According to a report, DRB-Hicom has selected a Japanese carmaker as Proton’s first foreign strategic partner, and that partnership is set to be announced in Japan later today.
The report by Business Times doesn’t name the automaker, only venturing through a person familiar with the matter that the partner “is among the top 10 manufacturers in the world.” The BT report adds that that there are four Japanese automakers in that global list for 2012, namely Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Suzuki.
The move to cement an alliance with a Japanese automaker will put to rest the ongoing speculation of a tie-up with Volkswagen – there have certainly been enough overtures and intimations in the past down that particular path. The BT source told the publication that the Japanese option had been picked as the agreement had an air of exclusivity tied to it.
The report adds that as part of the deal, the Japanese automaker will help Proton build its own engine, and there will also be platform sharing arrangements, with efforts to fill up the production capacity void at Proton’s under-utilised Tanjung Malim plant. The source adds that it will take about six months to get the ball rolling, but that the effects will be positive for DRB-Hicom’s bottom line.
As a follow-up, we spoke to a source close to the matter, and we can confirm that the strategic partnership is very much on and set to be inked today. The source, however, declined to name the particular automaker.
Speculatively, we can pretty much count Toyota out, with the automaker currently having a key stake in Perodua. As for Nissan, despite the intimation last year that the Proton Perdana replacement would be the Fuga, a deal also seems highly improbable.
In essence, it would make sense for DRB-Hicom to walk down the road with either one of the two remaining automakers on the list, in this case Honda and Suzuki, based on its existing workings with both.
It is already assembling vehicles at its base in Pekan, Pahang, for Suzuki and Isuzu as well as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, and it has a firm association with Honda through Honda Malaysia (the JV was previously known as DRB-Oriental-Honda), which builds Honda vehicles at its facility in Hicom Industrial Park Pegoh in Alor Gajah, Melaka.
Despite its sterling reputation for making great small cars, Suzuki’s size and outlook doesn’t quite fit the bill in this case, which leaves the likelihood of Honda being the name that pops up as the strategic partner when the announcement is made later today. Revelatory and stunning as that may sound, we’re hazarding a guess in this particular direction, given the four names bandied.
The company does have all the necessary to carry it off, be it with platforms or engine-tech, and a move for Proton to work with the Japanese automaker would definitely be beneficial, to say the least. Of course, everything remains speculation for now – we’ll find out if it is indeed Honda later today; the surprises never cease. Stay tuned for developments as they unfurl.
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totally sick of this p1 thingy..strategic partner, collaboration, joint venture..bla,bla,bla
go to see doctor laa..haiya..
Change title to “Proton looking for new Japanese Strategic Partnership to suck Malaysians dry again”.
How beautiful it may sound, no one will teach proton how to make car engine. That is the truth, it simply doesn’t make any sense to create another competitor.
Unless the agreement is that the engine cannot be exported to certain countries, like Proton Perdana where is it only to be sold in Malaysia.
Even if these Jap companies want to sell their technology for money, the Japanese government will not allow the export of technology.
Proton has to hire the best engineer they can find, not hire because of race and religion. Pay good money for good germans and japanese engineers to come and head the engineering department. make an offer they can’t refuse… sadly, this will never happen.
just so happened when you mention about hiring good engineers, proton can’t even retain their talented young local engineers (they were trained in the UK). I asked one of them why did they quit? and He simply replied because of the money and lack of appreciation. True story :)
Its HONDA!!!
proton can put a sock in it!
Why Mitsubishi not in the possibility list?
Read this:
BT report adds that that there are four Japanese automakers in that global list for 2012
This means that Mitsubishi is not in the top 10 global list? lol
other than not be in top ten manufacturers list, Mitsubishi have already had enough of proton…
Smart guys get it?
Mitsubishi sudah fed up not fall trap again lah
mitshubishi dont even have good product
only 1 EVO thats all.
where can get enough sale $$ to cover production/rnd..
