Bangkok Post interview with Proton’s Thai distributor

The Bangkok Post has an interesting interview with Thawatchai Jungsanguanpornsuk, who is the managing director of Phranakorn Auto Sales, the Phra Nakorn Automobile Group company which handles the Proton brand in Thailand.

He talks about Proton’s market positioning, pricing, and the future of Proton amidst Thai automotive market developments like the Ecocar project, fuel price hikes and a B-car production surge by Thailand’s ‘big three”.

Click here to read.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • cole planet (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 5:27 am

    haha… thailand like proton… it’s a good thing…

    one thing that attract people to buy proton is the lotus handling dna in proton car… so proton must never consider to sell lotus…

    haha… now we know why savvy sell well in thailand… haha…

    proton should keep up to improve the car quality…

    good luck and good job proton…

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  • cole planet (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 5:32 am

    it’s time for proton to rise up… come on proton WE rakyat have faith in u…

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  • mdjqs (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 5:55 am

    well done! but pls dont sell all the rejected export version to our market!!!

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  • azrai (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 7:34 am

    That’s the way aha aha. I like it aha aha. Kap kung kap, masuk pintu keluar tingkap.

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  • pengawas (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 8:13 am

    go proton… go proton… now show your claws in asean market…

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  • Infinitt (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 8:35 am

    One of development country that proton should aggresively market/sell their cars. Good luck proton. Proton boleh. malaysia boleh. FAM tak boleh.

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  • normaluser (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 9:09 am

    Luckily the Thailand government didn’t impose hefty taxes for our exports (which they retracted earlier), since all our imports coming from TomYam land are taxed quite unfairly (due to NAP).

    It time for our government to allow less tax for cars coming from TomYam land (Jazz, Yaris, Camry, Aveo, etc)

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  • xsaraloeb (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 9:24 am

    The specs and pricing is very good in Thailand.

    I am wondering the strategy Proton had used in promoting these models overseas with lower than the price in Malaysia. More than 10 years ago I was in Birmingham watching the launch of Proton Satria in UK. At that time the model was not even seen in Malaysia.

    Why we as Malaysian has to bear the losses by Proton overseas in terms of having to fork out more for a lower spec car. Proton shd follow the Koreans whereby the people are more willing to use their local cars becoz the specs and price are favoring them. We…..unfortunately is dictated to buy P1 becoz the system is designed to make sure We buy P1. How unfortunate !

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  • ezralimm (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 10:46 am

    http://www.bangkokpost.com/Motoring/04Jan2008_motor008.php

    Corrected Link

    Paul, the link may be dynamic. The last few digits before *.php seems to change occasionally.

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  • LittleFire85 (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 10:48 am

    This is what i call Ketuanan Melayu thinking G… Earn own ppl money more by giving cheap spec, while foreign give better spec more faster & better then us.. Such like CPS Gen.2 in Thailand first, UK spec Proton which have Fuel injected Saga, 4 air-bags Waja & TRC (traction control) Perdana…

    We should learn like Japan & Korea did to their own market, by giving their own ppl have the best spec..

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  • ezralimm (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 10:51 am

    http://www.bangkokpost.com/Motoring/04Jan2008_motor008.php

    Corrected Link

    Paul, the link may be dynamic. The last few digits before *.php seems to change occasionally.

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  • kerelbort (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:06 am

    positive thinking… proton emerged good in oversea… build quality and standard spec become higher… they can achieve automotive economic scale… price for parts getting lower… fuel quality in malaysia become euro4 compliant.. we have cleaner burn diesel engine… car price become lower… Proton no more interested with Malaysian Money only.. let them obsess with Euro and Dollar… you all can buy ur favourite Japanese car rite?

    no big BS with the biodiesel.. where our gov is striving hard to be the big producer while our car don even biodiesel compliant..

    BRING DOWN THE DIESEL ROADTAX!!!

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:11 am

    Bad biz model:-

    1. Selling high quality car at lower price for export market.

    2. Selling lower quality car at higher price for domestic market.

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:12 am

    Any details “talking” on this interview?

