts they bought from the bankrupt company is not good enough. Imagine that a Chinese company telling the Brits that their parts are simply bottom of the pile.
This latest disgraceful chapter in the story of the British automotive industry is reminder enough why it is declining and maybe at the end of its road. Everything that is good bearing a British brand was either developed by foreigners or built by them. Even the now British owned Aston Martin have to thank their American former owner, Ford for the technology and quality found in their cars. I wonder if Dave Richards can keep it up.

One screen, two views

2008-02-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

Two years ago Pioneer showcased a breakthrough in LCD technology, it could display two different images simultaneously, what you see depends on where you are looking from.
In the example above the driver is on the left and he can see the navigation map while the passenger gets to watch a music video.
The technology works on masking or rather a series of very small and precise louvres that determines which pixel you see from the left and right side of the screen.
Images are projected onto neighbouring pixels and the louvres blocks out the unintended view.
This way your passenger(s) can keep on watching their videos even when the car is moving.
It is not quite clear what you would see of you view the screen straight on, maybe you see both and get to swallow and aspirin afterwards

First Pictures: Lancia Delta

2008-02-05T09:32:00.001-08:00

I have to say that I don't like the looks of the new Delta. it's just too complicated and fussy. It looks like the company is sticking to the design language that they explored with the Thesis to disastrous consequences.
The only thing this thing has going for it is the badge and a bit of chrome.
Since Lancia is practically broke, the new car is nothing more than a reskinned Fiat bravo and in their effort to make it distinctive, the designers have simply indulged in their love of coplicated lines and fussy details.
Let me say again that I think its horrendous.

The interior is an improvement over the exterior but only just. They have gone overboard with the metallic accents. No doubt this is suppose to evoke some kind of sporty feeling but only succeeds in making the interior look cheap.

Unbelievable Ferrari model

2008-02-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

This Italian mechanical engineer spent years building this scale model which is accurate down to every detail. He made everything from scratch including the engine, which actually works... That's right, the engine actually works. The engine actually sounds like a Ferrari motor. He even makes the gearbox just lie the real thing, with reverse gear.
its unbelievable, you have to see this video. If the narrator's voice sounds familiar its because it's Jeremy Clarkson

Audi is best in customer satisfaction in China

2008-02-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

Audi winner of J.D. Power’s 2007 Initial Quality Study (IQS)
Best Cars 2008: Audi wins in three categories
Readers give top marks for service

Audi won two separate awards in China: The brand with the four rings took first place for the third consecutive time in the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2007 China Initial Quality StudySM. In addition, the Audi A6L, Q7 and R8 models were honored as the best cars of 2008 in their classes in the Chinese edition of “auto motor und sport” magazine. This represents a further chapter in Audi’s success story in the People’s Republic.

For the rest of the story, click on 'comments'

First pictures of the facelifted Hyndai Sonata

2008-02-03T11:58:00.001-08:00

Hyundai has given their Sonata NF a facelift. The new car hit the Korean market last week.

There is no news as to when it will arrive here.
For the full Press release, click on comments

Mutec Stretched Phantom Limo

2008-02-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

The Rolls Royce Phantom is an imposing car and the last thing it needs is more road presence but the world is full of enormous ego that needs constant stroking to keep them inflated and a stretched Phantom is exactly what the doctor ordered.
German coach builder laid on their considerable skill, talent, time and money to create this rolling extravagance.

So the next time you find the need to impress your rap star buddy, call Mutec...

Extreme russian offroad videos

2008-02-02T11:17:00.000-08:00

video of maserati gran turismo

2008-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

The Maserati GranTurismo is considered one of the most beautiful car in the world, it is a great example of what Ferrari had done to make Maserati into a great brand again.
Check out this cool video and you will understand what everyone is raving and ranting about.

Video of the BMW M3 cabrio in action

2008-02-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

The M3 is a great car and now you can enjoy the visceral sound of the V8 with top down. What better way to enjoy the M3 with your friends. Crank up the volume and listen to the mechanical song of the V8

Hummer H3T videos

2008-02-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

Teh Hummer H3 is basically a pick-up truck with a Hummer face. It is actually smaller than a regular hummer and apparently, only slightly larger than the pick-up truck we see in Malaysia.

Rookie Sensation: SsangYong Actyon aces Rainforest Challenge

2008-02-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

The SsangYong Actyon is not generally regarded as a tough pick-up truck, because it looks too civilised but Competitive Supreme Sdn Bhd, the sole importer and distributor for SsangYong Motor Company did not allow that to stop them from sending one machine to do battle in the Rain Forest Challenge, one of the toughest off-road event in the world.

Thanks to its unique design, the Actyon was a crowd pleaser and they called in ‘The Rocket’.

Of course ‘The Rocket’ was not a bog standard machine they had to make some changes to give it extra clearance and bolted a winch to the front so The Rocket could pull itself out of trouble in the thick jungle. Apart from that and the snorkel, it is mechanically identical to the machine you can get off the showroom.

