Proton sold 2,500 cars in the UK last year, but Proton Cars UK managing director Brian Collier is making efforts to improve performance including expanding its dealer network from its current 78 to a total of between 100 to 110 dealers. Proton sales in the UK was at a peak in 1992, an estimated 15,000 cars a year.
According to Collier, Proton enjoys one of the highest brand loyalties in the UK, currently standing at about 70%. Simon Park who is in charge of Proton Cars sales and marketing in the UK says that Proton has fiercely loyal customers and once they have someone as a customer they usually stay with Proton.
I suppose the problem is getting new customers then.
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Not a PROBLEM! but a challenge..
Well done and good luck to PROTON, the true original car manufacturer of Malaysia with essence and soul.
Loyal customers, so what happend from 15k to 2.5k? 12.5k not loyal anymore or is it because there are no new models on the road. How do they benchmark loyalty?
See lot of Proton Wira still on the road and my friend commented that they give less problems than Ford Escorts or other cars of the same age. However, haven’t seen that many newer models on the road.
I hope their increase in dealers was planned carefully! Sales per dealer and market share scores are what should be looked at, and just increasing the number of dealers without commitment in meeting standards for CI, Sales, Service and Spares processes may ultimately lead to disaster.
Dear mystvearn
The brand loyalty survey should be for the last fiver or so years.
One of the survey was done in 2006.
You could google out “proton uk satisfaction survey”.
Hopefully they could excees the sales figure this time around.
Anyway,
I have read (in blows and other reviews) that a lot of previous Proton users in UK that looks for new Proton to replace their aging old ones. but sadly at that time, Proton still could not offer fresh new models.
Hopefully when the Persona comes, it will bring them back to Proton.
I have read the Persona also sells well within their expectation in Australia. Whatever their “expectation” would be.
rt.
“Proton sales in the UK was at a peak in 1992, an estimated 15,000 cars a year.”
>In that year alone, those Proton cars were mostly used as prop cars in one episode of that Mr.Bean comedy series.
“According to Collier, Proton enjoys one of the highest brand loyalties in the UK, currently standing at about 70%.”
>Almost 99% percent of Proton UK loyalist are pensioners, poor Asian college students, unionised farmers…
“Simon Park who is in charge of Proton Cars sales and marketing in the UK says that Proton has fiercely loyal customers and once they have someone as a customer they usually stay with Proton.”
>Bloody fierce indeed! Just look at most of the pensioners’ teeth…very much dentally-challenged.
“I suppose the problem is getting new customers then.”
>No worry, UK will always get ample supply of new pensioners annually. Ken Livingstone probably gonna join the ranks by now.
Yes in the UK Proton is the official pensioner car. Problem with pensioners is you usually don’t get much repeat business! On the other hand they won’t be buying any other cars either, so you can consider them “brand loyal” to the grave haha.
Maxx88 said
“>Almost 99% percent of Proton UK loyalist are pensioners, poor Asian college students, unionised farmers…”
Dear sir,.
Please give us the reference for your statistics..
rt
either pensioner or not. who cares ?
pensioner + new one = more customer.
as long as the car sell weel. = more income.
bring back the money to malaysia via tax etc.
isn’t that a good thing?
unless.. you’re typical basher as well..
its encouraging to see proton expanding in hard times as apposed to shrinking the company in the UK. shows their commitment and resilience.
uk will always be a tough market.. one must not forget that even the japanese makes have a hard time there. when i was in the uk 3 wks back for a week, there was hardly any toyotas on the road.. and there were a couple of euro accords though, and the civic hatch here and there.
Hahaha…I kinda like Max88 post! Good for laughs if I have a hard day at the office. Loved the “dentally-challenged” thing! Thee..he..he.. Anyway, if Proton does increase on their customer I think it’s a good thing. Bmpower does stated that “pensioner + new one = more customer..as long as the car sell well = more income.” My thought is that…more income will bring more profit, more profit will bring more fund, more fund will bring more R&D, more R&D will bring more cars, more cars will bring us more choice! Yeaayy…at the end we as the end user will benefit from all this as well. Peace! :-)
a pointless exercise, i haven’t seen anybody driving a proton in england except for that beggar down the street and red ken.