Suzuki of coz cannot its under VW
toyota?
just being safe on the sales
nissan?
have awesome rnd monster
only left with honda so now everyone can DREAM
Good move DRB, let Proton staff struggle with Japanese working culture.
Let them struggle and reward them accordingly
BTW, be careful so that Japs comp wont cheat u guys!!!
Don’t be so happy first. Proton is famous as actionless talk cock king.
ehhh I thought all this while that are using japanese working culture from Mitsubishi..
Proton Staff already experienced in working with Japanese la…
It’s Suzuki?
i read somewhere else was with Honda
No, It’s Mitsuaka
Muhahahahah!!!
mitsuoka also JV with Honda and Nissan.
ooowwwhhh i am sooo cooonnnffuuusseee!!!
ha ha ha
if it is honda it would explain why they did not bother launching the honda brio here until now… its gonna be new savvy!
I thought Emas is the one that is gonna replace Savvy? And please no Brio Hatchback . The rear is just damm fugly
Useless Proton…. Still need to be spoon fed…
haters gonna hate
go DRB go! :D
Um…what’s gonna happen to the whole joint venture it has with Mitsubishi? They provided the Inspira and they were going to produce engines together, share parts and tech and use up the capacity at Tanjung Malim.
Actually, come to think of it, Nissan seems like a better bet. They already have a joint venture with Mitsubishi on various things, so it makes sense.
Well, consider myself trumped. It really was Honda after all.
Wow if it’s Honda based on what Paultan speculated? So should we be expecting VTEC engines for Proton or maybe City , Civic rebadge?
imagine
Proton Persivic.
or Proton Ciga (City+Saga)
and hopefully no Honda Jazz with Lotus Ride & Handling.
OMG.
Nak beli Proton ‘Ah Kok’ @ RM92K…hehe
Proton again. Banyak pattern lebih dari badminton. After more than 20 years still menyusu dibawah ketiak kerajaan. The history just repeating itself over & over again. Proton better just become full time assembler for big car players. The R&D department after 20 years still can’t solve window issue. Please don’t be confused with patriotism & cronyism(proton).
Which proton car?
All Proton!!!!
I dont think the platform to be shared is a small car as the Proton GSC is coming along nicely. Most likely the perdana replacement.
so whats the point of having the lotus if proton still need other partner to progress? if lotus cannot provide the benefit that proton needs, why still keeping lotus?
alooo even lotus using T engines lah… kamonlah
Another A sell to B before trying to sell to C?
Khazanah: Wouldn’t it be good just sell Proton to VW without having to sell to DRB Hicom first?
I dont know the details. .
But it gave me an impression of another middle man deal in making…
“….the Japanese automaker will help Proton build its own engine…” so why do we need Protong?
Continue being our pride, proton!!
As long as Dr M son is in MITI continuing his father
Proton NAP legacy, this plan will be a failure.
Cronies in Khazanah, Umno, DRB-HICOM and MITI make it works haha
Where is Mazda????
Yada yada yada… yawnnnnn….
I don’t care waht u want to do… the big question is can ordinary rakyat buy a decent car for 3-5 years loan maximum? Lets show them who are the boss..
NAP = No Automotive Policy…
When the buying stop, the killing can too…
When we work together, we can win this…
I dont wanna decent car price….i wanna higher salary, cheap food, low income tax, cheap water/electric tarif, cheaper n efficient pub trans, cheaper for edu, cheap house, cheap petrol, clean environment, low crime, good economy, stable country, no politic 24-7, n certainly no butt lover…
But you’re butt kisser for Dacing and loser Protong…tarak guna juga lah dude
you help those ppl than can only pay for saga la…
cakap berdegar2…
If the logic of Proton partner is amount of investments yet commitment, it must be HONDA. even Perodua’s Toyota went to Indonesia and Thailand.
but will the same thing happen like what proton did to mitsubishi?? please stop selling lancer and tredia, coz it will affect Proton Saga sales…..
will JV with Honda means no more City for us? and perhaps, Civic as well??
prepare for the “new proton satria neo replacement based on honda s2000 platform” or the “new honda s2000 replacement based on satria neo platform”!!
