Hmm… I never expected to write another entry regarding Proton, after this piece written in October last year. But recent developments have encouraged me enough to again, give my two cents regarding “Malaysia’s National Car Company”.
First off, how does this affect Malaysians in general? Unless you’ve been spending the last few years meditating alone in a cave, you’d have definitely noticed that Proton have made some really weird business decisions of late. Here’s a recap:
- Selling off Agusta SpA for €1: A company which has world recognisable brands such as Cagiva and MV Agusta.
- Introducing the Proton Chancellor, for which for the rest of the world is very much just an overpriced souped up Waja. Lots of interesting comments under this entry by Paul Tan.
- Attempting to label the butt-ugly Proton Savvy as “My first Lotus”, and (unsuprisingly) getting this response by the Brits.
I find it extremely unbelievable that a company with so much protection from the government can mess up so much. However, this is very much in line with my belief that governments should stay clear of owning/running businesses. The political mind is one of the worst ways of running a business… there’s almost always a “hidden agenda”.
Related posts: Proton-Volkswagen Partnership: no go! by Paul Tan and Proton Shares Slump by MageP.
January 14th, 2006 at 11:26 am
[...] I just read What’s Next for Proton on HTNet. [...]
February 24th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
i dont know wat happen 2 proton…it sell its agusta share 4 only 1 euro???thats is ridicculos…PROTON…please make a vry big rvolutionary….at least..2 models in a year….and enhanced up the quality of the car…not usng the cheap plastic to the dashboard….lack off the vbration the dashboard….and other componen of the car….
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:31 pm
the video of the response by the Brits:
We’re sorry, but this video may not be available.
Try refreshing the page to see this video.
March 22nd, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Bargh papajoneh,
The problem is due to Google’s recent acquisition of YouTube.
You can view the video at its new home here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7JITRVRDPE