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  • kody (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:49 am

    wahlaueh,

    our local market still consider as 2nd class…
    P1 may answer well to export market… GEN2 with CPS in Tomyam land. Our local market… ‘chin chai’ GEN2 ok lah…

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  • zaen (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:57 am

    LittleFire85 do your research before leave a comment;

    * There is no 4 air-bags Waja or Impian ever produced

    * Fuel Injected Saga was sold in Malaysia before- Proton call CARES ( i think you are young at age to remember this )

    * and there is no PERDANA exported model

    anyway after doing currency converter using yahoo. I’ve compile the result below which i think quiet reasonable for Thailand market as our local model has huge discount from dealer which is up to RM6k..

    Proton’s product line-up for the Thai market includes three hatchbacks:
    Savvy 1.2-litre (B399,000), = RM 44,000
    Neo three-door 1.6-litre (B499,000) = RM 55,000
    and Gen-2 five-door 1.6-litre (B549,000).= RM 60,500

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  • mukhri88 (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 12:58 pm

    Folks, Proton needs to sell as much products as possible to anyone who wants to buy, in as many country as possible. This is to make sales and profit as much as possible in the near future (ie 10 years). Why? To be able to develop global quality, safe, powerful and efficient models of course. And sell to Malaysians at very affordable price. Which leads to lower deaths during accidents (you know la Malaysian drivers..)

    So wait la.. 10 more years. Meybe we can drive the equivalent of those Precision German Engineering driving machines.

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  • legacy88 (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    Oh how lovely “Selamat Datang”. Haa now Proton you better be good as you know they are quite garang one, heh heh.

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  • szw (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 1:11 pm

    good job…

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  • topgunthang (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    proton propaganda machine in full motion. Check out the responses on the site all praising proton. guess they finally figured out there was an internet.

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  • arcana (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 3:51 pm

    how bout proton eterna? wasnt that an export version of our perdana?
    thats if i’m not wrong.

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  • ezralimm (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    nah, the perdana is basically a galant. It is known as a galant almost everywhere, namely the states, but was called the eterna in some markets. The name sounds better i guess… and ahBengs were quick to change the “p e r d a n a” wordings for “E T E R N A”. lol :-P

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  • proton.GL.. (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 4:57 pm

    building car,
    it develop industries as a side effect, it develop human thinking ,it develops know how, and knowledge enrichment,

    batter than ‘tak tahu apa, empty soul’

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  • zaen (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    how bout proton eterna? wasnt that an export version of our perdana?
    thats if i’m not wrong.

    There is no such thing Proton Eterna and its not a Galant related family.. It is Mitsubishi Eterna Japan Domestic Model- JDM which we convert to Perdana. 80% content of Perdana come straight away from Japan. and Mitsubishi Japan never export it since 1995/96 as it didnt pass safety standard. Unless it come from parallel importer

    Remember? until now the topline model of Proton doesnt have Airbag even as an optional – this is due to designewise problem – airbag is not plug & play item.

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  • ys (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 5:54 pm

    proton is working hard to win back malaysian “stolen” heart.
    let’s give them some time and i believe we will be proud of Proton soon.
    Bravo Proton..

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  • nobodyatuk (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 5:59 pm

    Anybody made a research on the BLM chassis and suspension? Could be Lotus, the one they used on the Exige or even Europa. If it is, then you’ll sure going to have a damn awesome handling. Slap on the huge wheels, I bet its going to be a cult.

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  • proton.GL.. (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 6:25 pm

    blm front mc pherson, rear torsion beam,

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  • proton.GL.. (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 6:44 pm

    blm is family oriented, but some lavel of firmness of the suspension rear torsion beam arrangement is not a bad handler,

    only that if rear torsion beam is soft , like tiara, then handling is bad,

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  • 4G63T DSM (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 9:56 pm

    Expecting the BLM’s suspension to be from Exige or even Europa? lol…

    Someone’s been seriously brainwashed…….

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  • altis_fan (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 10:00 pm

    As Malaysians we should be proud when our cars are being accepted outside.
    It must have been good quality with affordable price, otherwise nobody wants to buy. Anyway, good job.

