Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff, the outspoken former Proton chief, is set to make a shock return to the national carmaker, which is now under DRB-Hicom’s ownership. Business Times reports that the ex CEO will probably return as chairman of Proton, leading the company into another new phase.
“More or less, it’s almost a done deal,” a source close to DRB-Hicom told BT. If true, TM will replace Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, who was one of the bidders for Khazanah Nasional Bhd’s 42.74% stake in Proton.
Tengku Mahaleel’s last stint in Proton ended on 30 September 2005, when his contract was not renewed by the board of directors led by Datuk Mohammed Azlan Hashim, then the chairman of Proton. TM joined Proton as Vice Chairman, Strategy & Operations in 1996 and was with the company for over nine years. The official statement then explained that Proton is a “national asset, an institution of sorts and not a private entity.”
Prior to his departure, he did a controversial interview with a Chinese daily, disagreeing with the way the national automotive industry was heading. “Automobile assembly means you just need screw drivers, you don’t need die and mould and engine factory. If the government only needs the automobile assemblers, we can then grab a Mitsubishi car, fix it with a Proton emblem and say: ‘Nah, this a Proton car’,” he was quoted as saying.
Not a man to mince words, that’s for sure!
There goes Proton.
OMG….good news to P2.
So many other people who are dedicated and passionate about cars out there and they have to take this one
i prefer TM than Nadzmi…if he not good enough DRB will not choose him in the first place…. Proton is not GLC anymore so DRB can do anything they want..cronism watever..most company in Malaysia r like that…
Proton won’t be at this state if DRB did not choose him in the first place.
U all dont agree when i said most company in malaysia practices cronism? family/friend own company..that are best example eg when u have to choose ur brother that over qualified or a guy very qualified candidate..another example u have to choose very qualified friend or nonfriend that oso very qualified…..who u choose? Well since im practice cronism i choose the person i “know” best to do the job
kzm, who is talking about cronism? w
ourconcern is aboutthe futureof proton. TM was once almost destroyed proton.. that was when low quality modified proton wira produced. Dont you know that?
i will never forget all that rubbish, remember the weird silver iswara with the factory ahbeng exhaust? damn no taste man…
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l246/fadz420/item%20for%20sale/lmst.jpg
crony of all crony. bapak segala crony. buat company macam bapak dia punya si tua ni. habesla proton lepas ni.
time for some1 to milk some cash $$$
jahanam la proton balik…baru nak bernafas dgn baik DSZ dah cuup bagus
assemble also fails…what to do..mine Inspira got noisy morning suspension..wait almost a year for R & D to get it rectified. Now, the steering noise came out …pinging noise still there..nothing can be done…now valvetrain start making noise….totally fail product !
hahah thats what happened when you want japanese car at a lower price.. my friend GT oso the same lah.. same oem supplier
Same problem with lancer gt…haha..kesian.
my friend’s inspira never had a problem but urs got so many problem. what is this??? come on la proton, pls do QC properly.. aiyooo!!!!
Luckily I didnt buy this car, I still remember what proton salesman told – Protons quality changed since the changed of CEO – TOTALLY????????????
ur are just one unlucky son of a gun. My Inspira were perfect, come join our club and we will help to solve ur car probs.. www.theinspiratuners.com
So your Inspira is not perfect NOW I bet?
Big liar…..!!!!!!
Shit!! Tell me this is not true. Some one pls tell me this is not true!! NO!!!
This is not true.
But don’t believe what I said.
When i was in uni, I loved to listen to his speeches as he is one of my college’s biggest sponsors for the annual award ceremony.
A very matured and articulated person with somewhat of an anti establishment personality.
I would say he has great desires and visions to make Proton great. However his hands were tied and hopefully this round, he has the freedom to truly make Proton great.
before T MAHALEEL joined Proton, the company was having a cash surplus of over RM3billion. How much was left just before he left Proton? Who is responsible for this if it is not him? The Tanjung Malim Project was a smart idea? Proton is set to blunder because of that burdensome, unwise and unfruitful adventure. Have the public forgotten about the saga of motorbike Agusta ? How much burden being shouldered by Proton to keep that LOTUS? How much of other wasteful investments made during his tenure? Get the accounts out of PWC and make a wise assessment of the blunders that befell Proton caused by his leadership in the past. Do the public want to see this NATIONAL CAR PROJECT washed down the drain? Hyundai made its success almost in the same time when Proton was declining. Get to know more and be wise . Your children have the rights to have a good life in Malaysia. Do not deprive them out of our lack of knowledge and wisdom.
from the guy who thinks the gen2 should be like lotus elise with only 1 cupholder and no glovebox.
from the same person who described the savvy as my first lotus …. btw the plans and ground breaking of the tanjung malim plant came before tengku mahaleel. all i know is that in his tenure, customer satisfaction with proton was rock bottom. i heard that proton employees hated him, most of the good guys left to perodua and gave malaysians the myvi. btw the interview with tun mahathir in today’s nst newspaper was wry – very clever and typical of tun mahathir.
hope DSZ still retain..
I think DSZ is out.
Hope nobody thumbdowns you. Proton has been churning good cars since DSZ at the helm.
Yes, DSZ is ok. He is doing the best he can in a difficult situation. TM and DSZ combo would be interesting to see. Both energetic and but good in different areas. May actually complement and compensate each other’s weakness.
OMG! we want DSZ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
he replace nadmi not dsz
he’s replacing nazmi la..do you even read? and he’s just an ex CEO, not necessarily be the new ceo..
DSZ must stay….
IDIOT! BODOH! DSZ took years to untangle the mess this bugger made and now he’s back?!
Bodoh nak mampos is all I can say!
I really think someone should make an FB page to decry, denounce & declare this evil undoing by DRB! SAY NO TO MAHALEEL! I’ll vote..!
without any major share in Proton or DRB, your voice won’t be heard. you’re totally “ZERO”
let’s see what will happen next. if nothing solid come out in few more years, i won’t put so much hope on national automotive industry anymore. then, the best we can be is just an assembler like Thai and Indon :)
People power is never zero bro..! I have great respect & admiration at DSZ n I wuz lookin forward to P1’s crossover vehicle next year but if DRB does bring in TM… then i’ll definitely look elsewhere.
One thing for sure… TM comes in will mean better sales for T&H.
u lah bukak page tu…apa susah sangat. Bukan kena bayar pun….then publish link kat sini…biar semua orang click..Ni semua orang pandai cakap je lebih..keja ngan tanggungjawab tak nak buat.
hahaha! typical malaysian la bro! if they said A, the people will agree it as B. then it goes all the way till the end (or never ending?) whatever it is, i take it as a great news, as we all concern that PROTON currently under DRB. and I assumed that everyone knows how well DRB is. All the best for him.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kami-mahu-Dato-Seri-Syed-Zainal-kekal-sebagai-MD-Proton/325107387527899
Not regarding about TM, but close enough. 130 likes so far.
TM will replace Nadzmi as Proton Chairman, DSZ currently is CEO of Proton and doing a great job at it. I dont see this appointment will affect DSZ much, and since TM is a petrolhead, we could expect to see more interesting car in future.
Yeah right, so much for being a petrol head. Last time I checked, this Mahaleel guy change the speedometer of a Savvy to a more striking colour and call it sporty, hoping it would appeal to youngsters. Turns out not just the youngsters that were drawn away, even the uncles and aunties.
Mahaleel micro-manages too much when he was a CEO. Expect him to become a pain in the ass for DSZ.
yeah.. remember the so called samurai handle in gen2? no glove compartment? ugly concept car for neo and persona?
thats tengku mahalel for you..
he can over rule the al the best desigener at proton at the time
i still remember when he announced the Waja is the Asian’s BMW. WTF!
DSZ had tag-teamed with current chairman Datuk nazmi to buy khazanah’s share in proton, meaning they were competing with DRB.
now that DRB got the upper hand, they want to maintain him? better prepare resume lah like that.
22 proton employees loved ur comment bro…
cronism at its best….
all hail to the return of “potong juara” replacement…… LOL :-D
And so Mahathir’s dream is revitalized! Welcome back, TM the clown, you will undo all the the hard work by Syed Zainal’s team and seal Proton’s fate for good, this is god-sent!
Doesn’t mince his words but he always tells it as it is which didn’t go too well with corporate Malaysia. He understands cars more than any other what not having being a rally driver and all.
He may know cars, but his sins with proton had not been forgotten. After proton been revitalized, he returns to make it again. this person cannot lead proton to victory when he had the opportunity. Now all DSZ hard work are ready to go to drain. I strongly agree with majority in this blog, this man should not lead proton. never ever again. maybe Danny or somebody from this blog can highlight this to proton so that they know.
the Dark Era will rise again……
i think not true coz during his time engineer start to build their own cars and engine.. not just taking any japs and replace the bumper.
i admit that he starting to make their own cars and engines…but he not seriously commit to build one…look on proton line up starting from waja….lots of defect which make proton look very bad….he also make proton divorce with MMC….all prototype like proton pajero IQ, wira wagon and lots more had been canceled…no mentioning during that time engineers and tech experts he fired because doesn’t follow his stupid orders…..that’s why most of them go to P2….as the results look where P2 right now…
OMG! not him again. the person who tarnished Proton’s brand name will be back? then its a big NO for Proton cars after this……….
we have lots of talents out there to manage Proton but we shld DRB take him instead?
seriously i juz see what the point behind all this…DZS has done a lot to bring back Proton to its glory but this guy? Sighhh……
TM = Chairman
DSZ = Chief Operating Officer.
For me TM better than Nadzmi as he is more passionate with car.
Agreed with you. What i’m more afraid of is DSZ can’t do what he hv plan before this becoz of TM.
Oh No ! Not the return of those low quality, failed model such as Tiara, Juara, Arena, Gen 2 & etc, The current MD SZA have done a good job retain him.
Tiara, a low quality, failed model? Puh-lezzee.
That’s an excellent, low-cost, fuel-saving car only for those who know how to maintain and appreciate a nice CKDed French car, courtesy of Citroen.
With the exception of the first generation of Saga, Wira and Satria courtesy of Mitsubishi; the rest of Proton’s offering are highly questionable.
Ha, weird one…
majority knows Tiara one of the worst model in Proton’s industry.
tell that to all the tiaras owner that have scrapped the car once it broke down..
Dear TM,
Please get into production the 220hp Supercharger Proton Satria Neo R3 Lotus as soon as possible so that I can smoke the my friend Mini Cooper. :-)
Then you should buy a Ferrari.
sorry..he already has his own project..
juara special edition. &
tiara facelift limited edition
HAHAHA
hmm, whether his is good , or bad…dont want to question that…
but i prefer they get a new face…someone not related to Proton before….Give Proton new perspective….
Perhaps, they should bring in Tan Sri Hassan Merican….he was phenomenal at Petronas…
or just bring in new people….If Renault can put Carlos Ghosn in Japan for Nissan, DRB Hicom perhap should look into foreigner too , why not… in the name of globalization…or just pitch Carlon Ghosn himself….hahahahah….
I fully supported the decision to remove Nadzmi, he has no heart to work his ass off for proton, he will only do it if that belong to him….any employee who attempt management buy out should be terminated if they failed the attempt….(hint hint same goes to Danny Bahar????????? )
Seriously, they should really bring new face to the management, shake up the organisation, fully replace the purchasing officer, introduce new standard for vendor and re organize the vendor relationship, and perhaps that azlano guy from design needed new place as well…..we have tons of talented designer in Malaysia…time to utilize them…..
on second thought, they should get me as Chairman…..hahahahahhahahahahha
You put a “cow” to lead petronas also can make money ler
Totally agree with you. There are no more choices other than DSZ or TM? They are talking about globalisation yet they don’t even dare to hire outsiders or foreigners. It’s the same old politicking again. Old hand (senile Dr M) that controls & protects all their crony suppliers. Professionalism my balls!
if let Tan Sri Hassan Merican of Petronas joint in proton , the powerful E01 engine will live again ,,,,+1 for this idea….
“Revenge Of The Fallen”….. or should it be “Revenge Of The Sith”?
” “Automobile assembly means you just need screw drivers, you don’t need die and mould and engine factory. If the government only needs the automobile assemblers, we can then grab a Mitsubishi car, fix it with a Proton emblem and say: ‘Nah, this a Proton car’,” he was quoted as saying.”
