Yes, it has been 25 years already and the brainchild of our former prime minister, Tun Mahathir, Proton is still going stronger than ever with a quest to be a global automotive player. 25 years ago this June, Proton rolled out the Saga (its a seed) and this model managed to stay in production for almost 23 years and only 2 years ago did it get a full model replacement. Its 2nd generation is a testament of Protons ability to play this tough game where many established brands have since closed down or been bought up by bigger auto giants. A case in point is the British auto industry which today is either lost in Chinese, Indian and even Malaysian translation. Rover is now owned by a Chinese company. Land Rover and Jaguar once the pride of the British motoring industry has Indian owners, Rolls Royce have fallen to the Germans and Lotus is owned by Proton. It looks like only the kit car manufacturers have survived in Britain.
Meanwhile Proton has a long lineup of events, road shows, drives and dinners to celebrate their 25 years in the automotive trade and it starts today with the unveiling of the anniversary LOGO which was done in house by a Proton staffer pictured here winning RM5,000 for her effort. There are still some 600 plus Proton staff working at the company from the original payroll from 25 years ago. It shows they believe in Proton.
