Wouldn't You Really Rather Drive a Proton?

With apologies to Buick which ran an ad campaign asking a similar question decades ago, Proton Motors would like to know if you would like to drive one of their cars?

Well, if you're like most people in the US and Canada, you've never heard of Proton, but if you live in southeast Asia, the United Kingdom, or Australia, then you are familiar with this automaker from Malaysia. Though we aren't likely to see Proton cars sold in North America in the near future, the Proton name is likely to get noised abroad if the company ever settles on a suitor.

You see, both Volkswagen and General Motors have had talks with the owners of Proton over the past few years, talks which have involved developing a business relationship or an acquisition of the Malaysian automaker. Each time the talks have broken down, but that may soon change: GM is interested in Proton and is considering reopening discussions in the very near future.

What Proton Has To Offer

Whoever ends up buying Proton will be getting a lot more than a car company. They'll receive:

Access to the southeast Asian market. The economies of China and India are booming, but the countries of southeast Asia are considered to be ripe consumer markets too. Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are poised for growth, just the types of markets any automaker would like to enter. With Proton already present in each country, the suitor would gain instant access and could expand their presence accordingly.

Available manufacturing base. With automotive plants in play, Proton's suitor will be able to ramp up production and expand market share. New models can be built on Malaysian assembly lines, cars that one day could be destined for the profitable US market.

What A Suitor Can Give To Proton

The company buying Proton can offer several things including:

Strength - Proton has been selling cars for just the past 25 years, but they remain a tiny player in the global automotive market. Stiff competition means that Proton needs some sort of business relationship going forward or risk being surpassed by automotive giants with deeper pockets.

Visibility - Outside of the markets mentioned, Proton is a virtual unknown player. Collaborating or merging with another company will ensure that Proton will be around for another 25 years.

Technology - What Proton currently builds would not be able to be sold in some European markets or in the US. None of their current models can meet stringent emission and safety requirements; most of their vehicles are outdated and in need of a technological boost.

Some of what I have shared here is purely speculation, but it does drive home one point: the global automotive industry is consolidating and only the strong will survive. Going it alone will probably prove to be too costly for Proton, necessitating that a business partner be found as soon as p

satria neo

Along with the official launch of the Satria Neo CPS, members of the
media were given the chance to test out the new Neo CPS at an empty
parking lot. Although excited about testing the new spiritual successor
to the Proton Satria GTI, I wasn’t too keen about driving the up-rated
Neo within the confines of a rather small area. Proton had setup a
pointless-looking mini race track within the compounds of the APAC
parking lot and I managed to get a taste of both manual and automatic
variants.
First up was the automatic version. Featuring similar cabin room as
the standard Neo, the CPS variant also suffers from lack of head
clearance. In my honest opinion, it was quite fun to drive the Neo CPS
through tight spots, as the handling was rather sharp. At average
speeds of up to 60 km/h, I only felt some easily correctable understeer
at the limits of car. While negotiating those tight turns, I felt very
minimal body roll, while the nicely-weighted steering wheel offered
good feedback.

The sprint performance with the auto tranny was just about average.
As expected, the performance of the automatic transmission during my
initial test was made me to look forward to the manual Neo CPS. The
manual is the only way to really enjoy this car!
The first thing I did when got myself into the manual Neo was to
have a feel of the gear lever hoping for it to be nicely weighted, as
opposed to being “soggy” or “lose”, and I am happy to say that my hopes
were realized. A little on the hard side of things, gear change was
slick and precise, which is good since this car is positioned as a
performance variant. For the manual Neo CPS test, there were longer
straights on the temporary track, which allowed me to feel the CPS
powerplant’s good performance on high revs.

Through out the quick test drive, I also noticed that the throttle
response was also up to expectation. I would like to mention about its
ride quality but unfortunately the test drive was rather short, so
looks like we have to wait for a longer drive. But based on the short
drive, things are pointing the right direction for the Neo CPS. The
handling and performance seems to suit the aggressive looks on the
outside. Some might say that the body kit treatment is a little over
the top, but personally, I feel its alright.
I just wish that the wheels were extended by half an inch or so, but
that may affect the overall handling. I also feel that the rear exhaust
box should have been hidden neatly. The way it is now makes the rear
diffuser look bad. So far, my thumbs are pointing upwards for the
Satria New CPS. Stick around as we will bring you the test review as
soon as we get a test drive unit.