Proton chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that the national carmaker is aiming to introduce three new models next year in order to increase sales and prop up its financial performance, according to Bernama.
The former prime minister claims that the cars – tipped to be a Suzuki-based A-segment car, an Iriz-based Saga sedan and a Honda Accord-based Perdana – will better their predecessors. "In the automotive industry, we are always borrowing technology," he said. "Major car companies are always exchanging technology. In this regard, we are only using Honda's platform with the rest coming from our own efforts.
"The new models are equipped with the latest safety features and design. I really hope that all three models will enter the market in stages from January next year and will be well-received."
Mahathir added that Proton's sales performance is sluggish at the moment, even though the company was working very hard to produce quality cars such as the Iriz. "I find the Iriz to be very good because it is very light and easy to drive compared with foreign cars of the same quality, but consumers' response has not been encouraging," he said. "However, of late the response to our Preve model has been better."
Meanwhile, the decline in sales is also said to have affected the company's cash flow, delaying salary increments for executive staff. "We have to make sacrifices to remedy the situation. Bonuses, although not much, will still be given, but with better sales they could probably be higher," Mahathir said.
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