I think his words got hidden message.. The more process it involved, the more corruption it may be.. People around the factory already knew that Proton business is not easy to do… You know i know laa.. So to cut down the wastegage, why not just assembly CKD/CBU cars like DRB-HICOM is doing now? We already knew the direction for Proton is going back when Proton Inspira is coming out… Somemore now at DRB-HICOM hands… :P
Latest new regarding VW!!!
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/vw-eyes-deal-with-proton-for-regional-growth/
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — German car maker Volkswagen (VW) is in talks with DRB-Hicom to take over some manufacturing capacity at Proton’s modern but underused plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak, and make Malaysia its regional production hub.
Great news. TM as chairman will gives back proton the vision and flair it badly needs. DSZ as MD will compliment Proton with pragmatism and solidity in operations, things that were missing during TM tenure. TM + DSZ is the way to go!
He’s the main reason that Proton was in a shambles in the first place..! DRB management are UNIVERSAL IDIOTS if they bring T-MAHALEEL back again. Just when DSZ is bringing Proton to greater heights after decades long bad rep… the idiots at DRB are doing the most remarkable backstep in Proton’s progress. I may have to boycott Proton altogether again…! My mouth feels a sour aftertaste coming… I think I’m gonna puke!
Yes, it was so much in ‘shambles’ that when TM was at the helm, Proton had cash reserves over RM 2 Billion! Thats a lot of ‘shambles’. Oh yes, he also built Proton City in Tg Malim, one of the few good assets in Proton attractive enough to draw interest from the likes of VW.
How is Proton today, after he left? Less ‘shambles’?
Dear ignoramous.
Are u talking bout the same person who brought in MV Agusta but did nothing to gain from it? the same man who done nothing to address countless complaints about our power windows? the same man who famously gave us the tiara, juara, savvy n gen2, the same man who left Proton with a bad rep?
Cash rich but crappy products make him a pirate in my book.
To each his own dude. You can shower him full of praise all you want… personally I’m not touching any Proton cars as long TM is still around.
Lets set the record straight. He and Tun had planned to capitalize on MV Augusta and their plans were thwarted when somebody on the board decided to sell it off for a perplexing 1 Euro! and thus realise its losses. I am not showering anyone with praises. Just trying to share the facts to those who are not exposed to industry facts. He left Proton in better shape than it is today. He started some of the plans that later became evident during DSZ’s term and naturally did not receive credit. CEO’s job is profitability and Proton, for whatever reason is in bad shape today, despite the improved image today but no point having a company that looks prettier but on the brink of destruction. Its a business.
to be fair, tiara was done before tengku mahaleel’s time. it was a joint project between drb and proton rebadging the citroen ax. i remember they had to postpone the launch of the model to get more plastics to ‘cover’ the gaps. coincidently, dsz was within the hicom group, i think in the trucks division, before he left to join p2, along with the many who left p1 to p2 during tengku mahaleel’s time in proton.
Not siding anyone but prefer to look at the facts…
MV Agusta was purchased at a much lower cost than to develop R&D in-house with engine technologies and patents related to small cars (Tata Nano type vehicles) to be sold at around 11k.
Unfortunately it was sold at 1 Euro which in turn managed to sell the brand names to BMW and the like for god knows how many million Euros…. Someone made money here for Pak Lah and gang….
So get the facts straight before commenting…. Seriously, this blog is beginning to bore me with political and hate contents.
I don’t think he should return, I have plans to buy the Exora CFE.. which I think was only made possible with Dato’ Syed Zainal at the helm… even if they have to take this guy back please keep DSZ. He has done wonders for Proton and certainly turned me from a Proton critic to a fan… Keep up the good work DSZ…
Ohh and Dany Bahar… I have nothing to say of him yet….
TM used to say “who need an MPV. My family is small..”
This is the guy who said proton cars do not need airbags… Sigh..
TM-Syok sendiri and cost down tak kena tempat. Jual kuih pun tengok market ini pulak buat keta.
He as a Chairman n really hope he doesnt hv any say in the company day-to-day. DSZ is the best person to bring Proton forward as what he is done so well already. PLS LEAVE HIM ALONE AND SUPPORT HIM WELL.
I see positiveness in Tengku Mahaleel’s appointment for Proton.
VW management may want Tengku Mahaleel’s presence. The deal was made years ago.
After Tengku Mahaleel was ejected from Proton, what was left only a dream.. and we have a leader who sleeps on the job.
Little Notebook Did The Trick In VW-Proton Tie-up
A News Analysis By Yeong Soo Heong
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 (Bernama) — All it took was a little notebook measuring about 4 by 3 inches (7.6 x 10.1 cm) to convince the top management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellaschaft (VW AG) that a deal with Proton Holdings Bhd will be in their best interest after four months of tough negotiations.
This was revealed by Proton’s chief executive officer, Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff, whose notebook containing diagrams outlining the present state of the global automobile industry did the trick at their third meeting in Wolfsburg, about an hour’s drive from Hannover, recently.
“I told them (VW officials) where they are at and where we (Proton) are located and how we can jointly take on areas where we are not represented,” he told reporters at a “berbuka puasa” function here Tuesday night.
Tengku Mahaleel said the VW officials were told how they could help improve Proton’s overall quality and how Proton could help them penetrate areas based on high quality and low costs.
“We negotiated based on our strengths,” he said, adding that factors like Proton’s high cash reserves of more than RM3 billion, state-of-the-art manufacturing plants, competitive research and development facilities, market share, market potential, extensive dealership network and availability of high quality local component manufacturers were also taken into account.
The graphic presentation on the notebook enabled the VW officials to better grasp what was at hand and what was in store for the future, Tengku Mahaleel said.
The result? Handshakes all around to seal the deal.
But Tengku Mahaleel also said that the strong relationship that Proton’s adviser, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was also a major influence in determining the VW alliance with Proton.
“Luck also played a big part, especially with the fact that Volkswagen is under-represented in Asean,” he said.
Another important consideration in VW’s association with Proton is the rise in demand for right-hand drive vehicles, an area which the Malaysian carmaker is familiar with.
From an annual global sales of 1.4 million right-hand drive vehicles in 2003, it is expected to rise to 2.4 million units in 2015, a jump of 67 percent.
The first Malaysian-produced VW car is expected to be rolled out from Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant in about 12 months from now.
An initial target of 15,000 units comprising two models has been set for 2006.
But before this could be done, VW would have to ensure that high quality components could be produced locally.
Tengku Mahaleel said VW would also bring in some of their component manufacturers to set up shop in Malaysia.
In addition, VW would also evaluate the merits of existing local component manufacturers with a view of getting supplies from them.
Tengku Mahaleel said Tier One suppliers like Delphi and TRW incorporated by foreign investors in Malaysia should have little difficulty in meeting VW’s quality standards.
“The locals would have to buck up,” he said. “This is not just supplying to Volkswagen but other brands in the Volkswagen Group. Hence, this provides immense opportunities for local component makers if they meet the mark.”
Besides Volkswagen vehicles, the VW Group makes and markets automobiles like Audi, Skoda, SEAT, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Bentley.
Last year the Volkswagen Group produced more than five million vehicles for sale in more than 150 countries, making up a global market share of over 12 percent. This also translates into revenues of 87 billion euros.
It sources 60 percent of its vehicle parts from external suppliers for its 44 production plants in 11 European countries as well as seven others in North and South America, Asia and Africa.
The VW Group manages nearly all its procurement volume via the Internet, starting in mid-2000 and this has reduced administrative tasks, accelerated processes, improved planning accuracy and improved transparency in collaboration with suppliers.
VW believes that the quality of its vehicles is considerably influenced by its suppliers. This can be seen by the exponential growth in purchased parts from 15 percent in the 1950s to over 60 percent currently.
Its global motto for quality assurance is simple and effective: zero defects in all parts purchased.
A testimony of VW’s engineering and marketing prowess has been its management of Spanish automaker SEAT, which was once under the control of Italian carmaker Fiat, since the late 1980s, and Skoda, a Czech automaker, from the early 1990s.
SEAT, with a history of 54 years, now produces seven models and two thirds of its production is exported, especially to other European countries.
SkodaAuto, the world’s third oldest carmaker, now supplies 80 percent of its production to 64 export markets and accounts for half of the sales in the Czech Republic.
— BERNAMA
ni berita tahun bila quote ni?
Schroder?
So typical of TM’s, full of flash and nothing else. This is a man who claims “his” Protons are Asia’s answer to BMW. I seriously doubt any of the Waja, Wira, Juara, Tiara, Satria owners out there feel like they are starting up a BMW every morning. Like MAS, this will be another Government-linked entity run to the ground by not-so-smart but egoistical individuals. The so-called VW-Proton merger has come to pass, it’s history. Now they just want factory space to assemble their cars. Proton will never build an engine or transmission they can rightly call their own. Heck, you can’t even trust their power windows to function!!
Definitely Tun M’s choice. Proton is doomed!!
WTF…!!! He is the one who have brought Proton’s fallout and yet he is going to return…? Every single Malaysians remember how their power windows jammed, how their boot turned to aquarium, their door handles broke, etc. Everyone of us remember how an old fart named Tengku Mahaleel claimed the Proton quality during his era was like BMW even though it sounds like “Banyak Masuk Workshop”. Everyone of us had witnessed how many Malaysians ditched Proton and bought Myvis as a revenge for the disastrous quality of Proton at that time. Because of him, Malaysians had lost trust towards Proton. He bought MV Agusta and yet never did anything to make full use of it, not even making kapchai models under the MV Agusta badge.
And then when DSZ took over, it took about 2-3 long years to convince Malaysians back with family-friendly models like Persona, Saga and Exora. He put all his heart to produce those models, hoping that all Malaysians love them. And he even opted to resign if those models fail. And thank God that all his effort has paid very well. But yet the makhluk perosak is going to be back to ruin all of DSZ’s hard work, which is unacceptable and unforgiveable.
PARASIT is back
this time TM will become most powerfull at Proton BOD, I worry if DSZ does not have same inspire with TM he will reject DSZ. TM the wrong people he is not engineer and of course he does the bad things on Proton Quality and Product. DSZ is doing hard things to recover the Malaysian perspective because the negative perspective is started hardly on TM era.
I support if Nadzmi-Syed Zainal or Hassan Merrican (ex-petronas) – Syed Zainal. I’m sure Proton can go further with success Product and positive perspective. The problem is government leader are more interest on politics sustainability rather then rakyat benefits unless rakyat change the government and we will look all the competen people on the right place not just stand on politics.
I support Syed Zainal but Nadzmi?? Hmm.. This is the guy that felt we should fund and borrow billions to fund Dany Bahar’s gravy train. Plus he had no understanding of the Team Lotus historical commercial rights
habis laaaa….jahanaaammmmmm…penyamun sudah mariiiiiiii!!!!!!!!
jahanam la PROTON pas nie….mmg berbakul-bakul org bash…
Dah bertong-tong pun. Cuma tak tahulah ada beza ke tak kat DRB. Ntah2 buat bodoh je…
U all maybe forget that under TM, the quality of proton bcome better. let we flashback why he was kick out from proton.. dont u remember the time he engaged consultant to rate all proton’s vendor under TUG cert quality…. more than half of their vendor not qualified (no chance to improve) which the vendor will be terminated. only few vendor pass the audit.
it went big in the news. then after that, he was kicked out from proton. Well we all knw all proton vendor’s are cronies to BN….u cant touch them… poor TM….
But he only did that at the very last minute before he was being kicked out of Proton, because he kept bragging a lot, saying that Proton’s quality is “like BMW”, which was totally bullshit. So when the board of directors even questioned about that matter, he did that just as a last resort to make the board of directors happy and would never think about sacking him.
U maybe forgotten that because of that TUV “Wah lucky I didn’t book the other car” product, it loses to P2. Also, because of that door-handle-failed-in-showroom Gen2 while under his helm.
u sure? and how did you make this assumption about BN cronies? many of my friends are BN cronies but they don’t even get a small project from proton. talk bs.
u think there are only 10 bn cronies ka? hey friend there are thousands maybe ten of thousand of those cronies…like leeches ready to suck the money out of thhe rakyat pocket…thru the so call gomen projects…
if they have TUV certificate then why still have problems such as power window jammed, door handle broken, ECU failure, and etc…?? that can be seen as TUV beli maa…
Looking from comments, obvious that many don’t understand how things go. TM certainly had his flaws but a few things should be noted. Lets not compare TM and DSZ together. They are both capable leaders but different. Some projects which may have been credited to DSZ time may actually be the fruits of TM during his tenure. I think really, only the new SAGA and new models after that can be really credited to DSZ.
