Hyundai builds 4 million vehicles annually today. By 2007, output is expected to be 5.5 million vehicles.
Proton? Production is now shy of 200,000 cars a year. 178,431 sounds about right. Perodua? 113,431 vehicles.
This is why Proton has no chance to give us good cars at fair prices. There is no economies of scale. How did Hyundai do it? They’ve been around since 1967. That’s 38 years. Proton? About 20 years. It was born in 1983. The first Proton Saga rolled off production lines in September 1985.
Even the local market share that Proton holds is dropping, can it compete internationally?
Let’s all face it. If Proton made cars that did not fall apart once it rolled off the production line, people would not turn to Korean makes.
If Proton’s quality was comparable to Korean Makes like Hyundai, would any of my blog readers still choose a Korean make? Can they voice out? Any particular reason?
Right now Proton is still in the middle of controversy and without a CEO, while Hyundai is gunning for Volkswagen AG and DaimlerChrysler AG, aiming to pass them and be ranked 5th in the charts as part of the world’s five largest automobile makers.
This vision is despite it’s income dropping and prices rising because of the rise in the Korean Won versus the US dollar which made Hyundai cars more expensive. But it’s time for Hyundai to ditch the price advantage if it really wants to move forward and improve its brand.
These are words from a Hyundai supplier Kazuo Ishikawa:
In Japan and the U.S., when people get to a certain level, when they get rich, they start getting eager. The Koreans and the Chinese, they’re still hungry.
Ishikawa supplies wheels for Hyundai and Toyota in the USA.
With the protection given to Proton here, even before Proton is successful they have gotten lazy. They simply DO NOT LISTEN to consumers! The opposite is with Hyundai, where it’s chairman pastes the advice that J.D Powers III himself had given him in 1998. One of the points Powers had mentioned was that Hyundai was not listening enough to customers, and quality levels were an issue. Hyundai Chairman Chung swore that the 6 foot board with the advice plastered on it would not come down until Hyundai surpassed Toyota in quality control.
Is he working at it? Yes. Hyundai defects rates have dropped from 272 problems per 100 vehicles in 1998 to just 117 per 100 vehicles in 2004.
Hyundai has even penetrated the China market successfully, despite strong competition from the local car manufacturers. Residents in the capital, Beijing are seen ignoring China-made Charade taxis manufactured locally by the Tianjin FAQ Xiali Automobile Co, where instead they rather wait for a Hyundai Elantra taxi to pass by.
Hyundai is in Japan, selling it’s cars via Mitsubishi dealerships. Hyundai is in India, where it is the third largest automobile maker there. A 1.1 billion euro factory is being built in Slovakia for Kia, while in Malaysia we still talk about how Proton managed to build a 1.8 billion ringgit factory without getting help from the government.
Chung is known as the “Tiger” among Hyundai employees personally inspects Hyundai assembly lines every morning and scolds workers personally when he finds defects on cars being assembled. In Malaysia we only have a Thundercat Tiger on the Proton badge.
So what happens when Proton drivers send their cars back when they find defects? They hear “Biasalah, Proton” from the service centers.
You can see the huge difference in attitude between Hyundai and Proton’s attitude.
Hyundai’s manufacturing methods have top-down control of the corpoerate ladder exercised through personal relationships instead of formal bureaucracy.
Hyundai’s struggle is not over yet. It’s survival in the international market depends on how it positions itself despite the strengthening Korean won which are driving up the prices of it’s cars.
So really… what is the Korean advantage? I’d say it all boils down to attitude.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
The Malaysian attitude. Can't be changed if you work for a Malaysian company.
Wouldn't it be good if this article gets more coverage? Perhaps the people don't even know the cause of the problem. WORK IT PAUL!
My family has bought Hyundai for a long time. My brother and sister-in-law bought their first Hyundai Excel in 1988 when Korea still had a bit of protection of their market. Their quality was not much better than Proton then. They gave up most protection of car market in 1990s. We swore we would never buy another one again but since 1997 we have bought 5 new Hyundai.