It would most probably be Suzuki to be the JV partner for Proton. Honda is already one of the major carmakers in the world, offering cars in almost all the available segments and are doing well too. So, if Honda were to JV with Proton, it would be a ‘one-way sucking thing’ and it won’t be a win-win proposal.
But with Suzuki, the prospect of win-win is huge. Proton is in serious need of a lineup of diesel engine(s) and I think Suzuki can provide that to Proton. Maybe a purchase of diesel engines with Suzuki or joint development of new diesel engines.
Proton need diesels in order to penetrate a big right-hand drive market, India. With the Saga diesel, I think that would be a game-changer for Proton. Diesel cars are favourable in South Africa too and Europe.
Speaking of Europe, Proton need lots of small car platforms and hatchback designs. That too, Suzuki will be able to provide since Suzuki is the small car expert, other than Daihatsu. They might join develop small car models for Europe, at the same time penetrate South Africa and offer small cars to ASEAN market too.
What would be in favour for Suzuki in this JV? Since Suzuki has mentioned clearly that they would like to compete in the European market with more models. So sharing of platforms with Proton is another agenda on the list, even though Proton doesn’t have many platforms to share. But I think they will mostly collaborate on joint developments.
With this JV, Suzuki can lower their car price through Proton plant ODM manufacturing and thus increase sales, maybe their Alto, Splash, SX4, etc would be build locally with high local contents, since Suzuki also wants to escape the strength of the Yen by exporting into Malaysia and even in the ASEAN region. Right now Suzuki cars are imported from either India or Japan (except Swift CKD) which are not entitle to AFTA privilages.
Proton need to fight Perodua locally and other carmakers that going the downsize route and at the same time, penetrate into more international markets with more cars and engine options.
Suzuki themselves use Fiat diesel engines, it would not be able to provide any to Proton.
yeah, most probably Proton cannot buy outright diesel engines from Suzuki, but Suzuki can OEM Saga with the diesel engines and sell them as B-segment offering in India to have price advantage.
Thanks Paul for the info :-)
Honda also has a new 1.6 litre i-DTEC engine, self developed and not sourced from any other carmaker.
It has been quoted in Sin Jiew website that the JV partner for Potong is Nissan. Thank God is not Honda !
Looks like Sin Chew is wrong.
hehe…looks like my prediction is incorrect. I see alot of prospect between Suzuki and Proton rather than Honda and Proton because both complement each other and Suzuki has done many JV and collaborations previously.
Yeah, Honda currently is starting to have more diesel engines develop in house.
fuiyo.. pendek je jawapan otai.. haha
well strictly speaking, small car platform is not where proton should be headed. that market is highly saturated in Europe and margins are thin.
focusing on drivability and handling whilst empasizing on economy is the name of the game for the near future. downsizing is a must and hopefully that’s on the agenda for this upcoming JV.
If Proton wants to produce Diesel Engine, they have to be latest green engine. And the G has to make sure the Diesel must be the latest. Or else it will be useless.
G dont bring Euro 4M diesel because Proton dont have any diesel engine…
India is also very protective of its automotive market, hence the JV of Suzuki with Maruti. diesel would be best seller because petrol is not cheap, something like
1L = RM5 after conversion.
but diesel wont work best with small capacity engines, so revert back to petrol lah. best selling would be something below 1.5.
but still, total car ownership is high in india so many opt for motorcycles instead. and for those who want more than a bike at slightly extra cost there is the Tata Nano.
i did a research to export recond Proton Saga/Iswara 5 years back but it was not viable enough. corruption is one of the biggest hurdle. govt protection is the other one.
Modern diesel is ok with small capacity engine..
Why would proton need their own engine?? They just need to source it and put in their car…Didnt they learn from campro… that engine single handedly bring proton down…
the reason was they paid hefty royalties for each Mitsubishi engine sold with Proton badge.
this was why wira 1.6 was sold at 66K but waja 1.6 as cheap as 58K. cheaper while gaining higher margin as well.
yep just like Perodua… that’s why Perodua car are extremely overpriced..
