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Remember Proton? The Malaysian car company that launched in Australia during the 1990s with models like the Jumbuck, only to disappear around 2017?
Well it looks like the brand could be making a comeback thanks to an influx of funds from its part-owner Geely.
A report by Autocar citing sources close to Proton’s CEO Li Chunrong says Proton is planning a massive global expansion that will include Australia, as well as New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Production is said to step up considerably once the new company headquarters and manufacturing facility, known as Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV), is built in Tanjung Malim, Malaysia.
In 2017 Chinese automotive giant Geely bought a 49.9 per cent stake in Proton with the remainder of the company owned by Malaysia’s DRB-HICOM, and in 2023 pledged to invest A$15 Billion in the AHTV. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the true amount injected by Geely had more than doubled.
Once complete the manufacturing facility will begin production and exports are expected to start. Malaysia is a strategic choice for Geely given the country’s friendly trade ties with the US, Europe and Australia.
Timing on Proton’s return to Australia is not yet known but Geely is likely hoping to leverage what’s left of local familiarity with the name at a time when the market is being swamped by new brands that have no history here.
During its 20-year presence in Australia, Proton served up hatches and sedans, some of which were based on Mitsubishi models. The Japanese carmaker had owned a small stake in the company since the early 1980s.
Models such as the S16, Persona, and later Exora and Gen 2 rivalled popular small cars of the time, but later offerings like the Preve sedan and Suprima S hatch were slow sellers. The company exited Australia in 2017.
This was around the time Geely bought its stake in Proton. Geely also has majority stakes in Volvo, Lotus, Polestar, Lynk & Co and Zeekr.
Proton’s most popular model in Australia would have to be the Jumbuck - a small, low two-door ute. So will we see a return of the Jumbuck?
Back in 2020 Geely told CarsGuide that it would be great, but something else might be on the cards instead.
“I want this to happen but sorry fellas, it’s a dream," Geely’s Public Relations Manager Ash Sutcliffe told us at the time. “There is something else happening, however.”
What Sutcliffe might have been referring to is a larger ute based on the Radar RD6 ute.
That all-electric ute was recently revealed but it's unclear if the Chinese giant will offer it Down Under.
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