Proton Holdings has invested a total of over RM18 billion in R&D (research and development) since its establishment in 1983, according to the firm’s chief technical officer, Abdul Rashid Musa. In relation, the nation’s first car manufacturer has also managed to curb monetary outflow beyond the country by as much as RM200 billion via the sales of more than four million vehicles.
The company has also “contributed RM20 billion in taxes to the government through the sales and service tax,” Rashid told members of the media at the preview of its Alami Proton carnival last week. During the preview, Rashid also went on to state notable highlights of the company’s achievement throughout the years, including the debut of its first in-house designed car, the Proton Waja, in 2000.
Additionally, the briefing session also highlighted the fact that Malaysia remains one of only 14 countries in the world with the capabilities and resources to engineer, develop and assemble its local vehicles. Also, Malaysia is one of only six countries in the world to possess Hot Press Forming (HPF) technology.
The manufacturer also had to undergo several challenges throughout its existence with the liberalisation of the nation’s economy as well as having to comply with ever-tightening safety and emissions regulations. Despite said obstacles, Rashid remained adamant that Proton products were “undeniably” good cars.
He used the local taxi fleet, which is comprised mainly of Proton cars, as an example of its reliability. “The mileage of taxis is five to ten times more compared to ordinary usage and if the vehicle is not good, it won’t be able to withstand gruelling day-to-day use,” said Rashid.
Separately, Proton chairman, Tun Mahathir, recently declared that all future Proton models will adhere to the Euro 5 emissions standard. “We have not reached Euro 5 (standards) yet. Not that we cannot, but the costs involved are high. That’s the problem. People still think that Proton cars are low tech and cheap. Now, that’s no longer true,” he stated during the Alami Proton carnival over the weekend.
GALLERY: 2016 Proton Perdana previewed at Alami Proton 2015
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In b4 its not Proton money its my taxpayer money (although I only born in 1993)….
Cannot solve the power window problem, just give lifetime warranty lah.
RM18bil invested, how much flow into cronies pocket, it is a worth-asking question.
Last time I heard Proton managed to researched that round shape is the best for wheels, well done!
Proton is just a drain to the economy. Their workers are lazy to the core. All of them cannot work cause all the time they are thinking about kahwin empat, Malam Jumaat and mintak pertolongan kerajaan.
Free time also, they want to lepak and makan at kenduri
Proton invested RM18 billion but we lost nearly
a trillion ringgit to jobs and investment lost to thailand
Who cares trillion ringgits to job and foreign investment? No one!
They only care of their own and the cronies pocket. If the figure get too big, call it a donation lar.
Proton also cost us hundreds of billions in ringgit in investments from car companies who moved to Thailand and Indonesia. Car companies got fed up with Malaysia’s MITI for protecting Proton and telling other companies what to price their cars. They got sick and tired of the AP system and how genuine brands cannot get enough APs to import their cars in (like Mercedes, BMW and Honda).
They thought that if they set up their brands and plants in Malaysia, they knew they had to give 30% of their hard earned company free away as well as being told by MITI what to price their cars. They all moved their operations to Thailand making it the AutoCity of the world.
Recently GM announced that they rolled out already 1 million cars from Thailand. Imagine if GM was in Malaysia and we taxed GM RM10,000 per car. Calculate that with 1 million cars. Just from GM alone, we lost Billions in USD. Imagine what will the amount be from other car companies if they had set up in Malaysia?
Because of Proton, we lost hundreds of billion of ringgit in investment and trillions of ringgit from jobs lost. If Malaysia was the autocity of Asia, hundreds of thousands of jobs would have been created for Malaysians. We lost all that. Trillions of Ringgit and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Now, Thailand is benefiting from this trillions lost.
Car companies are flocking to invest hundreds of billions in Thailand despite Thailand being an unstable government, unstable economy and full of bomb blastings and terror.
Proton is just not a focussed company. Proton and Hyundai started about the same time. Hyundai maybe started about 8 years earlier. just see where both companies are.
