We got thinking, which is something we very rarely do, and the subject of Proton suddenly materialised out of thin air. And that got us asking the simple question. Whatever happened to Proton in the UK.

Malaysian manufacturer Proton entered the UK market in the mid-1990s. They were essentially previous generation Mitsubishis. And they were simple, reliable and long-lasting and most of all cheap. If truth be told they were not that great and felt low rent even for the 1990s. Sales slowed, for various reasons, and they pulled out of the UK market in 2014. In between that period they owned Lotus Cars. The Malaysian company and Lotus were effectively bought out by Volvo owners, Geely, in 2017. Proton relies on their domestic market for a majority of its sales. During the 1990s the company exported to 70 countries. Today company’s sales territory is limited to the far east, including Australia, and some middle eastern countries. and Chile for some reason. The company manufactures around 500,000 units per year. That’s a small automotive company by today’s standards. Autobuzz.my takes a look at the 2016 Saga Premium. Inspiring looking car, inspiring name.  

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