TM is a petrolhead at heart. Things like Perdana V6, Satria GTi, Waja, Satria Neo are all his ideas though there were also odd things like Arena and Juara. He may have built cars which he liked but not necessarily what the market liked. DSZ on the other hand I think is more pragmatic and is a little better at understanding the needs of the market.
Having said that, it cannot be denied that Proton was financially very healthy under TM while it is suffering right now under DSZ. However you can’t really blame this on DSZ though as the CEO he is ultimately accountable.
So lets stop comparing TM and DSZ, they’re quite different.
Of course I have to admit that models like Perdana V6, Satria GTi, Waja, Gen-2, Savvy and Satria Neo are Mahaleel’s ideas. However, those models are more like “syok sendiri” models except Waja and Savvy that are more family-friendly, even though they’re still plagued with flaws.
For example, the Perdana started using V6 engine to make it on par with competitors that have already started using variable valve timing. But then, the maintenance is expensive because there are more moving parts. Waja is plagued with flaws during its early years such as the door handles failures. Same goes for Gen-2, plus no glovebox, lack of rear headroom and late introduction of the CPS engine (only launched during DSZ era). Satria Neo also lacks headroom. In a nutshell, almost all models during the Mahaleel era got flaws. The reason? Model semuanya syok sendiri, not even thinking about the needs of car buyers.
huh. i had a hard time digesting that. Remember the famous gen 2 bunyi ek ok ek ok that sounded worse than a cheap prostitute bed. Remember 15k rm savvy amt gearbox that so prone to breakdown it is better to donate that car as tukuns.
I didn’t like DSZ at first and yes proton designs under his tenure has been a bit timid. But what he brings is a much needed improvement to Proton. techs, CPS, CFE, car quality that getting better and better, improved customer services (heh remember when you need to put a rm500 deposit just to test drive a proton).
No, I don’t hate TM. It is just I rather have a reliable car than having a neary collapsed Alfa wannabe.
CPS supposed got in waja long time ago , only due to some causes , it won’t find its way to waja as early as it’s first gone to production.
what talking you?
but having said that. I believe TM + DSZ is a perfect combination. They’ll compliment each other nicely. :)
with a condition that they can talk and discuss for the benefit of the company and not any individual..
fingers’ crossed!
Are you referring to the ministers-also-dun-want-PerdanaV6 and loss making Satrias?
I’m referring to the RM2-3 Billion CASH RESERVE held by Proton at that time
U mean the billions earned when all other cars are above RM100K?
Before Proton got slaughtered by Myvi? Suuuuuure……
Thats why I said, TM and DSZ will be a good combo.
TM is likely to deal with new VW investors and DSZ to produce the results. DSZ experience in assembly business will also help.
But what will happen to Lotus? Probably, Proton will keep Lotus Engineering and sell Lotus Cars.
On whether Malaysia really needs a national car:
“By itself, a national car is not a need. We could buy cheaper cars by importing them. An automotive industry generates a lot of engineering skills and it can give us a lot of the other businesses.
“Now we can manufacture components and produce a lot of other things. People who look at Proton may think of it as a failure, but we think it has helped Malaysia take many steps in the field of engineering.”
Read more: Selling Lotus a viable option: Mahathir http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20120203092017/Article/index_html#ixzz1lHjzdhdt
Mahathir is right. Now and the future is for Proton to be in the business of manufacturing automotive components of high technology value rather than building a complete cheap (crap) car! And this requires Lotus Engineering inputs.
Quote: “Having said that, it cannot be denied that Proton was financially very healthy under TM while it is suffering right now under DSZ. ”
I think you really need to qualify that statement.
Simply put. How is Proton’s market share then compared to now. I remind that I am not for or against either DSZ or TM. I respect them both. Just reminding the facts.
proton market share starts to diminish during TM’s time. one of the major cause was that he refuses to listen to feedback from the public and motoring journalists. as a result, people started to dump proton for other brands i.e p2 and korean cars. if you look at AAM statistics from 2000 till now, you’ll see that proton’s market share has been increasing after proton started to listen to the public i.e persona, glove box, mpv. it’s not only design and flair, public wants a practical car with usable space that is safe and reliable.
TM will replace Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh. TM will deal with possibly new VW investors.
If DSZ still run Proton with TM, it will be a good combo.
It will be good for Proton to create a sub brand. Proton brand for cars with cheap Malaysian specs and a sub-brand for cars with Europe/Japan specs or rebadged car.
the rise of the fallen…
i think he will probably delay the P3-21a launching, coz he wants to redesign the center console to be swing or pan to the driver side a bit, like he famously did to Waja :)
hehe
TM may had his glories in the past…
but Proton is in dire need of fresh faces and fresh ideas and fresh visions….
To DRB-HICOM, eventhough you might feel that owning back Proton like “sirih pulang ke gagang” to you… please lahh do not continue this “Pi Mai, Pi Mai Tang Tu” stigma (or curse) on Proton leadership anymore…
Petrolhead at heart?
please Lotuslize our Proton…
make sportscar under Proton badge…
please….
how many people need sport car when they have 6 or 7 people in the family?
someone up here mentioned hassan merican.
damn hes a very good administrator. and a successful one as well.
but i welcome mahalel anytime.
this is the man who brought lotus back. and if this deal is done i believe danny bahar can kiss goodbye in courting genii to take lotus
mahalel was the one raided lotus and the results were profound.
we got the fantastic handling beginning with the GTi back in 1998
and waja proved to be the best selling model perhaps after the saga
waja isnt at all bad. yes there are issues here and there but that thing for certain is very sturdy.
which bodes well with mahalel aims’ for waja to be SEA version of BMW. or 3 series. if my memory still intact.
arena was a good business strategy. see where they marketed that thing? australia which is the only marketable place in the world for such vehicle. and long term wise i believe it was there to ready proton for perhaps 4×4 productions like hilux or pajero. LONG TERM.
and then came the savvy and pathetic renault engine. of course it had to have renault engine. the deal was signed off with renault in the first place. but nevermind the direction was there. the full package was nearly done with the acquisition of augusta where it supposed to give proton the technology know how in making small engine. but lan pingu sold it off for a fiver. yea yea yea the board voted that but jesus get real.
i am not someones boot licker but management wise yes mahalel bring good stuffs. of course under him proton spent alot but kia paid peter shreyer a fortune, while the other nearly 20 big auto names were also received if not similar, near to what peter got. and before u all say wang rakyat, kia managed to do that with UNDIVIDED SUPPORT of all korean since the 1970s.
so unless u support proton or buy other makes with no complaint or cannot challenge the fact kia also protectionism act/ helped massively by korean government, i believe u have no right to argue on this sub subject of kia vs proton. dream on dreamers.
so it this a true stuff then welcome back mahalel and keep the good work DSZ.
hes the one who said waja is the asia’s bmw or sting right??
to be fair…when u was ceo proton headed to this direction of incorporating the lotus handling in every car….he comes from a racing blood thats y….so atleast hes done some good
but when the hell do u appoint someone when the company lost its ground under his leadership??
i think we should get some forigner with experience and a totally different perspective and overview…
i hope DMZ remains in p1….hes a very sensible guy….
Mr. Paul Tan, your blog http://paultan.org/ is extremely and consistently difficult to get into from both my servers, Goggle Chrome and Internet Explorer. I presume you are aware of this, if I am not wrong I remember sometime ago you responded to someone whom I assume made a similar comment of this nature
Hope you take priority to rectify/upgrade to your very informative blog
Yes. We’re going to upgrade our server capacity tonight, pending availability of datacenter technicians.
It is good if they remove DSZ, since Proton will collapse faster. Then we will all come back to the good old days prior to Proton and Mahathir.
Any of you can ask anyone who live in the 70’s to early 80’s period, cars were dirt cheap.
Honda Accord or Toyota Camry only cost around 10k. Then came Proton, brainchild of PM of that era. All of sudden car prices jump up, huge jump.
Until now in the UK and some part of Europe, and in the US; CAR IS A MEAN OF TRANSPORTATION, it is a basic human necessity.
So cars like Toyota, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Ford, Chevrolet should be cheap. People buy this to go to work and to do things. These are not luxury so it should be additional tax other than the sales tax.
Just for your information:
Honda Civic in the US 1.8 liters cost less than RM50,000 to RM 72,000.
Honda Civic in Thailand cost RM75,000 to RM 110,000.
Honda Civic in Malaysia cost RM 114,000 to RM 130,000
Ours are damn expensive. Civic for me is a basic car to get you from A to B. If Accord then, it is a bit luxury.
So I really hope DSZ gets sacked, then he moved to somewhere else, maybe overseas company will hire him.
Then I hope Proton will collapse provided, Najib government does not bail this Proton-DRB-Syed Mokhtar-Mahathir corporation.
“Any of you can ask anyone who live in the 70?s to early 80?s period, cars were dirt cheap.”
do you live in that era?
But, how many percent of malaysian can afford a car during that era?
SAY NO TO TM!
to picture it more like Bush and Obama.
Yes, Bush era see flair of fire power and destruction, but the rich economy come from Clinton era and the dooms is to Obama when the office change hand.
same goes to Proton, Proton was rich and better before TM was in the helm and he spend all the money to create a lots of platform for cars that wasn’t even selling well. With all the issues and trouble of having a Proton in the garage.
Which being taken over by DSZ with his quality improvement which has improve since, and now he manage to roll out a few model which received by the public i.e. new Saga as oppose to Savvy, Persona as oppose to Gen2 and Exora as oppose to sub-100k sports car.
Lotus is on its way to improvement, 5 models to roll out to the market which has been eagerly waited. What has Lotus done during TM era? busy making a sub 100k sports car for Proton.
DRB should keep Lotus as a separate entity from Proton to better manage it as a engineering and sports car company.
DRB could spin off a new brand cater purely for Green-Car
DRB could keep Proton to be a cheap and quality car to compete with China brand.
These 3 company could head a new era of Malaysian Automotive.
Forget VW, u could stop dreaming of having a cheap DSG/TSI car.
Think of Suzuki and how they dream being crush by promise given by VW..
Anyway, I could only imagine that notebook that close a deal with the VW.
________________________________________
Lotus for sale at 1 pound to VW
Proton get access to your technology
________________________________________
will close the deal with anyone in the world. but Proton will never achieve anything in the end.
“Macam orang kampung jual tanah, duit habis, ternganga di rumah tak buat apa.”
unless u are living in a cave, probably u never know that satria GTi handling is super crisp compared to protons before that.
and then came waja, solid driving. dynamic.
so those were the small little things they dug out of lotus.
small yes, no contribution? thats wrong.
and take lotus one euro thing u mentioned?
with all due respect, remember i said with all due respect,
that idea ain’t worth a velvet painting of a whale and a dolphin gettin’ it on
I dont understand la wht TM did last time…how it end up so badly …kalau nowadays make sense la…we all come to office and main facebook….zaman dia takder facebook pun….dia buat apa kat opis ??? lukis lukis katun jadi savvy ? pastu buat komik raksasa nak makan savvy ????????????wth?
pastu suruh salesmen jual saga buruk banyak banyak, tukar exhaust besor, letak super ugly wing (remember those day?) just to pay him and the gang??? aiyo, pity those people who bought the wira aeroback with ampaian wing…..can fly meh?
dude I don’t wanna disappoint you but Obama dropped more bombs on more countries today than at any point during Bush’s administration
jgn bagi dia masuk la..tiara, juara, gen2, savvy hasil tgn dia..hancur lagi proton..kalau setakat pasang kereta dgn skru..kedai woksop jinjang pun boleh buat..
Agreed with all statement, but nt sure abt the last statement since DRB owner also claimed by some ppl as the crony… :-) what is the difference then and now?
Ko buat proton hampir2 bankrap, keta proton semua makin mahal dan makin tak berkualiti. Then DSZ datang, buat kereta murah dan naikkan kualiti. Pastu ko nak dtg balik. Konon nak jadi mastermind utk JV dengan VW la. Nak buat apa JV? Nak naikkan harga keta lagi dan nak turunkan kualiti kereta balik?
