Proton ready to pair up with Chinese car maker this week
Malaysian automaker
Proton will likely announce this week which Chinese automaker it’s chosen as a dance partner. Any foreign
automaker wishing to break into the highly lucrative Chinese auto market must buddy up with a local automaker in order
to do business in the communist country according to state law. A Chinese collaborator may be just one in a handful of new relationships Proton intends to pursue with various automakers around the world. After its talks with Volkswagen fell through executives at the company rethought their strategy and decided a number of partnerships would be better than just one.
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg "2011 Audi A8: Live from Miami")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
avus 3:18PM (3/20/2006)
props to Proton on their timing of all this. picture it:
1)Free Trade Act passes between Malaysia and the US
2)Proton teams up with a Chinese car manufacturer
3)Proton sells rebadged Chinese vehicles in the U.S.
4)Chinese car manufacturer eventually buys out Proton.
they really thought this one through. again, congrats to Proton for doing their homework on this
Reply
Glenn 3:24PM (3/20/2006)
So soon we'll be seeing cheap (in every sense of the word) Proton cars sold in the US with cheap (in every sense of the word) Chinese components.
Wow. Just what we need. A new Yugo in the marketplace.
Notice that in Europe, Proton had to stop selling cars. They are able to sell some still in the UK, through what was the Lada dealerships - the "pensioners" who bought Ladas are now buying Protons.
Reply
glacia00 4:29PM (3/20/2006)
I spent a month in Malaysia about a year ago and had never heard of Proton. But the streets are full of them and you can't miss them.
I've driven them and they're not bad cars at all. I would put them on par with a lot of Japanese cars and as far as styling above American cars. And will probably be equal to US cars for price.
I've given 30 years of driving to US made cars and have finally given up hope that they can pull out of this dive. I can't say I'm glad that the US industry will almost certainly disappear but I also can't say I'm surprised.
The US will limp along with mid-life crisis Viagra cars for a while but they have proven they just can't compete.
Reply