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News - ProtonIs Proton planning to return Down Under?Geely backs Proton to reach more export markets including Australasia, UK: report13 Aug 2024 MALAYSIAN car-maker Proton is preparing to recommence vehicle exports to the UK, Australia and other markets in a so-called “global expansion” backed by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group which has owned a 49.9 per cent stake in the company since 2017.
Proton exited Australia in 2017 after attempting unsuccessfully to crack the market over a period of two decades, first with rebadged Mitsubishi small cars and then in-house efforts.
The company was notably ahead of the car marketing curve using a form of agency selling at non-dealership venues in shopping centres and online in addition to a handful of appointed dealers – but with limited success.
Despite having no presence Down Under for seven years, the brand has not disappeared and remains active across numerous countries.
As of 2023, Proton had an overseas presence in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Brunei, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
In addition to deep penetration in its Malaysian domestic market, Proton has complete knock-down kit (CKD) plants in Pakistan, Kenya, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
British publication Autocar reports that Geely has made significant recent investments in the Malaysian manufacturer to fuel global growth, incorporating new right-hand-drive markets throughout Asia and Africa as well as Australia and New Zealand.
The Autocar report also says Proton is planning a return to the UK it exited a decade ago and that Geely’s aim is to significantly boost Proton’s global sales following the establishment of a new headquarters.
Proton’s fresh head office will soon be joined by a new manufacturing base, currently under construction at Tanjung Malim around 80km north of Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
The facility is part of a multibillion-dollar investment by joint owners Geely and Malaysian industrial conglomerate DRB-HICOM Berhad in an area known as Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV).
Adding this production capacity will play a pivotal role in Proton’s long-held plans to expand its global sales, Autocar reports, not to mention potential tariff benefits for certain markets.
It has been speculated that Proton brings strategic economic advantages for Geely as Malaysia has strong trade relations with both the United States and the European Union.
Sources close to the matter said: “With the investments in place, Proton will have the means to return to markets it departed, while also entering new markets."
No official timeframe for a return to the UK or other countries has been revealed, with the mention in dispatches only of “later this decade”.
Splashing large amounts of cash, Geely announced plans only last year to invest up to $A5.3 billion in the development of AHTV, a figure Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim later claimed to be closer to $A12 billion.
Autocar said Geely has yet to officially confirm the reported doubling of its investment in Proton, however, recent moves have significantly extended the scope and appeal of the Malaysian car-maker’s line-up with badge-engineered versions of some of Geely's best-selling Chinese models.
Proton currently sells rebadged Geely Binyue, Boyue, Haoyue and Ermgrand models respectively bearing its X50, X70, X90 and S70 nameplates while continuing with its largely Mitsubishi designed and engineered Saga, Persona and Iriz.
The car-maker also recently started a new battery electric vehicle (BEV) brand under the name e:MAS (electric Malaysia), its first being the e:Mas 7 based on the Geely Galaxy E5 SUV and a result of the recent opening of a new Proton research and development centre within Geely’s Research Institute in Hangzhou, China.
Additionally, it appears Proton will continue R&D into replacements for successors to the venerable Saga, Persona and Iriz as well as platform integration of other future Proton models and market-specific chassis tuning facilitated by expertise from previous collaborations with Lotus – another brand now also under the Geely umbrella.
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