Its the same reason why the Chinese are going to give up protection of their car market eventually. There is no choice about this.
Japanese never protected their car market anywhere close to the same degree and back then pace of change was lot slower.
Dr. M is too use to exagerating his arguments. To bad for him there are bloggers around now..
Proton only know how only to ask for protection but don't know how to given back commitment. In summary they don’t know how to “give & take†or “commit & deliverâ€. Is this fairness? I can sincerely think that without Proton, Malaysia right now will be importing Toyota and Honda cars to countries like Thailand and Indonesia not the other way round and also will help to reduce import of cars even further. Because of pride that so many people have to suffer with Proton. What is the point of having so much pride without effort? All because of PRIDE this will be never-ending controversial topics in Malaysian history.
no chance nasional car to compete with KOREAN car, because they undeclared, pay lesser tax, lesser than nasional car, pls check at ATOS or KIA or SPECTRA.
The laziness thing all boils down to taking things for granted… I think the proton is taking advantage of what they have(protection), sitting on their laurels instead of striving for the better, just like how the government is doing now with their NEP… helping is one way, but they lambasted lim keng yaik for his remark on looking for loopholes to plug on their current issue… how to create more opportunities when current ones are filled with loopholes… haihz…
i think proton MUST forget about their LOCAL MARKET.. and "National car"..
Forget to sell in malaysia.. forget to everything in malaysia..
too ointing to malaysia is bad, they should think "what if there's no more market for us in malaysia, can we survive?".. Just make malaysian market's as a bonus only.
As long as they depends tooooo much for malaysian / local market.. as long as tha -lah they'll never ever being a competitve and global manufacturer.. !
Now = DARE TO CHANGE THE THINKING WAY!
I can vividly remember the opening speech delivered by the Korean president in the World Cup 2002.
What has that to do with this blog entry?
It is the attitude and power this leader shows that amazes me. He sounded like he is giving a dress down in a millitary camp rather than addressing the global audience with a welcoming speech. The result? Korea went to become a World Cup semi-finalist.
I have owned a Hyundai Excel built in 1998 and have to admit that it has given me lots of headache. Their build quality is not good, even the sales person was making fun when comparing the Japanese models and the Korean Models. (At least he never said that Malaysian models are made out of Milo tins.) I swore not to buy another Hyundai anymore, but then I changed my mind after visiting their showroom and test driven their Getz.
Yes, I do see improvements in Savvy, and I am happy for Proton. But is it a little too late? Mahaleel did a very good job at Proton, and in the end the board decided to retire him.
With all due respect, I would not like to see Malaysians turning into beggars, relying on the government (especially when the government itself is not really well off financially), asking for help when they can help themselves by working a little harder.
If we were to compete on a global level, a la 'Glokal', then we have to ditch and bury our 'tidak apa' attitude. Otherwise, forget about Vision 2020 and stay in our villages.
Sloth – The Malaysian Disadvantage.
OH MY GOD LA!!!!!!!! Can some of you people get this into your thick, calcium deposited heads?!?!?!?! Stop bringing up issues like "Proton has no chance to compete because others are under declaring"??? That is NOT THE POINT!!! Here's an example: A Wira costs RM50-60k (approx). a VIOS costs RM80-90k. Why do people still get a VIOS? Because of QUALITY!
If Proton improved the quality of their parts, manufacturing and finish, proved it to the people that this was the truth, and THEN jacked the price up, I'm sure most of us wouldn't mind paying. Unfortunately now its, "Oh, we have to jack the price up because others are cheating/exchange rate gone up/parts more expensive/etc"
This is to Proton: IF you can GUARRANTEE me a car model with at least 50% technology of Honda, 50% reliability or Toyota and 200% better looking than a Savvy, I will buy it with cash on the spot.