Ko buat power window mcm sial, pastu DSZ terpaksa buat lifetime warranty utk yakinkn org yg kualiti dah makin baik. Ko makan nangka, DSZ yg dapat getah.
Semua kompeni seluruh dunia mmg eye pd DSZ. Dia nak blah for better salary anytime je. But dia sygkan proton dan komited utk jadikan lebih baik. Ko plak nak jadikan apa? Poket sendiri lagi penuh?
energetic n honest comment..love it….
he created all proton problems, from poor quality products to many dealers close shop..the best he could say about gen 2 quality problems was ‘what can i do’..over spend on model development..proton was wiped clean bcause of him.
Tm caused proton to go bankrupt because their cars didn’t sell well in the gen 2 and savvy era, so, a big NO to tm. Last time i trusted perodua cars only simply because proton cars suck. But that has all changed when they produce the persona. Was so amazed with the interior and ride including the new saga and exora. So if he’s back, I’ll go back to perodua.
TM caused Proton to go bankrupt? Really? are you sure? Was it in the red when he was there? Was it’s market share bigger or less than what it is now?
Are you living under a coconut shell or what? Everyone knows that Proton almost collapsed because of that stupid Mahaleel. Buat model syok sendiri, kualiti macam sial, tak nak dgr feedback journalist dgn pengguna. Pastu salahkan kereta import lak. Kualiti macam sampah tapi berlagak macam BMW. Muka tak tau malu nyer Mahaleel.
Previously before Mahaleel Proton used to be so rich that they built the Tanjung Malim plant by cash. After he left Proton in 2005 what happened? DSZ had to inherit the heavily loss-making carmaker that was in dire need to appeal the customers back.
whats wrong dude! be gentlemen la…syoh2 go away!
This person is just using Proton to fulfill his childhood dream, “to see all Malaysians driving a fast car”.
i think better with the current one la..with all do respect TM, ur issues made DSZ to clean it using the ‘karcher’ vacuum man..if guys now i’m talkin about la..cmon la, with the failure of TIARA, JUARA, y still want TM to re-enter proton? proton now is gettin better from time to time, but i know there is also a slight pblm here n there, but improving bit by bit wat? so let the improving process continues, juz dont let it stop la by making such decision..
TM – Our cars don’t need ABS, Lotus handling would do.
DSZ – This is a teh tarik hook. Its malaysian thing, and being requested by market. We listen to market and here it is.
You judge yourself.
dia mahu kereta race saja…kereta 2 pintu..sport..kereta famili tak mo buat…
sy pernah baca kenyataan tun m – org malaysia ni pelik, nk kete jimat minyak tapi suka suv dan mpv. itu suma kereta kuat minyak ;-) ini dulu punya cerita, tp ayat dia lebih kurang mcm tu lah.
cuma tun m lupa, org Malaysia suka bawak famili jalan2 ramai, jadi nk selesa, kena la beli kete2 yg kuat minyak ni. jadi, satu cabaran pada proton utk buat enjin yang jimat minyalk.
TM please buy back MV Augusta and sell EUR1 to me!
OHH YES YES YES GOOD NEWS
Ha Ha Ha this goon will nail final coffin to Protongkat closer and closer to bankrap close shop soon!
New Tuah P3-18A…Asia’s answer to BMW 3-Series?…again? Ha Ha Ha!
_____________
Proton runs with the tiger after dumping BMW campaign
B & T, 3 May 2002
PROTON Australia has dumped the failed advertising campaign that presented the Waja small sedan as “Asia’s answer to BMW” and appointed a new agency to its business.
Proton’s general manager John Startari confirmed that the company was no longer with agency Brave New World which had handled the “BMW” campaign, and had appointed Sydney company Carillon to handle its advertising following a pitch last month. The agency is the fifth for Proton since it launched in Australia in 1995.
Startari—who is heading up Proton in Australia following MD Anuar Rozhan’s return to Malaysia (Startari was national sales and operations manager until January 1)—said the first advertising in a new marketing strategy for the brand was launching this weekend.
The launch marks the start of a planned increased in marketing activity for Proton with several new vehicle launches planned. Startari said Proton’s budget for the new financial year had been boosted by around 20% to $4m-5m.
The new Waja campaign positions it as “Australia’s best value, safety-packed luxury sedan” and launches with targeted national and suburban newspaper ads focusing on two major new promotions—a four-year interest free period (a first for the Australian car market) and a two-year free petrol offer.
The ads also feature a new tagline, developed by Carillon, that Proton plans to use more heavily in the future: “Run with the tiger and be revered”.
Carillon’s MD Philip Bell said the idea came from Proton’s badge, which features a tiger, and the reverence with which the tiger is held within Malaysian culture.
With the changes coming on the back of “disappointing” sales of the Waja, Startari said the “BMW” advertising was dropped because it had become clear it was not the direction the brand should be heading in Australia.
“It certainly got people talking but we don’t want to be something we are not,” Startari said. “We were going for a market that we are not really chasing.”
VFACTS sales figures for Proton dropped from 2742 cars registered in 2000 to 1705 in 2001.
Startari said the lower sales figures reflected a deliberate move by Proton last year to import fewer vehicles because of economic circumstances including the value of the Australian dollar, which had made some of its vehicles unviable in Australia.
________________
The Malay Mail, Saturday 9 July 2005
The Proton Savvy is the first made-in-Malaysia car to roll off the production line with TUV certification for quality. TUV (a global leader in compliance engineering, testing and quality registration services) not only certified the overall vehicle, but also helped to control the quality of production processes at Proton vendors, and more importantly the components they supplied.
“We have decided to call in the big boys where quality is concerned with Proton’s new generation of vehicles,” said Proton group chief executive officer Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff. “There will be no compromise on quality.”
The Savvy is powered by a 1.2-litre four-cylinder 16-valve multi-valve engine, identical to the one found in the new and highly acclaimed Renault Clio. Proton decided not to use the Campro, the engine fitted to the Gen.2, as it technically would not meet the overall packaging of the Savvy.
The 1.2-litre engine delivers 74bhp and 105Nm or torque at 3,500rpm, and capable sending the car to a maximum speed of 170kmph, outrunning most cars in its class, and from zero to 100kmph in 12.6 seconds.
On the exterior, the Savvy’s styling projects a young, spirited and enegertic car, thanks to the touches from Lotus. The front grille design, while still inspired by the wau (traditional kite) as in the Gen.2, is more futuristic and pronounced.
The interior too adopts Lotus’ minimalist approach that gives practicality a priority, and one practical feature is the flat-folding rear seats for larger boot space.
But those who have tried the car agree that Lotus’ contribution is most prominent when it comes to the Savvy’s ride and handling.
Proton said while the Savvy is hardly the Elise or Esprit from the exterior, a great deal of effort has gone into engineering the fundamental elements that have earned the Lotus marque worldwide admiration. So the Savvy is essentially a small car with outstandingly robust and rigid chassis, and superior ride and handling.
The Savvy is currently available in a five-speed manual transmission only but Proton would introduce the variant with the automated-manual transmission, or essentially a sequential manual gearbox, once its endurance testing with regards to Malaysian weather and driving conditions is completed.
________________
From Oriental Daily mandarin news (Google-translated), 26 June 2011
Kuala Lumpur — Proton announced that the company will stop producing Savvy, which has been in the market for almost 7 years, claiming that the compact car is tarnishing the company’s image due to the extremely poor quality.
Proton’s Managing Director Dato’ Seri Syed Zainal described Proton Waja 1.8L and Savvy 1.2L produced from the collaboration with Renault as a painful lesson.
Launched in Jun 2005, Savvy is to take over the Tiara as Proton’s new compact car model.
Savvy’s quality tarnishing company’s image.
Syed Zainal admits that Proton’s car have quality problems, the decision to retire Savvy is because Savvy’s quality is tarnishing Proton’s image.
Syed Zainal told reporters when attending 2011 GLC Open Day that retiring Savvy does not mean the model is defective, Proton also will not recall all the Savvy that are sold.
Savvy is using the Renault made D4F engine while Waja 1.8L is using F4P engine but owners of the vehicle has been complaining about the problems that had, today a participants inquire Syed Zainal about the complains, hoping that Proton pay attention to the issue.
Customer complains are decreasing
Syed Zainal pointed out that Proton is not a flawless company but the complains they received for the past 5 years has been decreasing.
He stated that when some Malaysians criticize the quality of Proton cars, it is all based on their own personal impression and rumors, some of them never even drive a Proton before.
He mentioned that Proton cannot be blamed for the problems with Proton cars because all the parts are supplied by suppliers.
“Please do not put the blame on Proton, Proton makes 700 cars per day, that’s 1 car every 98 seconds, we do not have the time to check on Proton parts.”
Earlier, Syed Zainal Abidin in his speech mentioned that Proton will emphasise on “Cheap selling price with cheap maintenance parts” principle to prevent having problems with expensive parts for cheap cars.
He stated that proton has been planning to move the company’s market to foreign country. The target is to increase Proton’s foreign market share to 72% by 2016. Currently foreign and local market are equal.
“UAE, India, China and Middle Eastern country is our targeted foreign market.”
Syed Zainal stated that Proton is facing a shortage of qualified personnels instead of planning and funding when moving to foreign market
your high hope may drive you nuts…
During TM tenure the only car we can think of is Waja. What the heck???
WHY WHY WHY? proton is better under Dsz.
Quote: “Automobile assembly means you just need screw drivers, you don’t need die and mould and engine factory. If the government only needs the automobile assemblers, we can then grab a Mitsubishi car, fix it with a Proton emblem and say: ‘Nah, this a Proton car’,” he was quoted as saying.
It is always nice to say something catchy and simple for the media. You’ll make the front page. Media also happy.
But to trivialize something complex like automotive assembly, which involves quality control, efficient inventory management, wastage control, on-time supply management, smooth operation, customer satisfaction, after-sales service, staff training, attitude improvement, honesty, integrity, financial control, brand management, … I can go on and go on… coming from a very top management guy…. I don’t know.
If if it’s for me… I like to work under somebody who’s more intelligent and dilligent than me. But that;s me…
R.I.P Proton…….
May you rest in peace
more like REST IN PAIN…
Tengku Mahaleel is somehow a version of Tony Fernandez we have in the industry. He is very good in speeches and of course have his own vision in motoring industry. He had his hand in the days when proton tried very hard to disassociate itself from Mitsu. We have to understand how hard it is to built a building foundation. Building foundation could cost nearly half the cost of a building itself, and so it does to such complex, technological and competitive organisation like Proton.
DSZ on the other hand get Proton when the foundation has been laid down by TM. He further propelled Proton to what it is now..getting praises from most of you here..
So both of them have their merits on developing proton. As someone mentioned before, they have to move around with all the boards and advisors and the people looking at them and not to forget those hidden hands…the cronies etc. You know how hard to do business in the country where politics and the people are not matured enough in doing things..just look at comments in Paul Tan would have given us some clues..
I believe TM and DSZ can do wonders to proton. TM has the vision and ideas, DSZ has the corporate managerial excellence..and combining both, we’ll see a better future for Proton…
Paul, you’ve been watching Proton for a long time, both under TM and DSZ. How do you feel this move will affect Proton?
The (second) beginning of the end for Proton.
If TM comeback as a chairman, the role will be different. he has no executive authority to dictate day-to-day operation. that decision still remain at CEO level which is DSZ.
chairman is more towards getting engage with gov, partner and bringing more investment.
since proton is no longer own by khazanah (gov), the way it will be managed might be totally different. there is no such thing as national obligation anymore, their focus is profit. So, lets hope for the best.
Let us celebrate his return with singing this song lah
Video: P.Ramlee Nujum Pak Belalang – Kamilah Penyamun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqMrfIJ4NJI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4jZcKWvOTU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VocGv88Yy
Hoi! Kamilah penyamun didalam negeri
Kami penyamun didalam ini negeri
Kerja merompak? mencilok dan mencuri, tidak memilih makinan
Kerbau sapi, asal yang molek, kubawa lari, kami penyamun, penyamun, lalalalala…lalalalala…lalalalala…la..la..
Hoi! Kamilah penyamun didalam negeri, kami penyamun cukup berilmu kebal, asal mencuri terkenal paling handal, ayam dan itik semua kami bedal…
Siapa melawan kutunjal-tunjal, kami penyamun, penyamun…
just plan to get Inspira, now i have to decide again.. shhh..
please don’t bring this arrogant person back to proton…remember his answer to a journalist question about the poor headroom of the gen 2..”U want more headroom U buy the waja”….DSZ answer to the same question is the Persona.