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 10:40 pm

    Good job, see how long the Tomyam market can be “silent” toward P1. We bolehland already make hell of noise for the last 20 year!

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 10:42 pm

    Always “good-this-and-good-that”, at the end, consumers are the one to make “final judgement” on any cars.

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    ezralimm said,
    January 4, 2008 @ 10:46 am

    http://www.bangkokpost.com/Motoring/04Jan2008_motor008.php
    ————
    PROTagONist! he, he, he, ……. the heading said it all.

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  • LittleFire85 (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    zaen, how do u explain this?

    http://www.euroncap.com/tests/proton_impian_2002/116.aspx

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    Why no news about export Persona & upcoming BLM?

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  • IsaacVky (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    I don’t bother whether Proton to launch the Gen 2 CPS at Malaysia 1st because it’s without VIM for the one in Thailand!

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  • LittleFire85 (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:06 pm

    If i not mistaken the current Gen.2 selling in UK also got 4 air-bags.

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:18 pm

    What to argue about airbag, Malaysian life is chepor one, apart from cheap labor low wages but barang naik!

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:24 pm

    altis_fan said,
    January 4, 2008 @ 10:00 pm

    As Malaysians we should be proud when our cars are being accepted outside.
    It must have been good quality with affordable price, otherwise nobody wants to buy. Anyway, good job.
    ———–
    This is export version – high quality low price!

    How about low quality high price “MDM” (Malaysian Domestic Market)?

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 04, 2008 at 11:28 pm

    IsaacVky said,
    January 4, 2008 @ 11:05 pm

    I don’t bother whether Proton to launch the Gen 2 CPS at Malaysia 1st because it’s without VIM for the one in Thailand!
    ——–
    Without VIM, Malaysia one without both?

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  • VPowerRacing (Member) on Jan 05, 2008 at 12:26 am

    u never earn money by just being proud..not just bcoz it’s malaysian
    means u hv to support them..they must show n prove they are worth
    every single respect n support from the malaysian people..u can still
    produce a good quality car n yet hv an affordable price tag..

    cheap hv never meant to be of low quality…

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  • ezralimm (Member) on Jan 05, 2008 at 2:09 am

    BigFish said,
    January 4, 2008 @ 11:04
    PROTagONist! he, he, he, ……. the heading said it all.
    ____________________________-

    ?? I just posted a updated link to the article quoted by PaulTan. The link in PT’s blog post is broken.

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  • topgunthang (Member) on Jan 05, 2008 at 2:40 am

    big fish

    Why no news about export Persona & upcoming BLM?

    ————————————–

    u already know the outcome. i am pretty sure proton also knows it. all they gonna tell u is they sent xxx number of cars to some obscure third world country.

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  • marvel (Member) on Jan 05, 2008 at 3:45 am

    BigFish said,
    January 4, 2008 @ 10:40 pm

    Good job, see how long the Tomyam market can be “silent” toward P1. We bolehland already make hell of noise for the last 20 year!
    —————————————————————–
    You’re right BigCrap….

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  • MisterBenjo (Member) on Jan 05, 2008 at 4:13 am

    they have the choices they dont have to make noise…

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  • tec96248 (Member) on Jan 05, 2008 at 11:31 am

    zaen said,
    January 4, 2008 @ 11:57 am

    –i think u should do more homework then others, before making any comments. have u seen a mitsubishi galant before? i almost buy it a used one last two years of the 1995 made which was imported. the dashboard is exactly the same as perdana. eterna and galant were using the same platform and so did perdana. did u ever seen a perdana with a mitsubishi galant or eterna(facelifted) front? ever found out why the fuel injection saga on sale in malaysia without any launching those days? hmm…..u know or not about it? during time, all of course younger……hahahaha.

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  • IsaacVky (Member) on Jan 05, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    BigFish said,

    January 4, 2008 @ 11:28 pm

    Simply because we haven’t got the facelifted one, BigCrap bro.

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  • MyviKiller (Member) on Jan 06, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    It’s time for the government to reduce taxes on Thai-imported car, since sales of our Proton cars are above average in Thailand.

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