this attitude malaysian must change it forever……. that is can stand people scold from other people…. what i mean is at work we sometime get scold from
other people even that heshe are younger that us because of ranking and what to say kedudukan pangkat yang berbeza.but all fo you say 'mustahil'
right? this also way malaysia always at the back.they hate to get scold….like paul say at korea car..'chung' scold their worker when he find any faul at the car.but here malaysia they 'takut' because they are 'takut' to get 'santau' from that person that kena scold…..there are more.. when there fine any faul,they just close eye olny 'tak kisah-lah bukan saya beli kereta ni' 'orng lain' .
korea can out their car production to 4milion cause their attitude and high moral that they train since child….
if we want change, we must change at root."melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya'
There is not substitute to hard work, meritrocacy, honesty and corruption free society . It is precisly the lack of these vital element at the top that requires the intervention of the NEP. And we all know why the NEP failed and will fail again due to the shortage of these qualities. Sad to say, it is a vicious cycle.
True, poor quality & reputation cause PROTON poor sales; but Malaysian only want cheap "national" car. They expected national car is cheap because of "protection".On another hand, others car model underdeclared car price & win the battle of price ( especially KOREAN model) see more & more korean on the road.
to MutantTomato,
Proton can jack up their selling price they wish if they confidence enough and provided same quality like Toyote Vios. if ppl confidence with Proton brand which can provide high quality like Vios and increase selling price, we dont mind to pay for Proton instead of Toyota Vios because we all support Malaysia products.
MutantTomato said,
July 29, 2005 @ 9:33 am
Bet you never watch Savvy's advertisement, besides the last point that proton can't 'compromise' to your request, the other not only 50%…but 500% to what you request ok? (as per the advertisement):
1) at least 50% technology of Honda – 500% more than that (can reach singapore in 30 minutes time)
2) 50% reliability or Toyota – 500% more than that (this car bang or throw by the monster also tak rosak 1…reliable??)
:P
Proton tried this tactic of jacking up price to create a false illusion of being the same level as other makes in Australia but it did not work.
To Accord Kia:
Bro, I agree with you. IF Protons were better in quality, I would DEFINITELY buy one. But its not. So whats the point? I'd rather pay RM10k more to buy a Japanese marque. Its peace of mind guarranteed. You pay RM10k less to buy a Proton and in 5 year's time, you have spent the 10k you saved and more to fix the damned thing!
To Abu:
Bro, that one you call advert ah?! :)) I think baik lagi the monster takes the car and puts it up his ass. Then, he shoots it out with a high powered fart. Then we will have a perfect tagline for Protons.
"Proton; a monstrous piece of shit with an everlasting stink."
remember our badminton team….. they called them "JUARA KAMPONG", why ?
so the same go for Proton, "JUARA KAMPONG".
true ?
ABU….. advertisement la…. U know…. U can bullshit in advertisement.
ABU… proton other advertisement say, blind fold and drive around town, try that la, if that is true, U want to test drive a savvy that way also.
The fact that foreign car makers can make their cars better at cheaper price cannot be denied. Underdeclar or nor, and that is just to avoid the ridiculous 300% tax on certain CBUs! Foreign car manufacturers will not sell their car to Msian dealers (AP holders) below their cost price (with a nice margin in fact), and Msian car dealers (AP Holders) are not so stupid to sell below the price they paid for. And for those CKDs, no underdeclare at all, but still selling like hot cakes. Proton and also our beloved ex-PM should not be so childish blaming underdeclared imported cars as accused not to do well. Just like a cry baby giving excuses of not doing well in exams (even though the q paper was given to the cry baby before the exams).
My brother's waja, auto mirror cannot function anymore. So he bought a smart tag for the convenience of paying toll. It's cheaper then fixing the dammed windows. The back passenger door cannot open anymore, so his passengers gets out from the other door. You know, we are all trying to make ends meet here where everything is expansive now. With a Waja, we have to really think of a work around solution just to operate the car. Do you find a faulty door with Toyota Vios ?
I have a saying for the people in Proton , the MUD WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CLING ON TO THE WALL.