I’m afraid he will take Proton to the niche market again…and Proton will no longer be the Rakyat car. A niche market car with very poor quality,
Come on DRB-HICOM please don’t do this stupid thing…say NO to TM.. I agree we Udasalleh, we should set up a FB page to say NO to TM coming back to Proton….
As far as I know all thecquality issues happened under him
I have huge respect for Tengku Mahaleel for overseeing Proton’s transformation from assembler to bona fide manufacturer. Lest we forget, it was during TM’s time that Proton acquired the capacity/capability to design their own products. Even the Persona was actually approved for production during TM’s time. With TM at the helm, Proton can start making exciting cars again. His cars all seem to have performance in their DNA, although quality seems to be suspect during his time.
That said, there’s no denying that Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal is responsible for improving Proton’s quality and regaining the customers’ trust. The BLM and Exora may be staid and underwhelming, but they do their job reliably and they do fit what Malaysians really want.
Perhaps TM as Executive Chairman and DSZ as Managing Director could be one way of doing it. That way, TM can influence Proton to start making exciting cars again, but this time, DSZ will ensure that they build them properly.
exactly! let’s pray this will happen.
Who wants exciting cars where people struggling to meet monthly expenses? Cars not everything. A safe, reliable and economical cars is what people looking for.
yes maybe the approval was during TM era, but i dont think that the quality will be like today if TM still on his position now.
Totally agree. Unfortunately cannot blame the public for not seeing the whole picture. But credit is due where credit is due.
proton still goyang man,,,,,who needs a car with great handling etc…we have to grow gradually…Toyota in the 70’s and 80’s is just a reliable car for everyone…now they had a luxury arm called Lexus,,,,
great handling contributes to safety, safety must come first then reliability, etc
if you die in an accident with your ‘reliable’ car also no use
not having great handling doesn’t mean poor handling…
ohhh…..noooo….hell nooo!!..
i wan dsz stay!
aiyo…bro..he will be the new chaiman la..not MD..wake up u guys..do learn english
yaaa… TM will be a new chairman… but he can kick out the current MD, DSZ anytime and samun all the profits and brings the PROTON to the end for the 2nd time…
Many Proton prospect will forgo Proton if this mediocre guy return
How to expect em Proton engineers know how to fix their cars if they keep on re badging other ppls car. Make sense?
Chairman of Proton = DSZ = Exora BOLD= CFE Engine= Well done :)
oh crap..
Say NO!!! to TM.
Please like the “Kami mahu Dato’ Seri Syed Zainal kekal sebagai MD Proton” facebook.
We love proton as the korean love their hyundai and KIA.
Really a disaster news for our consumers, this idiot doesn’t about a car quality, is only care about how to shining his boss shoes, really a shock news for us, proton will no hope again.
haha let’s think the positive way, if this bxxtard comes back, and proton really fails hard to the bottom… in the end it will go bankrupt… and proton shall not exist in the market… and wha-laa… everyone’s dream of proton closing down will be achieved!!! *clap clap clap*
waja ….. Asia answer to BMW ?
You see people …. Things obviously won’t change even if there is a change in ownership
THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE BUSINESS is still very much the SAME BUNCH OF UMNO CRONIES, just maybe from a different team …..
Unless there is some NEW BLOOD or RADICAL TAKEOVER …. Proton will ALWAYS BE WHAT IT IS TODAY
MARK MY WORDS.
What we need is a person who listen and change. Not a person who have dream of his own be realistic listen to market demand.
Welgoback proton.
Let’s c he takes how long time to make proton into bankrupcy again.
Does this guy listen to us. I don’t think so. What we need is a person who is listen and change. Without a good foundation how you gonna have a big dream.
People tend to blame Tengku Mahaleel for the poor quality of Proton cars made before the era of current management. But what most people dont really know is the improvement in Proton quality began during his tenureship. Proton during his time were burdened with vendors that produced poor quality materials. It was not that easy for Proton to simply kick out vendors because of two things a) Proton was obliged to support thousand of local vendors as per government order and b) many of these unfit vendors were politically connected.
So what did he do? He initiated vendor auditing process through external German consultant TUV to certified qualified vendors. But what had happened was, the uncertified vendors used political power to force Proton to continue doing business with them.
Tengku Mahaleel was very blunt with his vision to move Proton forward. He even acquired the heavily debted MV Agusta for the purpose of owning its engine. This engine was supposed to be used in small Proton cars like Savvy. This move however made him at odd with Khazanah management back then. The present Khazanah management is more flexible compared to the previous one (they approved Lotus turnaround plan which is more expensive than the purchase price of MV Agusta).
I personally think, DRB-HICOM will retain the current Proton MD and only replace the chairman. A combination of both the current MD and Tengku Mahaleel should be good for the future of Proton. Besides, it seems VW have certain amount of respect towards him which maybe the reason why DRB-HICOM is planning to bring him back.
Who knows maybe one day we will see Satria Neo with VW 1.4 TSI
The king has come back to claim his crown..Also, who the F are u guys to judge u middle man working class citizen who barely knows wats going on in a company yet about wat goes on in top level management..bashing from afar is great but yet none of u all are even qualified to judge..
Even a 5 year old can judge how shitty a Proton car is compared to other brands, even a Perodua.
luckily i have not save enough money for my persona. i will go to myvi then.
TM naik…anak dia si Djan lagi naik tocanglah…hancuss..
Another ignoramus writing. Obviously you don’t even know the son. If you did you wouldn’t say such things. Instead you would have praise him for doing Malaysia proud and paving the way for the sport he is in and becoming a role model for our youth.
I know Djan…I worked with him before….do you know how on earth he was selected by TM to be the GM of Lotus Engineering Asia Pacific? He got paid in Pound Sterling …big money…GM for some body who doesn’t even have an engineering degree…so ignoramus…please….just because he is a great drifter does not mean he should be a GM…with the return of his dad…i don’t know what to say….memang TM treats proton like his family business…Djan is a solid proof
Mahaleel and Djan Ley are two totally different person even though they are father and son. Djan Ley has made Malaysians proud by winning drift races. And he put out all his experience in motorsports to the R3 subsidiary, and the result is the award-winning Satria Neo R3.
On the other hand, during his tenure Mahaleel bragged a lot about Proton by even saying that Proton’s quality is like BMW even though in reality banyak masuk workshop. He didn’t even care about the quality of the cars and never make recalls when there was something wrong even though there were many complaints regarding failing parts. Dah la tu, design kereta pun design syok sendiri. Buat Gen-2 takde glovebox. Konon nak sporty sangat sampai rear headroom takde. The ergonomics also fail; the position of the power window buttons menyakitkan tangan nak bukak tingkap. In addition, that man named Mahaleel also produced crappy models like the fugly Juara. Because of all the shit that he had done, it took long years for DSZ to undo all the shit done by Mahaleel and reclaim the Malaysians’ confidence back.
exora bold cfe is among on top of mpv if we count from torque/kg ratio
that’s what we want
good job DSZ
what the…??? DRB HICOM u r such a nut!!! DSZ is a wise leader for proton…. RIP Proton!
ohw oh ohw my..DRB..oh Proton..
If this is true.. a big “how come” and “WHY?” from me..
It makes me remember my Gen2.. and my uncle’s Savvy..
DRB should be wiser..
After one big circle, now back to same old story. Looks like they are bringing back retired old blood again. And never believed in hiring some good calibre guys to helm the company and work out a business plan to bring Proton to greater heights.
Same old tune, Proton still need govt protection as long as it takes, hiring those same old people because of political conection and producing crappy cars. Don’t they ever learn !!!
kita semua sayang pada proton, so pelase jangan bawa balik ini orang ke dalam proton..please..
malaysia ke arah kuasa besar dunia!
i hate this guy, proton will suffer under him waja = BMW i still remember his famous quote really tahi lembu!
Anybody remember the Savvy ads where that got thrown around by a monster and still came out in one piece? I thought those era were gone. And now this Mahaleel guy is back in the picture, god knows what other weird things that he is going to introduce to Proton.
Hey, from what I can think off is a better use and a bigger role of of Proton Motorsports, heck a COMEBACK to R3 brand! Maybe they can really make good use of the three BIG WORDS of R3:-
RACE to be a global player
RALLY to be worldly recognized locally and globally
RESEARCH to make good quality cars
all this while i tot R3 means
Race . Rosak . Repair
Darth Vader: NOOOOO!!!!!!!
….apala penyamun anak haram ni yg masuk balik proton…org drb dah nyanyuk aper…bodoh!!bangang!!…oo lps ni senang la org gomen nk masuk balik proton…suplly brg…TM kasi sain itu document…operator psg…pas tu buat kereta kotak jual kat org malaysia….TM msk proton gua jual V6…pakai perodua lagi bagus….proton akan tggl nama lagi 5 tahun…korang tgkla nanti
if he takes over the leadership of proton, better we boycott proton cars again like last time. all the windows problems will come back, all bad quality, stupid models all will come again. then perodua will introduce one more car like myvi in 2005, and beats proton like shit
Removing all deadwood like DSZ & DNadzmi was a good decision but
then here comes a numbskulls!!
DRB, you can do better. Don’t be like MAS employing a person with zero aviation
knowledge. Hope that DRB would consider an automotive man with vast experience
rather than this TM who will get P1 nowhere. and instead backwards.
You dare to say DSZ dead wood?!!!.. It is because of him that Proton has turns for the better.
watch your mouth brother…pls dont insult DSZ credibility!!!!
Oh no! The ‘the Dark Years’ are back again! Quality will go down, power window will have problems again, and he will build cars nobody wants like Savvy, Juara and Gen 2. Cronies will be given priority to built expensive and poor quality components. Those who dared to say ‘no’ or have a different opinion from him will be ‘cold storaged’ or kicked out.
My condolences to all Proton staff!
dark age kedua bagi proton. oh tidak, kami sudah puas dengan pakej ‘beli proton percuma QC problem’. say no to tengku mahalel.
The guy who think it’s wise to launch, Gen2, Savvy and Satria Neo, all hatchbacks in a sedan-hungry market!! Good choice, at least we can see the death of Proton much faster.
PROTON MUDAH LUPA.
TM should concentrate on his grandchildren instead of Proton or better active in rally sport.
DRB really destroy whatever positive achievement made by MD DSSZA. The failure of DRB’s Tiara, minimalist Gen2 (remember a car without useful dashboard), Japs cosmetic Juara (I’m not against platform sharing or “Inspira” business model because this is reality of car business model but why on earth TM took this ugly van?), two decade Saga of 1983 Lancer, Satria Neo (look at windscreen- too slanted and reduced the practicality only good for rally maybe), any used Camry or Accord anytime better than brand new Perdana V6)..
DSSZA use his head based on leftover of TM’s legacy or stupidity; TM use his heart over anything.
He better running any other DRB’s subsidiary. Bring new Chairman or borrow Carlos Ghosn from Nissan.
i like the gen2 overall exterior styling, now u see more and more new european cars heading the same way, but it lacks practical cup holders and the key hole for the trunk. How to open the trunk to load your things at the back of the car? Bodo sungguh.
Stupid proton management!!! don’t you ever dare to replace DSZ!!!!!!!!
Proton : Dare to Fail (again)
Maybe Tengku is the Italian blood which Proton needs, look at Savvy, after almost a decade it still look fresh and unique. They should make a special/premium edition Savvy with technical help from VW to compete with the Mini.
That crappy car can’t even compete with sampan myvi and now want to compete with mini? Stupidity, the sky the limit
I’ll take savvy over viva anytime.. he did say use VW’s help on technical aspects to compete with Mini which is not possible for VW.. savvy might borrow vw’s 1.2 tsi to replace the old aging renault engine + gearbox, and with power to weight ratio, that is not possible to be on par with Mini in terms of performance. Come on laa, jangan cepat sangat kata orang bodoh. haih..
Viva sales exceed Savvy’s anytime. Are you saying you are smarter than most Malaysian?.
You think VW doens’t have the capability to compete with Mini if they want to? and got to rely on Savvy?
