Proton Car Reviews

Proton Car Reviews

Proton Overview

Brief History

Proton was founded in 1983 by Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The first Proton was manufactured in 1985, the Proton Saga. Mitsubishi was the sole supplier of parts initially for Proton but eventually facilities were developed that allowed the company to produce their own parts.

In 1993, Proton began the production of the Proton Wira, a model based on the Mitsubishi Lancer which was successful selling more than 220,000 Units between 1996 and 1998. Early 2001 then saw the launch of the first model made internally by Proton known as the Impian in the UK and have continued to make models since, despite a significant drop in market share.

Proton has often had difficulties and its sales in the UK are by no means a redeeming feature. Sales have been slowly declining in the UK with 2752 sales in 2002 dropping to 1518 in 2008.

They did experience some success in 2011 however when their range of cars were place as the fifth least likely to suffer mechanical breakdown.

Model Range

Current Proton models are the Proton Gen-2, the Proton Impian, the Proton Satria Neo and the Proton Savvy.

Proton Impian

The Proton Impian is the first passenger car designed completely by Proton. The Impian is a four-door saloon. The Impian was first introduced in 2000 with production continuing to date. The Impian received a mediocre 3 stars in the Euro NCAP safety test.

Proton Savvy

The Proton Savvy is a small family car which comes in five-door hatchback form and replaced the Proton Tiara. The Savvy was first produced in 2005 and continues to the present.

Proton Gen-2

The Proton Gen-2 is a compact five-door hatchback that was first released in 2004. The Gen-2 replaced the Proton Wira and was co-designed by Lotus. Production of the Gen-2 continues to date.
Proton Satria Neo.

The Satria Neo is a small family car that has been produced as a 3-door hatchback for two generations. It was originally introduced in 1995.