It all in the mind set, the willingness to fight for what is out there not in-fighting, the right person for the right job not a crony or yes man which is a puppet and most of all a hunger for knowledge, ability to learn, exploit, copy and undercut the competitors in a fair playing field not having 100% protection and purposefully handicapping your opponent. The Koreans just did that, just like the Jappos, why cant this happen in bolehland ? since is Boleh Land ?!
i agreed with justanotherasian, if u don make sense with your comment it will reflect onto you and your thinking faculty.
some time the more you give to lazy people, the more lazy they become. and vice versa. this could be the situation in our land… sad right..
TO COKELIGHT,
waja selling price 63333-taxes14000 =nett selling price 49333
Vios selling price 84000-taxes17000=nett selling price 67000
we r paying more money to buy a small car(VIOS), if waja sell at 84000, will u buy it?Don't expect to pay less & get better, don't expect u pay RM0.10 u can get durian D24 or D101.Quality need time & money to improve! i think u r not from manufacturing line.
Proton 1st model Waja, they take 3 years to resolve all problemes,
Proton 2nd model GEN2, they take 1 year to resolve all problemes,
& we can see the improvement on SAVVY, they bring in TUV to certify QUALITY, if we don't give chance & support, who is going to support; don't expected your children will grow overnight.
TO COKELIGHT and THOMAS,
THOMAS said:
Proton 1st model Waja, they take 3 years to resolve all problemes,
Proton 2nd model GEN2, they take 1 year to resolve all problemes,
& we can see the improvement on SAVVY, they bring in TUV to certify QUALITY, if we don’t give chance & support, who is going to support; don’t expected your children will grow overnight.
COKELIGHT, when is your brother received the car? If pass 2-3 years then THOMAS might be correct. If recently, then Proton really still no improvement?
I was not in Manufacturing line but I do believe the thing called "QC". I know that some parts from a car might get "ROSAK" after a while but at least with the introduction of various model eg. WAJA & GEN2, please do not repeat the same mistake (problems) again. (Power Window problem). They know the problem yet they still maintain the problem.
true, PROTON the main/major failure are can't design good door or power window.
Thomas brother…. I dont know where you got your figures from but let me set the record straight about the Toyotas VIOS. I recently bought one. I signed for it in May. On the pricing list was the complete breakdown. The car was priced at RM77,548.00 The cost was RM47k-49k. The tax was approx RM24k. The rest were other duties and taxes. Let me find the purchase order with the pricing breakdown. I will scan it and send it to anyone who wants some proof…
To answer your question about the Waja, like I said much earlier, if Proton can give me the same quality as a Toyota or a Honda, I would DEFINITELY buy it. So what if it is RM84K? I'm paying for quality! If you compare the specs of a 1.6Waja and a VIOS, you will see that the Waja outclasses the VIOS. Look at terms like storage space, seating space, all round aesthetics, power, handling. I am saying this after personally driving both cars. However, people still buy the VIOS even if it is more expensive than the Waja or GEN2? Why?
Simple… Quality! I can be assured of excellent after market service, genuine parts and most of all, a car that will remain trouble free for a long time if I just maintain it decently i.e. service on time, don't overstress the engine, don't substitute parts for pirated parts, etc.
Quality of the Proton cars has much been approved. With the Impian(Waja),Gen 2, Savvy and the new SRM, they have a line of cars which can compete witht he Korean and Chinese Cars. It becomes time that Proton starts to expand into markets they have never been in ,with LHD vehicles.There are enough countries left. I remember the first Hyundai and the first Kia and Daewoo cars, which also were received with hesitation.Export to countries with LHD vehicles will cover the loss of the sales in the local market.
To all Malaysians: Be proud on your "national cars" and stop complaining about them. In a few years time you will see that I was right when I wrote this note
J. van der Kraats
Holland
okay, enough for complaining…
It's true Proton have improved. But they improved slower than other car makers. Even P2 is better than them now. For Impian(Waja) and Gen2, the exported version is some how different than the Malaysian version. They have better built quality and and have additional features which not available in local market.
