SINCE it was launched here as a brand in 1996, about 20,000 Protons have found homes among eager Aussie buyers looking for budget motoring – but some would say sales are pathetically low considering a decade of sales. But the Malaysian car-company has endured, if nothing else, with earlier cars borrowing heavily from Mitsubishi and fraught with quality problems. Despite some false starts, with poorly executed cars like the first-generation Gen II and the relatively expensive Waja, it has soldiered on against the might of the low-cost Koreans. More widely known for its ageing Jumbuck ute and the out-of-production hot hatch Satria GTi, Proton Australia now has an eye to the future, evidenced by the arrival of better-built cars like the $13,990 Savvy five-door hatch. The Savvy is a vastly different car to previous Protons. For a start it is well built. Throw in excellent dynamics, high equipment levels, good fuel economy and affordable pricing and it may have enough credibility to tackle the Koreans.