Proton has said it will announce a tie-up with another foreign partner at the end of April, according to Kyodo News. It already has tie-ups with Mitsubishi and Volkswagen.
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Last month Proton revised its technology co-operation agreement with Mitsubishi. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on developing new Proton vehicles, component supply, technical support for production engineering and quality control, and optimising Proton’s plants.
Volkswagen will also supply technology to Proton and work on specific joint development projects.
Local press speculation suggests that the new alliance will be with a Chinese manufacturer, although the company would not confirm this.
Proton’s managing director Syed Zainal Abidin Mohd. Tahir told Dow Jones last month that the company was in talks with “several parties” in China and discussions were at “the conclusion stages”.
According to Kyodo News, one Malaysian press source has speculated that a potential partner is JinHua Young Man Group. Another name mentioned is Cherry Auto.
Proton has previously tried to establish a tie-up in China, with Goldstar Heavy Industrial, but this failed mainly due to government red tape, Kyodo News noted.