Here is a list of modifications they made to the car and as you can see the changes are made mostly for safety reasons and to adapt it to the rough terrain.

CHASSIS

i. 3 inch Body-lift.

ii. Heavy duty coil springs and shock absorbers.

iii. Mud terrain tyres - Simex Extreme Centipede – 32" x 9.5" x15".

PROTECTION

i. Custom built front bulbar.

ii. Reinforced rear towing points.

iii. Heavy duty Side Steps.

iv. Rear Deck Roll Bar complete with Hi-lift Jack and spare Tyre-Mount.

v. Front cabin Roll Bar.

vi. Racing Seats with 5-point safety harnesses for the driver and co-driver.

vii. Removal of rear seats and floor carpet.

viii. Large survival box mounted in the rear cabin.

RECOVERY

i. Warn Winch – 8274 rear mounted with plasma rope.

ii. Warn Recovery Set.

iii. Heavy Duty Ground Anchor.

Overall, the Actyon Sports performed better than expected and successfully survived the RFCT 2007, touted as one of the world’s toughest 4x4 events. The SAS team completed all 16 special stages before the Elephant Mud-hole and clocked one of the fastest times in the Special Stage 4 during the Prologue Stage.

The SsangYong Actyon Sports that participated in the RFCT 2007 is a stock standard vehicle with some technical upgrading to meet the minimum technical requirements for participating vehicles outlined by the organizer of RFCT 2007.

The SsangYong Adventure Squad (SAS) Team

i. Team Manager : Stiven Sim

ii. Driver : Francis Khoo (Monsoon & Rainforest class champion)

iii Co-driver : Mohd Sharul Bahrin (Monsoon & Rainforest class champion)

iv Technical Support

Technical head: Ho Siong Peng
Mechanics: Liau See On, Simon Sim, Chan Meng Wai and Kamal
Support Truck Driver : Ken Chin

Roewe may come back to Malaysia through SsangYong

2007-05-01T00:13:00.000-07:00

Roewe R2 - designed in China

SAIC which owns both SsangYong and Roewe (which bought the Rover factory and drawings but not the name) recently announced at SsangYong's dealer conference that it intends to distribute Roewe cars through the Korean subsidiary's network.
CSSB the loyal SsangYong franchise holder that was also Rover's franchise holder may well see themselves selling the same cars under a (slightly) different badge.

No word yet from CSSB.

BMW X6 scooped

2007-04-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

Going through the paces at the Nurburgring's NordSchleife. The heavy disguise keeps the details secret but from the proportions and the heavy roof camouflage, expect a sloping roofline and a more sporty stance. The wheelarches look like they are quite heavily flared under the body capping.
The lack of rear headroom is conclusive proof of the sloping roofline, this may prove to be a major stumbling block in the showroom, after all this is still a luxury vehicle.
Dash is covered in fake moulding but the vent design, radio location and centre screen from the on board computer indicates that the current look prevails

for the full story read Autoexpress

Renault Logan in Brazil and Argentina

2007-04-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

Renault has launched it low-cost Logan in two important South American markets, Argentina and Brazil. This expansion is in line with the company's plan for growth and the low-cost entry point will certainly help increase their market share and train buyers into the Renault habit.
Assembled at the Curitiba plant (picture above), the X90-platform will help take up some of the slack in production demand there. The Malaysian importer for Renautl, TC Euro Cars have long insisted that the Logan may not be suitable for the more sophisticated Malaysian market. Given that teh Saga is Proton's saviour, maybe TCEC's take on the market is a bit skewed. Eitehr that or they mean to say that they cannot bring the car in at the right price. Below RM70K is a good starting point - if the rumours of a sub RM70k Toyota Vios is anything to go by.
By the way, UMW has refused to confirm any price speculation and insists that it would be wrong to compare Thai prices because our specs would be different.
Teh Logan was devised as an entry-level car for developing markets, with the initial target being Eastern Europe . Renault figured that the basic spec would be a welcome change for a population who grew up on Lada and Skoda (pre-VW) junk. It was engineered with a EURO5K price tag. Showroom prices are slightly higher than that.

It shows that even European manufacturers can build really cheap cars. Some years ago former Proton CEO was asked if they could build really cheap cars for the people he said it was impossible to sell a car at RM25k for a profit.TCEC is still insisting the Logan would not come but they may change their mind given time. After all they only have the Kangoo keeping them above water and a well-priced Logan would certainly help their market visibility and profitability.

Civic Type R by Mugen

2007-04-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

This the Honda Civic type R

This is the Type R by Mugen - Which one do you like?

Wild spoilers but quite subtle elsewhere, this is a magnificent loong family saloon.

The red velour insert may be too much for some tastes but this is a Type R and not your aunt Lydia's.

A final close look at the Mugen Type R

Read the full story at NihonCar