Maybe if Exported version of the Waja and Gen2 is sell in Malaysia, people might think different about it (MAYBE). One more thing about proton is that, the car they design is some how outdated in terms of exterior design. I don't think many would buy a car that looks "uninteresting". Not many of us know what TUV is. They just want a good looking car and mind the little details later.
Just my 2 cents.
Dear Jan – believing that you are from Holland, and that you mean well – Thank You for your kind words and thoughts. The only problem is that perhaps you are so far away, and hence, have not yet developed a full view of the situation.
1. All the people who spend so much time writing, are actually all saying that we all desperately want to be proud Malaysians.
2. That there are fundamental problems, not only with regards to Proton, but a host of others, that threaten this wanting to be proud.
3. That instead of addressing these problems, much abuse has happened, and that these actions will continue to make it almost impossible to be proud in the future.
4. I only wish to be able to share your views of the next few years because the Korean advantantage can only be narrowed if we all start to understand what we are doing is wrong.
Thank You once again – but don't hold your breath for too long.
Big Task for Proton —– sustain the market share and the share price. If this is not going to happen in long run with the existing plan. Obviously, new course of action to be introduced / implemented. Option 1 – Do nothing and continuing with the existing goal as a car maker. This require Proton to meet the car makers standard from Europe, America, and Asia. At this stage, Proton is no better than any car makers. Meaning, Proton is competing in the premier league with lower tier players. Can proton achieve this while without sacrifying its market share and share price? Perhaps, external pressure will change the goal again at that point of time. May be, as an associate company of big boy will bring hope. Option 2 – Change the goal as car packaging house (not only assemble). It may provide Proton a flexibity to react to maket changes. Option 3 – Do option 1 & 2 together. Capability????
We can predict the BOD of Proton at least try to maintain the share price or perhaps to manage the risk of share price by selling to a big boy. It is a good move. If this true, then, the BOD also foresee that Proton may not be able to achieve everything planned in the future due to external forces / threats.
For Malaysian, the Proton is just another car maker after the introduction implementation of AFTA. Therefore, it is time to change.
Mike – Good explanation on the situation here in Malaysia!
What does TUV stands for anyway???????????
From my understanding TUV=TOTALY UNRELIABLE VENDOR.
Is it correct?????
Its all coz of TM lack of marketing strategy for Proton for many years. To achieve economy of scale, one would logically think of large market ie. US, Western Europe n even China. Thats wat Hyundai have been doing all these years at US market despite early setbacks ie. quality, brandnames, ridiculed by other US carmakers but Hyundai just ignore all sarcastic comments n succeed now n ready to challenge Toyota, Honda.
Unlike Proton in early days steered away from potential big market like US mayb TM is anti-American, look-east policy n other emotional shit like that that got Proton missed big chances in reduced cost through volume selling. Instead export to UK, Iran for what??? Theres no real big volume there over period of time! Its about achieving millions units of cars for christsakes (ya allah lah tu)! TM is undoubtly a visionary, but not a brilliant businessman. Learning Economics not by textbooks merely n act like an economic guru. TM shown that in the past, truthfully.
About quality issue, Proton should EARN the respect not YEARN for it. Not by using TUV name to advertise the quality. Bad mistake. It involve pride, intrinstic value, intangible value for Proton. Nobody use SIRIM so widely sensational in media terms to get people believe its a good product.
No issue of design as Proton only introduce what they know, not what the market wants/ needs. Sad, sad, sad. Tissue please, tq.
From the way I see it, things are getting very complicated here with regards to the Proton issue:
1. Local ppl complain about Proton's quality. Foreigners sings praises for Proton (but not all. Pls read Paul's post on Jeremy Clarkson)
2. Local ppl cry foul over added protection for proton.
3. we have Tun M vs R-AP-idah over the AP issue.
4. car importers underdeclare the cars' price.
5. Import cars inudating the roads of Malaysia.
6. Proton vendors also want protection. (What the heck)
7. AAB was forced to declare the list of APs, which is good for the rakyat.
8. There are so many other factors related to the Proton issue, if you see it from a bigger view.
There is an old Greek saying that sounds like this:
"In times of peace, prepare for war" – Pericles
I dont know whether Proton can take heed of this advice. (That applies to Perodua too. Better watch out.)