Proton iVTEC for the LOL.
It’ll be more funny if P1 rework City to Saga. Kantoi. Hahahahah
Honda definitely…hm platform sharing arrangements? for hybrid perhaps?
it will be honda.
Honda still have one of the best engine design and body design for a Japanese manufecturer
Suzuki makes cute little cars Kizashi and Vitara aside.
But whatever is it, please let there be no cut and paste job that resulted the Inspira. And pklease let quality be top of the priority.
Proton + Honda = Ponda?
put n at the back..
Honda makes more sense. Honda will want to diversify its supply by not only based in thailand alone. They should have learned from the flooding.
Not sure how true…
http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/PROTONlantikHondasebagairakanstrategikasingnya/Article/
i guess drb-hicom is going find suzuki the best bet esp the latter’s market share is small in msia and the former wants to be penetrate overseas market, so need suzuki’s help.
i don’t believe any news relate to proton strategic partner or jv nowadayas. this is just speculation to benefit some party. as long Barang Naik rules this country, no such plan will be happen….ths is only just same shit story happen over and over again…..
So, now it is a confirmed news that Proton will work with Honda. Not a speculation anymore. Putting the blame on BN eh? Which country in the world are not suffering from overpriced food, car and houses? Even Greek are on the brim of bankruptcy.
not to forget; Spain and Italy…
proton please buy petronas eo1 engine and put it in neo perhaps!
its confirmed as per this bursa announcement
http://www.bursamalaysia.com/market/listed-companies/company-announcements/1102929
I hope we can waive all sort of unfair protection…
And let Proton fight for its own destiny…
It really looked so good if it were to be part of VW group back then…
Just like Skoda…
National car should be affordable NOT by making the non-national cars expensive…
How long more should the rakyat cut their flesh to feed the pride of Dr M? And the pockets of a few cronies?
Please sell off Proton to any promising automaker and have free market for automotive industry…
25 yrs of protections..is more than enough
i dont think Toyota and Honda which i believe they need to protect their reputation for producing high quality and great car rather than let Proton to produce low quality car. It could be Nissan executive sedan coz Proton Inspira doesnt suit to government officer use.
If the strategic partnership is Toyota, What would those Proton fanboys said ya?
(hints : Toyota dah tak mampu buat kereta jadi skarang kena partner ngan Proton! prrrrhhhh)
Everyday give cerita dongeng wayang kulit lah this Protong…
Given monopoly yet still losing big joke….
Better off jual kilang to Hyundai Kia…
If Hyundai Kia reject it then buka kilang Keropok Lekor lah
Keropok Lekor Chap Protong…gerenti laku big profits no more hutang RM1 Billion sinkhole…
Mahathir pls help?
We need you back a PM….
“will help Proton build its own engine”?
As Kawasaki helped Modenas build it’s “own engine” by letting them put their name on the covers? ;)
it is Renault-Nissan jv……
gimmie proton clio 2013 hehehe
it is confirmed…..HONDA is the brand!!
quoted by Sylo above
” It has been quoted in Sin Jiew website that the JV partner for Potong is Nissan. ”
this means…indirectly Proton is JV with Renault, isnt it?? (Renault owns Nissan)
Don’t care..still buying an Inspira.
The “power of dream” is the best.
it’s Honda….my dream to own CRV at cheaper price has come true…
Hello DRB, if can please collaborate with Audi since under one roof. Who knows maybe we can afford to own Proton A4 / Proton A6 / Proton Q5.
So happy
wow cant wait proton CRZ !! LOL XD!!
The Japanese automaker will help Proton build its own engine?! why can’t you make your own engin? always depends on others! Really brainless!
you make one engine lah bro
Don’t understand what kinda ‘strategic benefit’ that this huge car maker Honda would get by Proton? Honda want to ‘donated’ charity to Proton? Owhh..Japanese had being nice after Tsunami ma?? they always sucks, they don’t blow out..hahah..