On a tip from wits0, via Lim Kit Siang’s blog is a photo of a PROTON dealer for Saudi Arabia:
Click for full size.
Using current exchange rates between Saudi Rial (SAR) and Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)…
SAR 41,800 for a Persona is MYR 36,966. A Persona for Malaysians in Malaysia costs MYR 45,350 minimum. We are paying MYR 8,834 more than Saudis for our own national cars, not including how much of our tax money has subsidized PROTON over almost three decades and despite shipping costs to the Middle East.
SAR 39,500 for a Gen 2 is MYR 34,932. A Gen 2 for Malaysians in Malaysia costs MYR 54,988 minimum. We are paying MYR 20,056 more than Saudis for our own national cars, not including how much of our tax money has subsidized PROTON over almost three decades and despite shipping costs to the Middle East.
SAR 39,400 for a Waja is MYR 34,843. A Persona for Malaysians in Malaysia costs MYR 59,456 minimum. We are paying MYR 24,613 more than Saudis for our own national cars, not including how much of our tax money has subsidized PROTON over almost three decades and despite shipping costs to the Middle East.
OUTRAGEOUS!!!!
Not only do they leech billions out of us and provide us overpriced, poorly designed and shoddily engineered cars in return. Not only do they slap insane 70% tariffs and duties and taxes on foreign cars and then dole out APs as political favours. Not only do we pay more per monthly income for our homemade cars than other nations do for their imports.
They even deem fit to give obscene discounts to THE OIL RICH SAUDIS!!!! Fer crying out loud!
No wonder Dr. M is confident PROTON cars can find an export market. But this sort of ‘marketing strategy’ figures, as the brainchild/golden child of a man whose primary economic tactic was throwing tons of money at something until it works stops failing quite so badly.
PROTON loses top spot to PERODUA, and again in 2009, despite EPF ownership of shares and billions poured into PROTON.
Above from Malaysian Politics Motivational Posters.
May 31, 10 at 10:04 pm
All cars went up in price in Malaysia as soon as the first Proton was manufactured. Proton has no economies of scales, or quality. Raise taxes on other cars and sell protons. Initially, all govt servants had to buy Proton or couldn’t get a govt loan.
June 2, 10 at 6:46 am
Not to mention that EON distributors were then utterly arrogant to all and sundry – they still are but in a more muffled way.
In circa ’1970, M’sia had a propsperous and healthy auto industry and trade but Mahathir got jealous and we now get a stunted and atrophied one lopsidedly favoring the racists and elites.
June 2, 10 at 7:03 am
I remember those salespeople..they asked for under-the-counter people to put you on the queue to receive cars. You lost your deposit if you cancelled your booking. You couldn’t choose the color of the car. The list goes on…
June 2, 10 at 7:38 am
The audacity of Proton salesperson to tell me that they can’t deliver the new purchased car on the very day they were supposed to take away the old crate for 5K rebate under that last years clunker trade-in scheme!
Then there was the extra rent seeking Pussykom chore for the buyers!
AutoSH*T industry here indeed.
June 2, 10 at 11:18 pm
Took home a brand new proton, couldn’t start it next morning: flat battery. Proton aftersales service said, leave it with us and we’ll do tests. Tests? 8.30am-5.00pm! Called the salesman who called the storekeeper who took a battery from a brand new proton, and exchanged it with mine. Aha, so that’s how I might have got the flat battery in the first place!
September 23, 11 at 7:22 am
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