Ok lah, maybe Mini was a bit too much but hey, how about the Swift and Jazz/Fit? When Tengku was with Proton, I guess he did not have sufficient technical resources to make nice models and as a result some of them were half-baked products. Now that Proton is to be restructured and is looking earnest in collaborating with VW, I think the future of Proton looks more secure and interesting, and we need people like Tengku to put back some swagger into Proton when the time is ripe.
WTF?? savvy still looks refresh?? unik tapi hodoh buat apa?? funny…..
BTW, i had problem to differentiate savvy headlight and taillight…LOL ugly…
Are you sure the Savvy looks ugly?…hm…I really thought that car looks nice and unique, maybe with a little body kit, just a little. Funny how different people can have totally different aesthetic values, just the other day my friend told me and swear to God that the interior of the new Jaguar XJ looks ugly, how is that even possible.
I still love my Savvy and driving it everyday, jimat minyak giler ……..!
Perhaps monitor for a while and hold all yours horses to buy Proton cars. If it is good then go ahead if back to the past era….good also we can straight opt for P2 if cannot afford others makes.
which one: return of the jedi or revenge of the sith or rise of the fallen or …?
=)) kakakaka
This is Malaysia. Decision on who should be the Chairman of a company is not based on meritocracy or track record, but based on political connection. Also, only Malays are qualified, not non-Malay Malaysian, and also not foreigners. That’s why local companies continue to be local companies instead of global companies. And decisions are made by someone else outside the company (top down direction from political masters). The leaders of the company just execute or do nothing, yet they make tons of money.
Malaysian government is unlike Korean where they initially helped Kia and Hyundai until they can be on their own. In Malaysia now, it’s so easy to get CKD status, even though what the ‘local assembler’ does is just change the headlight, tyres, and emblem. The vehicles came fully assembled. We should get Auditor General’s team go and audit ‘local assembler’ whether they are really qualified to be called CKD. To me, Proton is a true car company of Malaysia, unlike Perodua, Naza, Inokom, which are all just assemblers. But both our government and Malaysians love to see Proton dies. It’s so different from Koreans who support their own car companies, and now Kia and Hyundai are trully global companies.
As long as Proton is run to feed businesses to politically-link suppliers, they will go nowhere, just like MAS. And now Mahleel is back – Proton will go back to what it used to be. I really respect DSZ and I really hope he will not be a victim of all these politically-motivated people movements.
this, is the man who almost destroyed Proton. the one who mixed Patco and Denso parts in the Waja’s air conditioning system. the one who made power windows problems became worse. GTFO of Proton.
DSZ FTW.
OMG now Proton go back to the Wira & Saga era :( , Nadzmi done a big step forward for proton why it was replaced, althrough VW may happy with Mahaleel, but Nadzmi really bring the improvrment to proton and it gain back the confidence of nation to proton, just llok at the Nadzmi era the Proton variant car get more positive and resonable new model and proton non stop making new technology and inmprovemt to the car, rememebr back the previous era when those stupid proton car like Arena, Juara, Tiara and Savvy is fail …..it event make wira design turn to so many facelif and call it new model for proton (old satria, Arena, Putra…and some wira limosin, and the Wira SE appear in the market soo long with no new replacement ). During Nadzmi he get in the Lotos RH technology and further make a big improvrmrnt of Satra neo the now proud to standin in the world, Persona, Exora, new Saga and some coming model are up to the latest technology. And he event let the poor Campro Kosong to be CPS and IAFM, and lateset CFE , he bring in the CVT gear box and so on, Nadzmi is the really man that can bring in new technology to Proton. and he found a R3 team for R&D that lead by Djan, that make lot of contribution for Proton. Nadzmi is the real man than he accepted the complaint and listen to public voice, a good example of the lift time warraty for power window campaing. It was just because the investment to Lotus that bring no big cash to Proton and replace the Chairman, it was a childish decision.
Berilah peluang ke org lain pulok> balik2 bg ke kroni jer
Isn’t TM the one who screwed up the value of used cars with the introduction of Saga at RM26K++?
That’s a reasonable price, as thats how much a proton worth. Are you a second hand car sales man?
Is this the same wanker that had TUV certification for his Savvy creation and yet the shitty car cant sell.
Is this the same wanker that had TUV certification for his Savvy creation and yet the shitty car cant sell.
The only people that benefited from his era was his badminton kaki’s.
Mari kita lihat siapa yang kena………….semua kena tipu. Penyamun juga yang kaya.
proton should hire jose mourinho instead!!
Sblm TM kluar pd thn 2005,prstasi P1 ok.aliran tunai ada 4billion,guna duit ni buat kilang kat tg.malim 1.7 billion.dia kena pecat sbb tmbulkan isu AP.pastu mv agusta kena jual 1 euro sj.dlm tmpoh ni la Q P1 mrosot.sbb yg jg P1 takde passion ttg keta.bila DSZ msuk,nmpk ada pngkatan.kena bagi kredit jg pd TM.
Wonderful! Someone who is aware of the facts. Unfortunately the public can only see the quality issues but cannot acknowledge/observe/recall that he actually initiated improvements and quality audit with the vendors which did not win him much favours with the suppliers. Quality was so bad that the steps he introduced brought improvements but it was not enough to reach acceptable standards. The Satria GTi however was an improvement in all areas. By the time DSZ took over the hardest effort had already been done.
It is equally hard to maintain that hard effort. Credit where credit is due. But pompom aside, TM + DSZ combo does have a very positive vibe. Reminded me of Apple’s Jobs+Cook.
this tm promise the world in all his products but all fails to deliver…I was really interested jn the gen 2…but when i saw it in the show room i was really disappointed with the quality of the plastic…looks like baldi type plastic….head room at the back is also poor…and to make things worst was his arrogannt amswer to all the issue that were brought out…as if he is the only one is right…just because u are a rally driver doesn’t mean u have to rally tuned all the car u produce. u are building a car for the rakyat…that is what proton suppose to be when it was launched …
i just thinking to buy Exora Bold…once heard the news, my “hajat sudah terbantut”, adakah dengan mnggantikan Syed Zainal dengan Mahaleel Proton akan terus mantap…I don’t think so. Hope Syed Zainal can stay.
Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir ambil masa bertahun2 baiki image Proton and suddenly this guy back as a chairman? i pity you proton. welcome back TM, undo all the great works of DSZ.
remember Tiara, Juara, Arena, Gen 2, Savvy, remember Tengku Mahaleel. Dark age of proton is here again. well done. congratulations.
Cari la orang lain yg tak der kaitan ngan Proton utk buat perubahan sebagai Chairman. Kalau setakat nk rebadge model kereta lain, tak perlu la ada Proton ni. Bring new and fresh blood to spearhead Proton. Not the same old guy. Skang da tahun 2012 wahai DRB Hicom.
rest in PIECES Proton.
Sorry Tg Djan , i hate the way your father handling Proton during his dark dayz
Bye bye Proton. This is the final chapter. Man who started the revolution of low quality Proton cars starting from Wira right until Gen2. DSZ took many years to “undo” these quality issues and now it is back to him. The old suppliers sure happy !!!
This guy maybe will re-produce the Proton Wira, & face lifting it for another 10 years, coz this is just he is best for when he was the boss last time…bad news for the automobile lover in Malaysia,huhhhh…
lingkup proton kalau bg orang tua ni jd chairman….
so the NAP will goes on another 25 years to give this new management time to improve Protong again?
Another come back of a useless person in Proton’s Mgmt. What crap has he done over the 9 years that made him think he’s capable for another few years with Proton. For as long as the national car maker hires all these stupid people and cronies, for as long as that we get stupid cars being made. It’s close to 3 decades and the government is still protecting Proton. MALAYSIA BOLEH!
But brace for some bad news too. Proton is soon to become batch engineering company. A new AP king. Naza will be furious.
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20120204010228/Article/index_html
Based on the news, looks like Proton will be doing contract manufacturing. Actually not bad an idea and plants could be fully utilized.
As for suppliers, I’m not too sure if the could meet the quality and demands of VW. All the while being cronies and business is through connection so wonder if they are up to international standards. Or perhaps they will run to the 2 TMs crying for help.
Then the 2 TMs will tell VW that they must be willing to compromise on the quality of parts cos our suppliers are still in the growing stage and they need many years more to improve so please bear with it.
In the end, VW will tell the 2 TMs go play far far. And everything will be back to square one. DRB will then realised its not viable to keep Proton and will be up for sale. Guess who will buy? Khazanah will buy back at inflated price. And all cronies will be laughing all the way to the bank.
And it’s weird how they highlighted Lukman Ibrahim, DRB’s the head accountant and (rumored) soon to be Proton CEO in the “Proton-VW” Business Times piece. A PR exercise perhaps – amid the recent head scratching of his suitability to lead an engineering company.
Bean counter? Hmmmmm…
wonder what paul and his team thinks of this news…also other motor journos…especially those veterans ..those who are familiar with proton pre and post tm…
DISASTERRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DISASTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Limited edition or TM Special Edition of Proton Savvy and Juara is sure to roll out soon.
Long live TM and Savvy!!!!
He is the guy with the MV Augusta fiasco last time. So what next? IMO P1 gonna ruin if he’s in charge!!
Before commenting on Tengku Mahaleel ‘s comeback as CHAIRMAN, you should know the differences between the roles of a chairman and CEO in a public listed company.
If Tengku Mahaleel is appointed as a non-executive Chairman, his duties are typically limited to matters directly related to the board, such as:
– Chairing the meetings of the board.
– Organizing and coordinating the board’s activities, such as by setting its annual agenda.
– Reviewing and evaluating the performance of the CEO and the other board members.
If Tengku Mahaleel is appointed as an executive Chairman, the executive chairman also serves as an executive of the company, usually the chief executive officer (CEO), lthough it can exist as a separate position.
Companies with both an executive chairman and a CEO include Ford, HSBC, Google, HP.
Dato’ Sri’ Mohd Nadzmi Bin Mohd Salleh was appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of PROTON on 1 January 2009.
In Proton, the roles and responsibilities of the Non-Executive Chairman and the Managing Director are clearly defined. The Chairman ensures the integrity and effectiveness of the Board as a whole. He conducts Board meetings and ensures that meetings proceed in an orderly manner.
http://www.protontr.com/product/Corporate/About-Proton/Corporate-Information/Statement-BOD.html
to make proton competitive dont ever gets this company involved into umno bn cronies or its will die forever
Hadoiiii… tolonglah.. TOLONGLAHHHH!!! tolonglah jgn bagi si tua ni handle proton. di bawah DSZ, proton dah berjaya gain back a confident from rakyat. cuci semua taik2 yg dia tinggalkan dulu. then again, DRB try bring back this *&^%%$#@@ as a Chairman…?? Tidaaaakkkk!!! kalau dia x sebulu dgn DSZ, senang2 je dia boleh kick DSZ dai kerusi MD.
I DON LIKE HIM !
HOW MANY YEARS HE GOT A HOLD OF PROTON AND WHAT IMPROVEMENT THAT HE MAKE? COMPARED TO DSZ?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! WE ALL DO NOT WANT HIM ! HE IS A POLITICIAN AND NOT LIKE DSZ, HE IS AN ENTHUSIAST !
Back to square one ppl ! The old guards are back for more…the rakyat will again be screwed by them more average car with sky high prices for years to come !
People are talking and talking, hoping and still hoping that Proton could make it big and be a global player. If this news is true then I believe Malaysia is still stuck with its political power and interest; Proton should be independent and deciding its own direction..
Mahaleel knows the business inside out and at the tip of his tongue. He’s a car man and good marketer.Even Nestle has him on their board – and they are not one to suffer fools. The Proton system was a hierarchy with all kind of vested interests involved under which Mahaleel tried to operate
Dont talk so much
Director of Automotive DRB HICOM will be the MD for Proton
Dato’ Nik Hamdan Nik Hassan
just wait n see!!!
CHINA IS SHIT
guys, guys.
just let TM bring proton down and later close shop. without national car anymore, there will be no protection anymore.
imagine new vios/city as cheap as 40K, altis at 60K.. camry at 80K. minimum taxes and duties.
bringing in TM will be good for us.
Still got P2 and Naza
Tengku Mahaleel gave Tengku Djan Ley, who say Proton isn’t sucessful, look at R3 exposure now, it’s making headlines even at the land of the rising sun, Satria new Cusco and so on…..