By the way, is there any evidence that there is infighting among the Japs and the Koreans?
Recently the current CEO for Proton will be out from Proton, he is a rally driver when young. So, i am wondering what is the criteria to be the CEO of a national car maker? ? Must be a Malay? Must have relation with politician? Must have return/advantage to insider?
Why they don't manage the company like a Private company and choose the caliber to be CEO? I am wondering why company like Genting, Maybank, Maxis, Astro… all they can do well….. (not include Telekom and Tenaga which have monopoly status)…. so…. time to change… and not just say "Daring to change"
I don't know if my view is relevant but Proton uses local parts don't they. I suppose the price of local parts is expensive and it pushes the car price up. The foreigners aren't gonna complaint coz they're not paying RM, but we are.
Good job, Paul Tan! I think your passion in the automotive world is really amazing! You have come up with many brilliant ideas, which are apparent in your entries here, that are enlightening.
I think that in order to survive, Proton might need to produce a 'people's car' which is affordable (Its OTR prce goes around RM30,000 maybe?) and does not lack technology. I have read in a local newspaper that Renault has produced Dacia Logan cars which are sold at the price around RM25,000. Is it possible for Proton to come up with such models?
Dacia Logan is not a compact car but a family sedan. I believe that such car will be well-received by the public.
I wonder if Korean cars are really that good, as some people have remarked. Could they be like Malaysian cars, which are remarked as of good quality abroad, but in Malaysia are said to have quality problem?
Keep us updated on the current news in the automotive world, Paul!
P/S: Could you please list down Proton Waja's competitors? Is Elantra one of them?
About the only thing that coming out of proton factory that is making impact in the Aussie market is the Arena. That is mainly because there's like a cult culture of the Aussies to own Utes. These Utes in Australia are big time petrol quashers, so opting for a 1.5 Litre Utes suits them…….
UK ? …….. hardly make a dent i think………. even PSP's participation in BTCC isnt making waves it intended to ! Motorsport are suppose to create awareness of the brand ………. sadly thats not the case for Proton.
One thing I'm am amused by the management of proton. They seems to get the heritage factor totally wrong. Imagine a 2 decade old car company with no proper heritage. Give me a break……….. look we have the 8th generation corolla, 7th generation lancer & perhaps 7th generation civic too (cant remember too much) and we still only have 1 saga (iswara), 1 wira, 1 perdana 1 satria 1 tiara etc …..
Honestly I would prefer to see the Gen2 as the new saga, the Savvy as the new tiara & the Waja as the new Wira. There are studies conducted in western market that about 34% of car users are model-loyal & repeating customers. As such, there's likely that a staggering 34% of buyers of 8th generation corolla actually owns previous generation of corollas……….. give it a thought Proton !
Cheers
Hrmmm….After reading api-chai's entry, I agree with him. I have read about it somewhere too. I think many Japanese carmakers are after the system of naming the new cars based on the previous models.
Is Gen-2 a replacement model for Wira? I suppose both Waja and Gen-2 are successors of Wira.
Thank you.
who is better? WAJA or Kia Spectra? any of u can give a comment?
potong…….still as shit as hell……..
toyota vios n honda city are much more better than waja….
when will they implement the new NAP plan?if the new NAP plan is implemented but the car prices still the same…no reduction at all…all i wanted to say is government peoples r F****** S***!
The problems with Proton, is very much the problems with Malaysians (majority)
Malaysians forgive. Why do i said so?
Can i ask, when is the last time any of you guys saw the "Latest 'limited edition — again' Proton Iswara/Saga" lodged in the concourse area of shopping malls ? (Or Giant/The Store …)
The problem with Malaysians are, we still buy them, people still open the doors and sit in it!! Anyone havent sat in an Iswara/Saga before, then he must be some high ranked politicians in Malaysia, otherwise, anyone, i can guarantee, everyone would have had sat in it given that tin can was first manufactured 15 years back. (1991).
