The Malaysian Prime minister has said he wants to see ‘national car maker’ Proton look for an alliance with another international automaker.
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He spoke this weel at the launch of the Exora, the company’s new multi-purpose vehicle.
“Proton has to become a company that is more competitive to ensure its survival in the automobile industry in the 21st century,” he told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“All options must be considered for the national good. For this, Proton must look into having a strategic alliance to produce vehicles that are fuel-efficient and eco-friendly,” he added.
Late last month, Detroit Electric announced it would produce and market a full line of pure electric vehiclesin the US, UK, EU and China from 2010 by integrating its patented electric drive systems into Proton vehicles.
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By GlobalDataProton has previously explored alliances with Volkswagen and GM but talks ended late in 2007 after terms could not be agreed.
In February, the Malaysian carmaker posted a loss in the three months to the end of December on weaker vehicle sales and higher material costs.
Proton said it posted a loss of MYR74.7m in its fiscal third quarter compared with a net profit of MYR10.3m a year earlier. Nine month net profit came to MYR21.1m against a loss of MYR32.9m previously.
Proton said the third-quarter results were affected by the financial and economic crisis and the depletion of volume in its main markets.