Tengku Mahaleel has always left his touch at Proton, a go getter attitude, brash and bold CEO once. Nobody likes it, but who cares, if that’s what it takes to turn the company around. He’s trying to bulid the Proton brand globally, those Gen-2, Neo and Savvy are the next get Proton cars meant to go global. and with the aid of Lotus brand image and technology, I think we can see what the intention was..
Maybe if he was given a little bit more time, we can see the results.
Lets all say NO TO T- MAHALEEL, He know nuts about cars. Proton under him was consider dark times where quality issues were high. This is the guy who brought Waja, Gen 2, Savy and Juara which we all consider total Failure. Lets keep DSZ and head hunt CEO from outside.Malaysia has a lot of talented Engineers/people. DSZ has worked very hard to regain Malaysian confident on Proton. He is doing a very good job. I think if Proton doesnt retain him DSZ will have no problem in getting a job with other Car manufacturer likes GM or Honda or even Ford. There is a lot of Malaysian working in the US with Ford. I dont understand or government & Najib. He keeps saying we are loosing Talent or brain drain but the actual fact is he & his government is chasing out Talented Malaysian like T.S Merican who join Singapore & US company because Merican did not want to give contract to ROSMAh Cyrony……..
Common Proton is on the RIGHT track under DSZ & a tie up with VW is a way forward…………MItsu give us Inspira which is a lausy and problematic car. Mitsu had problems with quality so when it was assemble by Proton QC became worst. ………..Ini tie up with mitsu Mayb Nadzmi punya idea lah……
You may not know that DSZ burried Proton Singapore for good. With only 75 cars sold in Singapore in 2011, Proton has to outsource its the service centre. If DSZ stays, that goes for UK and Australia export market or in the end no more export market.
When Proton Exora first launched in Singapore, Proton brought only a few units – 6 and those are manual. Singaporeans preferred automatic.
We have not heard about Proton’s treatment of Lotus. It may be worst as Dany Bahar has been working hard to find new owners.
Do you think DSZ run Proton like a proper car company?
Guess what. Under DSZ Proton runs like a proper car.
I would rather have TM running Proton than having some big shot from DRB who know nuts about car engineering taking the seat. Apart from that I still say TM+SZ, at least on paper, is a perfect double.
adoi, say NO to this guy, proton will be doomed. seriously.
hancur!
I may not know all the facts during mahaleel’s era. But what ever in the past can’t be undone. So, to whomever knows or can talk to mahaleels (or he himself reading this), I still have some hope left. And I believe that deep in the heart, we all want the best for Proton.
Given the background, I believe that you have passion for car, and that’s good. DSZ also has proven his worth in turning around Proton’s bad image of failure power windows, etc. And that is also good.
What will be GREAT is that, if you both can work TOGETHER for the benefit not only to the company, but also to the rakyat, as that is the main purpose of having Proton in the first place.
cheers~
I thought this is the dude that came up with the tagine “ASIA’S ANSWER TO BMW!”??? There was a billborad somewhere bearing this line and it made Proton a laughing stock internationally. WTF??? This dude single-handedly made Proton a SAMPAH product and after all the hardwork to revive Proton’s ailing image by Datuk Syed Zainal, they turn back to him? Besides, Proton is not a state-owned company anymore? I think it is high time the Malaysian government remove all protection for Proton. or the Malaysian government still insists on Malaysians driving SAMPAH cars!
Headache…..what protection do you want us to remove…..there is no more protection to proton……if you want cheaper Japanese car why not you ask them to lower down their car price. Why still keep dreaming.
Well, let’s start by removing the exorbitant import tax for foreign cars. Oh! Also tax for foreign parts. Someone once said that Proton receives government grant every year for R&D. that must also stop. Oh! One more thing, stop claiming that it is our national car. It is not state-owned so technically it is not our national car. If you say it is our national car, perhaps if I want to start a car company, the government should endorse my biz by virtue I am a Malaysian. Ada paham ka?
Import tax already “zero”, we cannot put “negative” which mean we need to pay the money to them.
Wow! Staying true to your name as a gomen man… lots of tax are imposed on foreign cars. Why not insist the government reveal ALL the taxes imposed on foreign cars. I doubt foreign car makers will charge Malaysians more just for kicks. Ever wonder why car prices are cheaper in other countries than in Malaysia? Two reasons. 1… Educated people. 2… Open competition! Let’s ask the government how much money was given to Proton for whatever purposes. Even audit their finances during DRB-Hicom’s first stint as Proton owner. It is a stupid thing to support Proton now since it is owned by a public man. Wanna call it a Malaysian car? Let’s ask the government to endorse any Malaysian who manufactures cars. Ada berani?
hey..if u say Japs car are expensive coz of Proton, why did the Japs hybried car wih NO TAX still can;t sell as they sell in Japan as what u always wanted to?
this means only 1 thing…Malaysian has been cheated by Japs / their seller in Malaysia….
face the fact…..
Don’t compare only for hybrid cars. Remove ALL taxes that is not applied to Proton and see for yourself. How come developed nations can sell their cars way cheaper than Malaysia? Certain developing countries also sell their cars way cheaper than ours. How ironic people in Dubai pay less for a proton than Malaysians have to pay. Face the fact? You should do something called “google”. Don’t just blame the Japanese. The Italians take pride of Ferrari but can you say their government saying it is Italian national car? If a country start endorsing their local car companies, ALL local car companies should be endorsed by their respective states. that is what we call “precedent”. Unbelievable after 20 years of cooperation with Mitsubishi, all Proton had to show was a rebadge of Mitsubishi Lancer. What happened to all the government investment? Still the Japanese fault? Hyundai had co-operation with Japanese auto makers but they succeed. Proton can only “suck seed”!!!
only one thing that TM should do… expend Proton business in India and China…proton need that big market,,, not another series of syok sendiri punya design….
Its funny how malaysians love / hate JDM cars. Square boxy Juara is condemned. This was a rebadge case and never a proton design. Make the box bigger, u see it all over the road, at higher prices but recond from Japan does not matter. Alphard, elgrand, etc. as long as not proton badge and a Japanese car. What say u ? Btw all those are vans . Just small or big. Basic or luxury van. Pay more get more.
as long political influence in running business, there is no where….
i see lots people hate me much rather than those like me.. Ohhh… Its hurt me u know… Considering to reject the offer, mybe i’m going german for vw chairman post…. See uols malaysian…
In my opinion having worked under all of these people mentioned (DNMS, TTSM, DSSZ), I would say that TTSM is at the apex of the the other two – A man with vision, courage and wisdom. During his tenure, the vision of Proton was articulated clearly – Making Malaysia as Engineering and Manufacturing Hub for the Region’s Automotive Industry (these included 4-wheelers, 2-wheelers, on-land and on-sea).ence, the focus on Design, Engineering, Tooling and Machineries. Since 1996, Proton’s R&D, Manufacturing Engineering and Tooling had been on a clearly-defined paths to ensure that all the necessary elements of technology, know-how, expertise and resources were developed and enhanced to ensure the required ability and capacity to sustain the Malaysian Automotive Industry would be there when market liberalization happens – WTO etc.
The Savvy, Gen-2 and Satria-Neo were developed according to these vision and objectives. Certainly, the Vendor/Supplier Community should also be in tandem with Proton’s developmental paths. Yes, there were shortfalls but most importantly these shortfalls were resolved with haste. Continuing with these were the New Saga Proton MPV Programmes. It must be noted that these were all New Vehicle developed from scratch by Malaysian Engineers and the investment not only in terms of financial but also in terms of technology and know-how were immense. There is no short-cut to developing and enhancing expertise and knowledge.
Of course, in the pursuit of excellence, Proton could not venture by itself. Thus, Lotus and MV Agusta was the key towards enhancing the design and engineering technology, know-how and more importantly wisdom acquired over decades of design, development and validation of the various aspects of the value-chain of Automotive Manufacturing. Lotus and MV Agusta were ventures not only for state-of-the-art technology and engineering, but also in aesthetic design as well as opportunity for business diversification. It was unfortunate that Khazanah could not view the longer-term opportunity and possibility (today, MV Agusta is again at the forefront i.e. the most desirable motorcycle and already generating value).
MMC whilst had been instrumental during the early years of Proton’s growth, had by then become an impediment and constraint., particularly when Proton decided to develop the CamPro Engine (CamPro vs. MMC Engine realized > 30% costs savings). At that juncture, MMC was also in dire straits with lackluster products (not suitable for collaborative ventures) whilst at the same time, continue to increase costs (and more so because of the Yen escalation) as well as pressures from its partner Daimler-Benz. Proton had no option but to find other alternative partners such as Citroen and Renault.
Above all, TTSM had always believed that Malaysian Engineers can do as well if not better that others. Today, we can see proliferation of Germans and Indians in Proton who individually had not been involved in any Product Development in their career. Neither are they involved in any Green Site Development.
Therefore, all in all, TTSM could be the person that could steer Proton to a direction more attuned to current Global requirements.
Many of us, more often than not, are swayed by hear-says and perceptions.
DKD,
Well written.
When emotions, hearsay and rumours get to the thick head brain – you may not be able to separate shits and facts.
TM is a good ( great ) salesman. You are a sales person in everywhere that you go. You represent the company.
The problems with some quarters is that they are NO GOOD sales person. When they failed, they blame others.
Let the engineers do their job. Let the QC expert do their QC stuff . Let the tailor do your coats. If you start mixing a square peg in a round hole you get screwed!
How I wish that this is TRUE that TM will head Proton. Plenty of cleaning up to do for FAT pay cheques GMs, SM, etc who works like a clerk!
Sad. Very sad.
TM caused proton last time when he was the CEO, and with proton busy rebuilding itself from the mess that was left by TM, now TM is going to deliver a 2nd fatal blow to Proton, making sure Proton will never recover from hell again.
He may have great visions, but he has zero idea in implementing them. He had made so many stupid comments in the past that have driven many potential proton buyers away, the effects are so severe that even after so many years, perodua is still ahead of proton in term of sales.
If DRB-hicom really want to take this superego moron back, then VW must be merged with proton (so that VW will be in charge of the manufacturing issues), otherwise proton is a gone case.
TM has no clue in the latest development in a modern car industry. He has zero idea in making cars that a customer want. It is a big no no for his return to proton!!
naseb baik aku pakai MYVI skg..
how much raykat $$$ need to be waste??
Future proton will not be offered any airbags as this moronic TM believes that proton cars are so strong & safe that airbags are redundant. stupid idi*t.
Continued:
Let us review the performance of Proton over the various Management Periods and let the data speak for themselves:
1. Iwabuchi’s and Hattori’s Management from 1986 to 1989
2. Dato’ Nadzmi’s (DNMS) Management from 1990 to 1991
3. Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel’s (TTSM) Management from 1992 to 2005
4. Dato’ Azlan’s and Dato’ Seri Syed Zainal’s Management from 2006 to 2011
We shall examine and evaluate the performance of Proton all through these periods. It must be noted that during the periods of 1986-1989 to 1990-1991 and parts of the period of 1992-2005, the products emanated from Proton were mainly products derived from MMC or those modified from the derivations. Only from the period of 1996 onwards were the products derived indigenously albeit with collaborative initiatives with Lotus, LG-CNS/VENS and EDAG. We shall also note that the Malaysian Automotive Policy had changed over the years and that during the period of 1992 to 2005, the so-called “preferential treatment” accorded to Proton was no longer applicable. Proton was treated like any other Malaysian Automobile Assembler. The irony was that Proton has to invest heavily to realize its own products utilizing its own engineers, resources and expertise. There were no short cuts. This period had underpinned the Malaysian Automotive progress and had served as the platform for future initiatives. Sadly, the number of engineers (Manufacturing Engineering for Tools and Dies including Process as well Design and Development Engineers) had continued to dwindle since then. From a high of 200 Manufacturing Engineers and 250 Design and Development Engineers in 2005, they had dwindled down to less than 300 engineers in total. Hence, the level of know-how and expertise built over more than a decade from 1992, could not be sustained nor improved upon. Since then too, the Management seemed reluctant to empower its engineers and technicians. Instead, Proton had imported so-called experts from German, India and such like. Do they make much difference since then?