Let's go with Proton. The following incidents are all experienced by me whereby my friends who bought Protons.
1. My friend used to have a 1998 Proton Wira 1.5 (M). He trashed it in year 2001 and simply bought a 2002 Proton Wira 1.5 (M). Guess what? The cruise control which is present in his previous Wira was no longer there despite the higher price.
2. Two friends of mine bought 1.3 Satria (M) around the same time, one receive his Satria with Blaupunkt stereo head unit, the other? A head unit clearly stating "Proton Tiara" there, which cannot fit in snugly. Both rear head rests were taken off and told to top up RM500 for each. Satrias prior to that all have headrests as standard (Having headrests — Standard common sense right?)
3. Friend, Satria 1.5 Auto; bought it and the first week, the ignition fails, power window failure, air con compressor failure. Brought back to dealer and you guess wat? "Proton mar, biasa lor"
4. I myself, i used to like Perdana V6 alot when its launch back in year 1998. I even liked it more than the newly launched Accord back then. But until i sat right into one in year 2001, i was shocked, being a flagship, it had less space than Waja (understandable since its a late 80s 2.0 sedan — Eterna) but its built quality was way lower than that of Waja.
So, since year 2001, i started to influence friends around me to give Proton a lesson, to boy cott their products.
If Proton tells us about all bla bla pricing, taxing or whatever, we dont mind, we don't even mind that Proton's quality is actually lower than that of Toyotas, what i loath so much bout Proton is that they do not have the will to improve, they only advertise that they are improving, advertise that they did alot of R&D where all they do are redesigning new skirtings for the next "New Limited Edition Wira". Thats the problem with Proton.
We see no SINCERITY in their products.
I'll now go bit by bit from Waja. Waja was launched in year 2000.
Claiming to be "Asia's answer to BMW 3-Series" creating so much publicity and doubts together with believes, dreams. How it ended up? People started to realize its just another better fitted Proton.
Tengku Mahaleel promised everyone publicly in year 1998 that they will solve Proton's quality problems once and for all in the upcoming model (Waja), including the notorius power windows.
Hence, Proton's engineers started ground up to design another power window module, revolutionary design, integrated to the doors. So whats the result? Pay RM300-RM400 for your power window if they fail.
Why? It's so 'technologically advance' and 'complicated' that its integrated into the door hence change your door when your PW is down. Congrats Proton! Another world's first! From Bolehland.
Secondly, the left signal lights. What's up Proton?
Since Waja's targeting the BMW 3-Series. Or European mid sized sports sedans (Audi A4/ C-Class/ Saab 9-3/ VW Passat). They decide to place the signal lights to the left of the steering wheel.
And i was shocked, because i can't imagine Proton cannot figure our Europen cars had their signal lights on the left is plainly because its a small compromise to achieve cost effectiveness when they bring their cars here and manufactured right steered vehicles.
And Proton purposely made that. Ok, no more rants bout Waja because generally its OK. Its just the stupidity of Proton that shows up alot on this car.
Gen2. I have to admit, IMO it looked much better than the two oh-so-boring-looking City and Vios. BUT, What's up Proton? The interior looked good, but the plastics they used were again back to the Iswara era! Why Proton?
Why in Waja you all can bring out a car so well built; and you decide to leave it as a milestone or legacy? So that there will be no successor? Gen2 was so well designed but let down by quality, stupidity.
I guess everyone knew bout the rear seats being not friendly even for people with heights of 173cm right? Being one of Proton's latest car, i am sad to say i already saw a couple of Gen2s opening their doors at toll booths. (Not something hard to spot given the number of tolls in KL)
Last thing about the Gen2? The steering. Go drive around in a Waja, then straight go to Gen2 and you will not understand why Proton doesn't move that same piece of great steering to Gen2. Gen2's steering felt worse that the 1991 Iswaras.
The only comparable steering in the world is Proton's year 2002 Iswara (Night Rider/Baja Hitam whatever)
Ok, enough rants. News shall we? But abit dated.
