Proton looking to expand volume by exporting beyond ASEAN – Tg Malim aims 500k production, 50% export

Proton is looking to greatly increase its production volume to 500,000 units, of which 50% are destined for export markets. This was revealed by Proton CEO Dr Li Chunrong during a press conference at the recent launch of the Proton S70.

This comes following a question posed to Li, who was asked by paultan.org on why Proton is taking so long to penetrate into the Thailand and Indonesia markets when it was previously reported that Geely wants Proton to be one of the top three automakers in the ASEAN region.

Li responded by first highlighting Thailand and Indonesia’s vehicle production figures which are well over a million units. He then pointed out that competition is a lot more intense in those markets compared to in Malaysia. “So, if you want to compete there, you must be ready with your product, this is important,” said Li.

The Proton CEO also acknowledged that the company’s previous entry into Thailand and Indonesia wasn’t highly fruitful. “Because we lost before in Thailand and Indonesia. So, we don’t want to easily to lose a second time, so we must prepare, then we can go.

Li then pointed out that there are plenty of other markets for Proton to explore, adding that it is possible to expand the number of markets the company can export to. He went on to say that Proton’s two shareholders – DRB-Hicom (50.1%) and Geely (49.9%) are discussing to produce 500,000 cars in Malaysia, with 50% being for exports. “As management, we must support. The world is huge, [there’s] not only Indonesia and Thailand,” Li ended.

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