Proton Holdings Bhd may appoint Syed Zainal Abidin Mohamed Tahir as the new chief executive officer of the company, replacing former CEO Tengku Mahaleel Ariff.

Zainal Abidin is currently the deputy managing director of Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd. (Perodua) and one of the four executive directors of Perodua Auto Corporation, the 49%-owned manufacturing arm of Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) and whose other shareholders are Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd (41%) and Mitsui & Co Ltd (10%).

Zainal Abidin used to work in Proton’s manufacturing division during the group’s early years of operation. He later joined Malaysian Trucks and Bus Sdn. Bhd, rised through the ranks to become CEO and moved on the Perodua to become it’s head of production.

Perodua officials said they’ve heard the rumours, but they are not at liberty to comment. Proton officials could not be contacted.

Source: The Edge Daily, Yahoo Finance

Proton has announced the availability of the Proton Chancellor beginning 15th December 2005. It will debut during the ASEAN Summit from 12-14 December. What is the Proton Chancellor? It’s basically a Proton Waja chassis with a 2.0 V6 engine from the Mitsubishi Eterna/Proton Perdana.

Proton officials say that the Chancellor had been redeveloped and not merely a stretched model like the Proton Perdana Executive. It has a 2850mm long wheelbase, compared to the Waja wheelbase which is 2600mm.

The Proton Chancellor is expected to be sold at a higher price than the current Proton Perdana and will feature luxurious trim such as DVD players. The Chancellor’s target market are high-ranking Government officers, corporate heads and senior executives.

Robert Bosch is in talks with Proton Holdings Bhd on supplying diesel fuel injection systems. Bosch currently supplies Proton with engine mnagement system parts, brakes, brake calipers, ABS systems, actuation systems, wiper washer systems and fuel injection systems. The companies are exploring options to use Bosch’s diesel fuel injection systems if Proton develops diesel-powered vehicles.

A diesel Proton Arena soon? Or a diesel SRM for the diesel+hatch loving European market. Proton used to have 2.0 liter diesel Proton Wiras, and the gearbox used for that car has been sought after by car modders for it’s supposed strength

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The A1 Grand Prix PROTON Pro Celebrity Race went on without a hitch on the last day of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations. We saw an exciting battle between 11 cars driven by local and international celebrities. There was supposed to be 12 cars, but the man behind A1 Sheikh Maktoum had to pull out due to important business obligations.

Click here to read the rest of A1GP PROTON Pro Celebrity Race Results

Looks like the government’s National Automotive Policy bag of carrots is effective. Renault has chosen Malaysia for it’s ASEAN manufacturing hub, instead of Thailand. Renault’s Asia-Pacific vice president Patrick Debrot attributed the decision to Malaysia’s suitability to Renault’s stable of vehicles. Thailand is mostly a pick-up truck market, while Malaysia is more of a passanger vehicle market. Renault’s target market in Thailand would be up to a maximum of 50% of the total automotive market segment, while in Malaysia the target is about 75% of the total market.

Renault is already assembling CKD versions of the Renault Kangoo here in Malaysia. The CKD Kangoo is assembled locally by Tan Chong Motor Assemblers in Segambut, and distributed by TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd, a division of Tan Chong. A new plant will be built and be ready by 2007 outside Rawang, Selangor. By then, Renault will be ready to export Malaysian-assembled Renaults to the ASEAN region.

Debrot said the new National Automotive Policy was a positive step forward to an open market, and understands the government’s needs to protect Proton.

The A1 Grand Prix of Nations Feature Race results are out - with Team Malaysia driver Alex Yoong managing to get 5th place position after an exciting race.

Click here to read the rest of 2005 A1 Grand Prix Sepang Feature Race Results

The A1 Grand Prix’s Sepang leg is over, with Malaysia taking 8th place after starting on the grid at 7th place. Results are after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2005 A1 Grand Prix Sepang Sprint Race Results

The qualifying session of the A1GP PROTON Pro Celebrity Race was completed without a hitch today. All 12 cars have qualified, and times were consistently faster compared to the practice session yesterday.

Click here to read the rest of A1GP PROTON Pro Celebrity Race Qualifiers

Due to a restructuring exercise, Malaysia Airport Holdings, the current owner of the Sepang F1 circuit is trying to sell off the circuit. The Ministry of Finance agreed in 2003 to buy the circuit for USD 103.6 million (RM 391 million) but apparently the sale is being held up by Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Management.

Apparently there are some legalities with a country owning a circuit being used in the Formula One series, as Malaysia as a sovereign country cannot be taken to court in case anything happens. A solution is still being worked out.

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KY, Kenneth and I headed over to Sepang for the A1 Grand Prix practice session yesterday, and we spotted this nicely done up Proton Savvy by the Race Rally Research Team. I assume this is a concept (or final?) design for the Proton Savvy R3’s bodykit, and I must say it complements the car well. Previously you saw this bodykit in black. Here’s one in red. The brighter colour makes it somewhat easier to see the details. The nice Advanti Racing rims are missing though.

Click here to read the rest of Proton Savvy R3 Bodykit