“According to Collier, Proton enjoys one of the highest brand loyalties in the UK, currently standing at about 70%.
Maybe the buyers who is loyal every year are those Malaysian GLCs based in UK, Malaysian Students Dept and High Commissioner people.
So if you sell 2,500 cars with loyalty of 70% means out ot 1750 cars sold maybe 95% are all kena paksa beli or worst Proton UK bought and sell as 2nd hand.
Proton Sagwa said,
“On the other hand they won’t be buying any other cars either, so you can consider them “brand loyal” to the grave haha.”
> Therefore Proton UK tagline must be:
“Til Death Do Us Apart”
You have to understand the mentality of the average British pensioner – I was in the UK motor trade from 92 to 97 so have a little insight.
Most people in the UK upon reaching retirment age aspire to buy a new car that will look after with love and keep forever – but they must buy a NEW one – don’t ask me why, it is just a culture thing.
Back in 1992 there was not the vast choice at the budget end you have now, when Daewoo came around in the mid 90’s they stole a huge amount of this market as the had rebranded GM cars (previous gen Vauxhall Astra and Cavaliers) which everyone could relate to.
Xaraleob also hints of a huge problem in trusting UK new car figures which is ‘pre-registering’ of cars by the maker. ie they register the cars as new in the company name to massage the figures on a certain month or model then sell then as nearly-new on the second hand market.
some UK police also use Proton.
.
>In that year alone, those Proton cars were mostly used as prop cars in one episode of that Mr.Bean comedy series.
– Whats your point then?
>Almost 99% percent of Proton UK loyalist are pensioners, poor Asian college students, unionised farmers…
-thts a good thing right..meeting proton’s objective of providing affordable cars to all.
>Bloody fierce indeed! Just look at most of the pensioners’ teeth…very much dentally-challenged.
-bet youve got a celebs teeth..and a shot of botox maybe?
>No worry, UK will always get ample supply of new pensioners annually. Ken Livingstone probably gonna join the ranks by now.
-youll join the ranks too, soon..
in england, public trasnport exists, only selfish dickheads who must own a car buy proton, they should pay the highest tax and the most expensive congestion charge
bull crap figures. just pulling it out of the air. they couldnt even manage to sell 500 cars in australia for 1 or 2 years.
2500 is still crap. lets say 5-10k rm profit for each car. which i doubt so anyway with toyota about 6k profit per car and VW i think around 1000rm per car). puny figures. the big money is about 25-50k rm profit for each car (from tax excise duty) sold in msia for imported cars. you can understand why proton was created.
that equates to around 250 people buying a local or foreign car in msia. you can argue that the money is made back during service. but you need to understand nobody services a proton with proton. and proton gives freebies to sell the car anyway plus long warranties, free fuel, free service etc etc.
yippi33 said,
“>In that year alone, those Proton cars were mostly used as prop cars in one episode of that Mr.Bean comedy series.
– Whats your point then?”
>Give you a simple clue to ponder: Junk.
bmpower said,
“either pensioner or not. who cares ?
pensioner + new one = more customer.
as long as the car sell weel. = more income.
bring back the money to malaysia via tax etc.”
>So Proton should go to US, particularly at Florida state market. Pensioners heaven there…place for guys like Larry King, Kevin Federline, John McCain just to name a few.
alpina BMW..your observation of not seeing proton cars in UK is daft…i have encoutered at least once or twice a week around the M and A highways…where do you live? stonehedge? customers even voted Proton as the last years best customer service in UK…on the congestion charge..another daft example…nowdays, London is still congested although there is a 8 quid imposing on motorist…i am assuming that all of them are selfish dickhead and not you?