Lets look at the performance of Proton: Key – (Financial Year); [Volume x Thousands]; {Profit x Million} viz:
Wan Nik, Iwabuchi and Hattori ? (85)[7.5]{NA}; (86)[24.1]{NA}; (87)[24.8]{NA}; (88)[42.3]{-80.0}; (89)[53.1]{30.0};
Dato’ Nadzmi ? (90)[75.6]{150.0}; (91)[97.4]{261.5}
Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel ? (92)[93.7]{407.9}; (93)[110.5]{311.2}; (94)[129.7]{282.0}; (95)[160.7]{307.9}; (96)[190.6]{454.6}; (97)[218.7]{1,029.0}; (98)[111.6){724.6}; (99)[182.9]{98.9}; (00)[192.0]{141.0}; (01)[223.0]{378.0}; (02)[227.0]{1,511.0}; (03)[169.9]{1,352.0}; (04)[175.9]{556.7}; (05)[174.5]{399.9}
Dato’ Azlan, Dato’ Nadzmi’ Dato’ Seri Zainal ? (06)[123.0]{18.0}; (07)[124.0]{-618.0}; (08)[144.3]{193.7} less R&D Grant of 193.7 = {-49.4}; (09)[160.0]{-319.9} less R&D Grant of 80.6 = {-399.9}; (10)[177.0]{260.7} less R&D Grant of 143,7 = {117.0}; (11)[179.0]{214.4} less R&D Grant of 297.7 = {=83.3}
Clearly, these illustrated that the period of 1992 to 2005 were the most productive period in Proton’s history, whatever perceptions most people have! It should be also noted that the most challenging periods were during 1987 – 1998; 1997 – 1998 and 2007 -2008 during economic crisis etc. However, the P&L for the periods of 1997 – 1998 as compared to 2007 – 2008 were completely different. Also, there were R&D Grants accorded to Proton in the period of 2007 – 2008.
Continued:
Let us review the performance of Proton over the various Management Periods and let the data speak for themselves:
1. Iwabuchi’s and Hattori’s Management from 1986 to 1989
2. Dato’ Nadzmi’s (DNMS) Management from 1990 to 1991
3. Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel’s (TTSM) Management from 1992 to 2005
4. Dato’ Azlan’s and Dato’ Seri Syed Zainal’s Management from 2006 to 2011
We shall examine and evaluate the performance of Proton all through these periods. It must be noted that during the periods of 1986-1989 to 1990-1991 and parts of the period of 1992-2005, the products emanated from Proton were mainly products derived from MMC or those modified from the derivations. Only from the period of 1996 onwards were the products derived indigenously albeit with collaborative initiatives with Lotus, LG-CNS/VENS and EDAG. We shall also note that the Malaysian Automotive Policy had changed over the years and that during the period of 1992 to 2005, the so-called “preferential treatment” accorded to Proton was no longer applicable. Proton was treated like any other Malaysian Automobile Assembler. The irony was that Proton has to invest heavily to realize its own products utilizing its own engineers, resources and expertise. There were no short cuts. This period had underpinned the Malaysian Automotive progress and had served as the platform for future initiatives. Sadly, the number of engineers (Manufacturing Engineering for Tools and Dies including Process as well Design and Development Engineers) had continued to dwindle since then. From a high of 200 Manufacturing Engineers and 250 Design and Development Engineers in 2005, they had dwindled down to less than 300 engineers in total. Hence, the level of know-how and expertise built over more than a decade from 1992, could not be sustained nor improved upon. Since then too, the Management seemed reluctant to empower its engineers and technicians. Instead, Proton had imported so-called experts from German, India and such like. Do they make much difference since then?
Lets look at the performance of Proton: Key – (Financial Year); [Volume x Thousands]; {Profit x Million} viz:
Wan Nik, Iwabuchi and Hattori ? (85)[7.5]{NA}; (86)[24.1]{NA}; (87)[24.8]{NA}; (88)[42.3]{-80.0}; (89)[53.1]{30.0};
Dato’ Nadzmi ? (90)[75.6]{150.0}; (91)[97.4]{261.5}
Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel ? (92)[93.7]{407.9}; (93)[110.5]{311.2}; (94)[129.7]{282.0}; (95)[160.7]{307.9}; (96)[190.6]{454.6}; (97)[218.7]{1,029.0}; (98)[111.6){724.6}; (99)[182.9]{98.9}; (00)[192.0]{141.0}; (01)[223.0]{378.0}; (02)[227.0]{1,511.0}; (03)[169.9]{1,352.0}; (04)[175.9]{556.7}; (05)[174.5]{399.9}
Dato’ Azlan, Dato’ Nadzmi’ Dato’ Seri Zainal ? (06)[123.0]{18.0}; (07)[124.0]{-618.0}; (08)[144.3]{193.7} less R&D Grant of 193.7 = {-49.4}; (09)[160.0]{-319.9} less R&D Grant of 80.6 = {-399.9}; (10)[177.0]{260.7} less R&D Grant of 143,7 = {117.0}; (11)[179.0]{214.4} less R&D Grant of 297.7 = {=83.3}
Clearly, these illustrated that the period of 1992 to 2005 were the most productive period in Proton’s history, whatever perceptions most people have! It should be also noted that the most challenging periods were during 1987 – 1998; 1997 – 1998 and 2007 -2008 during economic crisis etc. However, the P&L for the periods of 1997 – 1998 as compared to 2007 – 2008 were completely different. Also, there were R&D Grants accorded to Proton in the period of 2007 – 2008.
good for P1..welcome back TM..
“Proton is a business. Not a non-profit organization.”
Bringing “old mistake” to correct “previous and new mistakes”.
Armageddon is near.
Continued:
Let us review the performance of Proton over the various Management Periods and let the data speak for themselves:
1. Iwabuchi’s and Hattori’s Management from 1986 to 1989
2. Dato’ Nadzmi’s (DNMS) Management from 1990 to 1991
3. Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel’s (TTSM) Management from 1992 to 2005
4. Dato’ Azlan’s and Dato’ Seri Syed Zainal’s Management from 2006 to 2011
We shall examine and evaluate the performance of Proton all through these periods. It must be noted that during the periods of 1986-1989 to 1990-1991 and parts of the period of 1992-2005, the products emanated from Proton were mainly products derived from MMC or those modified from the derivations. Only from the period of 1996 onwards were the products derived indigenously albeit with collaborative initiatives with Lotus, LG-CNS/VENS and EDAG. We shall also note that the Malaysian Automotive Policy had changed over the years and that during the period of 1992 to 2005, the so-called “preferential treatment” accorded to Proton was no longer applicable. Proton was treated like any other Malaysian Automobile Assembler. The irony was that Proton has to invest heavily to realize its own products utilizing its own engineers, resources and expertise. There were no short cuts. This period had underpinned the Malaysian Automotive progress and had served as the platform for future initiatives. Sadly, the number of engineers (Manufacturing Engineering for Tools and Dies including Process as well Design and Development Engineers) had continued to dwindle since then. From a high of 200 Manufacturing Engineers and 250 Design and Development Engineers in 2005, they had dwindled down to less than 300 engineers in total. Hence, the level of know-how and expertise built over more than a decade from 1992, could not be sustained nor improved upon. Since then too, the Management seemed reluctant to empower its engineers and technicians. Instead, Proton had imported so-called experts from German, India and such like. Do they make much difference since then?
Lets look at the performance of Proton: Key – (Financial Year); [Volume x Thousands]; {Profit x Million} viz:
Wan Nik, Iwabuchi and Hattori ? (85)[7.5]{NA}; (86)[24.1]{NA}; (87)[24.8]{NA}; (88)[42.3]{-80.0}; (89)[53.1]{30.0};
Dato’ Nadzmi ? (90)[75.6]{150.0}; (91)[97.4]{261.5}
Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel ? (92)[93.7]{407.9}; (93)[110.5]{311.2}; (94)[129.7]{282.0}; (95)[160.7]{307.9}; (96)[190.6]{454.6}; (97)[218.7]{1,029.0}; (98)[111.6){724.6}; (99)[182.9]{98.9}; (00)[192.0]{141.0}; (01)[223.0]{378.0}; (02)[227.0]{1,511.0}; (03)[169.9]{1,352.0}; (04)[175.9]{556.7}; (05)[174.5]{399.9}
Dato’ Azlan, Dato’ Nadzmi’ Dato’ Seri Zainal ? (06)[123.0]{18.0}; (07)[124.0]{-618.0}; (08)[144.3]{193.7} less R&D Grant of 193.7 = {-49.4}; (09)[160.0]{-319.9} less R&D Grant of 80.6 = {-399.9}; (10)[177.0]{260.7} less R&D Grant of 143,7 = {117.0}; (11)[179.0]{214.4} less R&D Grant of 297.7 = {=83.3}
Clearly, these illustrated that the period of 1992 to 2005 were the most productive period in Proton’s history, whatever perceptions most people have! It should be also noted that the most challenging periods were during 1987 – 1998; 1997 – 1998 and 2007 -2008 during economic crisis etc. However, the P&L for the periods of 1997 – 1998 as compared to 2007 – 2008 were completely different. Also, there were R&D Grants accorded to Proton in the period of 2007 – 2008.
Kot ye pun… kenapa kena post banyak kali. Naik kompius pulak teman nak membacanya. Bawak nyabor yeee.
AMENDMENTS
1. Dato’ Wan Nik’s, Iwabuchi’s and Hattori’s Management from 1986 to 1991
2. Dato’ Nadzmi’s (DNMS) Management from 1992 to 1995
3. Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel’s (TTSM) Management from 1996 to 2005
4. Dato’ Azlan’s and Dato’ Seri Syed Zainal’s Management from 2006 to 2011
The performance of Proton: Key – (Financial Year); [Volume x Thousands]; {Profit x Million} viz:
Wan Nik, Iwabuchi and Hattori ? (85)[7.5]{NA}; (86)[24.1]{NA}; (87)[24.8]{NA}; (88)[42.3]{-80.0}; (89)[53.1]{30.0}; (90)[75.6]{150.0}; (91)[97.4]{261.5}
Dato’ Nadzmi ? 92)[93.7]{407.9}; (93)[110.5]{311.2}; (94)[129.7]{282.0}; (95)[160.7]{307.9};
Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel ? ( (96)[190.6]{454.6}; (97)[218.7]{1,029.0}; (98)[111.6){724.6}; (99)[182.9]{98.9}; (00)[192.0]{141.0}; (01)[223.0]{378.0}; (02)[227.0]{1,511.0}; (03)[169.9]{1,352.0}; (04)[175.9]{556.7}; (05)[174.5]{399.9}
Dato’ Azlan, Dato’ Nadzmi’ Dato’ Seri Zainal ? (06)[123.0]{18.0}; (07)[124.0]{-618.0}; (08)[144.3]{193.7} less R&D Grant of 193.7 = {-49.4}; (09)[160.0]{-319.9} less R&D Grant of 80.6 = {-399.9}; (10)[177.0]{260.7} less R&D Grant of 143,7 = {117.0}; (11)[179.0]{214.4} less R&D Grant of 297.7 = {=83.3}
Hmmmm, Proton will always have a link with the govt maybe not so directly.
Proton had an exciting outing with EV vehicles but failed to capitalise on it.
More like a lost cat roaming the streets.
This is reality, time to wake up and totally change the Proton leadership culture n style.
Under TM Proton persisted with the Iswara and Wira & V6 with so many idiotic facelifts. He launched Gen2, Savvy, Satria Neo, all hatchback lemons with poor sales. DSZ launced BLM, Persona, Exora, Inspira with better quality. DSZ knows his business, TM does not..
There are so many good guys out there. Why revisit this horror again?
Why we need such a loser to lead proton after we knew that this rubbish had made proton image tarnished?
The Dark Knight Returns. Looks like old man Tun Mamak grasp his hands on Proton again. Mahaleel was the jerk who nearly destroyed Proton. Always talk lansi only. There was an article here on how he brush aside local critics but when mat salleh comment the same on the Gen-2, he is like “yes! Yes! I agreed!”. I own both a Savvy and an Inspira. My Savvy is ok (i am smart enough not to buy the AMT version) and i love my Inspira. What’s wrong with rebadging? This guy still dreaming to make his own rocket engine…at what cost??? Our market simply too small to invest in such R&D…end result…we were stuck with CAMPRO engine for donkey years…because we simply can’t afford to R&D another engine.
As HP, LENOVO and DELL has shown. You don’t need to make CPUs to sell computers.
Looks like the Inspira will be my last Proton for now…unless this guy is removed from Proton. Arrogant SOB.
me prefer DSZ than TM