By Malaysiakini
Proton is producing cars with are on par with other marques unlike before, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad in exhorting Malaysians to have more confidence in the national carmaker.
The former premier and Proton chairman said despite having rectified the shortcomings in its previous models, he is still hearing complaints about faulty power windows.
“Our (Proton) windows go up nicely and come down nicely. Now our cars are as good as any imported car but people are still not driving it.
“Believe me, Malaysian engineers have learnt a lot.
“Our engineers are just as qualified and as skilful as engineers from other countries,” he told a press conference at the Proton Centre of Excellence in Subang Jaya today.
He had earlier witnessed the first firing of Proton’s latest range of engines via live teleconferencing from the testing facilities in England.
Mahathir said personally, he enjoys driving the Proton Iriz and Suprima S during weekends.
“If you buy the cars, you will find out (that Proton has improved).
“Our problem is not the cars. Our problem is the people’s perception that Proton does not produce good cars,” he said.
During the presentation session, Proton chief technical officer Abdul Rashid Musa briefed Mahathir and all guests present on details of the new engines.
Musa heads a team of 20 local engineers who are involved in developing the engines together with British firm Ricardo and Proton-owned Lotus.
Notably, Musa said Proton’s six new engine models will meet even the most stringent European emission standards aside from offering up to 25% more fuel efficiency compared to the current models on the road.
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