When Proton launch Savvy earlier this year. They have simultaneous launching campaign throughout Malaysia, MNN even have a 3 hour exclusive coverage on it. At one of the launches, Pak Lah visited. The first thing he asked after giving the usual thumbs up sign goes :" Have you all fix the power windows? " Awe shocked, they promised a reply in 1 to 2 weeks time. And what do we get? After 2 weeks of Savvy's launch, Proton came out with this :" All Savvy are entitled to 3 years of warranty for power windows!! " And they thought they fixed it.
Enough rants, i guess Proton knows whats up. Perodua shall we? Anyone,can come up and say :" Kancil is not reliable. Please do so." Cause besides knowing i pay monkey, i get monkey finishing and accessories. Kancils never have much problems.
Then comes Kelisa. Let me tell all of us here about what i meant with sincerity of local manufacturers. Remember the part where i mentioned Proton taking out Satria headrests and demanding RM500 for each?
(And i havent go to the point where if you drive a 1.5 Wira, the cup holder on the 1.6 is visible yet cannot be pulled out, the Power/Economy button changed to a coin holder, and if you drive a 1.3, the coin holder is blocked by a piece of plastic. Marketing, yeah~ )
ok continue, whats up with Kelisa? They take the trouble to tug in a handsfree set, with a magnet holder to hold all typical Nokias. Now that's what i meant about sincerity. And anyone can complain on Kelisa's built quality? Immaculate if i were to say Buatan Malaysia.
Kenari.
1st batch- Cassette Player
2nd batch – CD Player + Car Ionizer cum speaker unit
3rd batch – CD Player + Car Ionizer cum speaker unit + First Aid Kit.
4th batch – CD Player + Car Ionizer cum speaker unit + First Aid Kit + Fire Extinguisher.
5th batch – CD Player + Car Ionizer cum speaker unit + First Aid Kit + Fire Extinguisher + Tyre air pressure pump.
Sincerity pays, thats why Perodua's market share rise, and Proton's fell.
Dont blame the Koreans, they did nothing to target Proton. They did not set their aims low.
1997 Hyundai Coupe vs 2005 Proton Satria SE.
Both are roughly the same price.
Which one will you go for? That says it all.
at the end, the price of spare parts for those Korean cars sure expansive than Proton…i go for proton meh..
If you're buying manual it's ok.But if you're buying automatic transmission, like most in KL did (traffic jam ma…), i'm sure you wouldn't want to buy the protong Satria SE. 3-speed auto wo, it's like driving a manual car without the 5th gear! Just drive it at highway speed around 100km/h, and you'll know what I mean – the RPM is going SO high and so will your fuel consumption. Unless you are planning to adhere to the speed limits all the time, and drive under 80km/h, DON'T buy Satria/Wira SE Auto. You'll sure regert it.
I mean, you'll sure REGRET it, not 'regert' it. Typo error, sorry!
I'd get the Hyundai.
I have another choice for ya'll to make. A 1960s Ferrari VS 2005 brand new Perodua Rusa (both RM40,000) which would you guys get.
Another: SsangYong Stavic VS Toyota Unser (Stavic 2nd hand, Unser new. Both RM80,000)
Another: New Proton Waja VS 1997 Audi A4 (Both RM55,000)
Hi Bob. First of all I don't know every car that you have mentioned.
But for sure I won't be buying the Perodua Rosak. As for the Waja vs Audi option, it's kinda hard to decide but for me it's Audi 60/40 Waja.
I would like to tell the Proton that: DUN THINK WE MALAYSIAN IS A FOOL ! U BECOME SO POOR TODAY JUZ BECAUSE OF UR ‘FOOLISHNESS’.
DUN BLAME US THAT WE ARE NOT PATRIOTIC ENOUGH. That is nothing to do with buying a local car because of we love our country. Fucking FOOLISH thinking.
CHANGE UR “LOW-CLASS” ATTITUDES AND THINKING BEFORE IT IS LATE.