Hyundai is a global player. They sell about 7 million cars per year globally. They are No 4 in world rankings for car sales. Toyota is No 1.
Proton, which stated about the same time, with MITI 100% protecting them and forcing 30 million rakyat to buy their cars, all Government departments strictly told to buy only Proton every year, PDRM also strictly told to buy Proton every year, Bomba, Telekom Malaysia and all GLC also told to buy Proton every year and yet, it can go into financial difficulty and about to be bankrupt.
Every year also Spanco buys berpuluh puluh ribu or hundreds of thousands Protons to lease to the government.
How can Hyundai and Proton be so different. Both started about the same time. But Korean Government never force GLC and Government department to buy Korean cars and yet, they can do so well Globally.
Something is wrong with Proton. It needs to be shut down. Proton has the same problem. Given so much of help and BOTH also now sucking the Government big time.
A more attractive question would be how much rakyat’s money has been wasted to save this ailing company?
“Proton invested over RM18 billion in R&D since 1983”
Self praise is not a praise.
Look at how many jobs, vendors, markets, opportunities lost to Thailand Detroit of Asia. Probably more than RM200 billion in those donkey years.
DrM miss a sentence of people says… “Low tech and cheap” “BUT still sell at expensive price” !!!
This statement nowadays applied more towards most (if not all) local jamban UMW ToYoTaik.
Itu Punch CVT bagik out dulu…Please laa wei use Jatco CVT like Honda or Aisin 6 Speed…
coming soon,, maybe on next gen preve or saga/persona replacement
incoming,,, expected to be use in next gen preve or next year saga/persona replacement…
Aisin FTW! just kill the crappy CVT.
He forgot to mention some of it are taxpayers money
If the 18 billions investment in R&D is true… Then Proton has failed big time. We are nowhere near international status compared to the kimchis
yeah failed big time… Compared to the kimchis, Huyndai already invest over USD 200 billions in R&D… They are everywhere in the world… Over 4 millions unit sold every year, total asset USD 132 Billions..
businessweek.com
Protons have given 20 Billions in Taxes. That is 2 Bil more than the RnD cost. Haters gonna hate but proton is our country pride. We should support it all the way regardless of how bad the quality is. Just like how we need to support the ruling coalition in this desperate time of needs.
Rakyat every year supports in total car taxes RM17 Billion. RM9 billion in excise duties alone.
Still not enough suffering and bullying the rakyat?
Wasted RM18bil.
Still paid the taxes 20 Billoins
What? RM18 billion of investment and still can’t design your own car? Develop your own engine? Can’t sell overseas? Can’t compete with the Koreans or Chinese? Still need subsidies?
Still remains one of only 14 countries in the world with the capabilities and resources to engineer, develop and assemble its local vehicles. Also, Malaysia is one of only six countries in the world to possess Hot Press Forming (HPF)…
All these big numbers….true or not…no one really knows. But imagine how big the numbers would have been if proton didnt exist and Malaysia became a regional hub and player for manufacturing car! If 200billion was saved on monetary outflow, I reckon 2 trillion would have been monetary inflow if we were a detroit of ASEAN.
I don’t think DRB-Hicom could ride on what had been invested prior to them taking over the management of Proton .. how much has DRB-Hicom spent on Proton’s RnD?? The CTO shouldn’t bullshit that much .. stay to facts please ..
Some of that money goes into paying online trolls
To all Malaysians please take note. ..Proton need another 18 billion in coming 30 years!. Dr.M no point finger rakyat over & over again.
Do look thru all the problems & trouble Proton created to rakyat. Majority says “NO”
& please close down 4 sake of the majority
That’s why MITI better don’t give that 3 billion asked by Proton.
No, Proton need another 180 billion in coming 30 years! So proton will be worldwide, produce/sell 10 mil units every year
Most of the RM18 billion to buy other car’s design….. not R&D.
Why the funds for R&D when only produce copied/cloned cars?