Happy 40th birthday, Proton Saga! As we wish our first national car many happy returns (Mattel’s Hot Wheels certainly has), Proton has penned a little tribute to the plucky hero in the form of a press release with some interesting info.
The Saga is Proton’s longest-running and best-selling nameplate, with over two million units sold worldwide since its 1985 birth. More recently, the Saga closed 2024 as Malaysia’s fourth best-selling car (69,863 units) and as of May this year, 25,790 units have been sold.
Proton claims that the Saga’s production quality is now on par with its closest competitor – the Perodua Bezza, obviously – based on its own internal Global Consumer Product Audit (GCPA) score. This is said to have been significantly improved over time, most recently dropping from 2,580 points in August 2024 to 1,050 points in May 2025.
A lower GCPA score means fewer production line issues, hence taken as having better quality overall. Given that it’s an internal measure however – more so one that’s designed specifically by Geely for its own products – it’s unclear how Proton rates the Bezza’s equivalent GCPA score.
Citing a recent market insight, Proton says 64% of Saga buyers are first-time car owners, 18% are additional car buyers and the remaining 17% are replacement car buyers. Of the 57,674 samples taken for this survey late last year, about 59% of the buyers are male, while 41% are female. Furthermore, 48% are married with children and 41% are single.
“With its strong national appeal, practical features, and a growing list of satisfied owners, the Saga is more than just a car. As we celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, this enduring icon remains a symbol of the nation’s progress, mobility, and everyday achievement, still driving Malaysia forward, one family and first-time owner at a time.
“The journey continues, and with a new model on the horizon, the Saga is set to redefine its legacy for generations to come,” said Proton vehicle program executive Desmond John Pinto.
Orion, Magma, Megavalve, Aeroback, Iswara, LMST, BLM, FL, FLX and right up to the incumbent VVT – we’ve truly grown up with the Proton Saga. Which one is your favourite?
AD: Drive the Proton model of your dreams. Submit your details and Proton PJ will get in touch with you.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
I contribution 1 unit sales at 1998, proton saga iswara aeroback, my first car.
SAGA is the longest-Malaysian
breed Proton, others just Geely
Saga, much like Proton, has evolved a lot from its humble beginning as a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer to its own self created car, and today easily adaptable to new engines, new gearboxes, and new ADAS features for the masses.
And much like Proton, it is a name well loved by patriotic rakyats.
Saga started as a rebadged. then anew life from proton design team that lead to two serious facelift and upgrade. firstly with CVT transmission, then VVT Campro and then back to 4 speed auto…
A lot of changes to keep up with demand. I understand why and i find it wise to adopt newer engine from Geely related company to capitalise on mass qty and development cost. No shame. Proton should focus on what it is good at.. making enjoyable to drive entry level car… incorporate drivetrain as it is available is no shame but wise.. keep on
Because of this car,Rakyat have to pay 90k for a Vios,which should sell for less than 55K.
What to celebrate ? Rakyat paying sky high car taxes just to protect P1 and P2.
Just because a smart chap wants a national car..rakyat should by right be driving a City or Vios at less than 60K.
Well said…if there is no P1/2…we would have better cars and much better affordable choices.
Another icon from 80s, Tina Turner; “Its simply the best!”
40 tahun kasi barang low spec. Jual UK high spec. 40 tahun isap darah.
Umur 40 tahun masih minum susu botol, pakai pampers.
blah, shyt article, u think every 1 really likes this model huh? same price with other brands, i doubt it can sell more than 20k units
I was fascinated with the 1st gen proton saga’s rear bumper design. i’ve seen when a rear collision happens, the design of the rear Proton Saga’s bumper will cause the car to go up and sits on the other car’s front hood.
Only 2+million cars?
Perodua had sold over 5mil units, according we search.
And is it not because of Proton that all other cars are much more expensive?
Something to celebrate about
Thar figure is saga alone, doesnt include wira waja and gen2/persona.
Question is whether the Proton Saga works have been the “success” it is based on its merits alone? Or is it all due to its protected status in Malaysia through Tariffs and Taxes on non-Proton cars? Please be real!
I’m reminded of the first proton saga. A British friend and I were in KL during the mid-1980s when a Proton Saga demonstration car happened to draw up near us. Remember, this was almost a few months to a year before actual production began, and the PR exercise was just to get Malaysians excited about the first Malaysian-built car. Being fresh mechanical engineer graduates, we took the opportunity to have a critical look at the car and pumped Proton representatives for more details. One thing that caught our eye was that the front and rear bumpers were made of steel, unlike rubber or plastic which was already the standard on most cars then. When we asked the representative why it was still in steel, they told us that they wanted to source the parts locally as much as possible and at that time, there were no local manufacturers who could manufacture Proton bumpers in rubber or plastic. They could only do it in steel. My friend and I were of the opinion that Mitsubishi had really palmed off a decade old car to the Malaysian government to be built and rebadged as Proton. To be frank, we said that the only way they could sell such cars was to make all other cars more expensive and Proton cheap. Sell them cheap and pile them high. Which turned out to be the case.
Unfortunately, Malaysia was too hyped up on the Proton as a locally manufactured car. They should have actually followed the Thai model in setting up Malaysia as a vehicle manufacturing hub which Thailand is now, the Detroit of the East. Thailand was wise enough to allow vehicle manufacturers to come in, set up their plants, and then use them to manufacture and sell vehicles to the ASEAN and later ANZAC market. Thailand is ASEAN’s vehicle hub, providing jobs to many and local sub-contractors which have grown in expertise and volume to provide parts to these vehicle manufacturers. Malaysia was then poised to be able to do that, but for political reasons, we ended up with Proton, which survived due to tariffs but finally ended up being sold to the Chinese.
May the saga continues.. I contributed 2 units .. happy
Can proton make a special limited edition to commemorate this? Perhaps using some of popular old Saga colours like the one shown here, if not mistaken called Gerimis Grey. Others maybe Kasturi Green and Delima Maroon, only for top end megavalve models.
Scrap all bc bruk above 20yrs laa. Too many junkies otr