Exora to boost Proton sales in Asean

(From left) Proton Holdings Bhd chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, Ambassador of Malaysia to Indonesia, Datuk Zainal Abidin Zain and Proton Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamad Tahir give the thumbs-up at the launch of the Proton Exora MPV at the Indonesia International Motorshow 2009 in Jakarta on July 24. Now Proton is keen for a partner and wants to introduce the Exora in China and Iran next year.

�We can launch in the Philippines and Vietnam today if we want but we want to wait for them to subscribe to CEPT. If we sell now, our products may not be competitive because of the tax structure,� he said.

Syed Zainal said Proton may introduce the Exora in China and Iran next year.

To date, the national car maker has a presence in 24 markets, including New Zealand, Australia, Egypt, China, Iran and Britain.

Syed Zainal said Proton was studying the possibility of introducing the MPV in Britain.

�Britain has strict regulations. Exora meets the Euro 4 standard but Europe is already implementing Euro 5,� he said. The standard defines the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of vehicles.

�We need to improve on the Exora if we want to penetrate the British market, which is also contracting. We are still studying the viability of penetrating the market.�

In Indonesia, the MPV segment makes up about 60% of the total automotive market. Proton has been present in the country since March 2007 and has been selling six models since, including the Saga, Savvy, GEN.2 and Waja.

Given that Proton�s earlier models could only tap about 40% of Indonesia�s total automotive market, Syed Zainal is optimistic that the Exora would offer more growth opportunities to the national carmaker.

Proton currently commands a 3.4% share of the Indonesian automotive market. Syed Zainal said the company had not set a target market share.

�We want to be focused on having sustainable growth. I think that is more important. When you are obsessed with targets you tend to lose sight of what you want to achieve in the long term.

�To grow steadily, we must continue to expand our network, improve our product and branding initiatives. So far, we have made improvements, but there is still a lot of work to be done,� he said. � By Eugene Mahalingam

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