Proton (car)
.png){kind=logo} Proton logo, February 2016 – present
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 7 May 1983 (33 years ago) |
| Founder | Mahathir Mohamad |
| Headquarters | Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia |
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Area served
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Southeast Asia, Australia, United Kingdom, Turkey, Middle East, Chile, Egypt, Cyprus |
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Key people
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Ahmad Fuaad Kenali (CEO) Datuk Seri Syed Faisal Albar (Chairman) Radzaif Mohamed (Deputy CEO) |
| Products | Automobiles |
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Number of employees
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12,000 |
| Parent |
From July 2017 DRB-HICOM (50.1%) Geely (49.9%) |
| Divisions | Proton R3 |
| Website | www.proton.com |
PROTON Holdings Berhad, (PHB; informally Proton) is a Malaysia-based corporation active in automobile design, manufacturing, distribution and sales. Proton was established in 1983 as the sole national badged car company until the advent of Perodua in 1993. The company is headquartered in Shah Alam, Selangor, and operates additional facilities at Proton City, Perak. 'PROTON' is a Malay acronym for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional (National Automobile Company).
Proton was originally a manufacturer of rebadged Mitsubishi Motors (MMC) products in the 1980s and 1990s. Proton produced its first indigenously designed, non-badge engineered car in the year 2000, and elevated Malaysia as the 11th country in the world with the capability to design cars from the ground up. Since the 2000s, Proton has produced a mix of locally engineered and badge engineered vehicles. Proton cars are currently sold in at least 15 countries, the majority of which are in Asia.
Proton was originally owned in majority by HICOM, with minority stakes being held by Mitsubishi Group members. By 2005, Mitsubishi had divested their stake in Proton to Khazanah Nasional, and in 2012, Proton was fully acquired by DRB-HICOM. Proton has been the owner of Lotus Cars since 1996. In May 2017, DRB-HICOM announced plans to sell a 49.9% stake in Proton and a 51% stake in Lotus to Geely Automobile Holdings.
Proton, predominantly reliant on its domestic market, is presently undergoing a transformation process as part of a long-term turnaround plan, with hopes of returning to profitability and regaining an international presence.
The concept of a National Car was conceived in 1979 by then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, now Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the with the goal of enhancing Malaysian industry. The National Car Project was approved by the Cabinet in 1982, leading to the founding of Proton on 7 May 1983. It was wholly owned by the government of Malaysia through Khazanah Nasional at its creation. It was headed by its founder, Dr. Mahathir.
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Wikipedia