Proton Van Insurance
Proton, an acronym for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional, is a Malaysian car manufacturer, which formed in 1983. Proton manufactures cars, motorcycles, and helicopters, and its main assembly plant is located in Shah Alam. Production of the first Proton model, the Proton Saga, was in 1985, and it was based on the Mitsubishi Lancer Fiore. The Proton Iswara is an updated model of the Saga, and as of 2005, it was still in production. The Iswara is Protons top selling model.
The Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Protons technical assistance partners, contributed heavily to the design of early Proton automobiles. However, due to Protons purchase of Britains Lotus company (1996) and Italys MV Agusta (2003), its clear that Proton is not just a one-off of Mitsubishi. In 2001, Proton started constructing its own cars, yet the popularity of these cheap autos is primarily due to the Malaysian governments steep import taxes/barriers preventing foreign automakers from capturing parts of the Malaysian market. This has led to problems because Proton is often thought of as guilty of making sub-standard automobiles with non-functional security features, such as the lack of ABS and airbags on the Proton Savvy. Future models of the Savvy are supposed to include these kinds of features.
Many of Protons models still bear a resemblance to Mitsubishi automobiles. Examples of this include the aforementioned Saga and Iswara, the Proton Wira (based on the Mitsubishi Lancer/Colt), the Proton Satria (based on the Mitsubishi Colt), the Proton Putria (based on the Mitsubishi Mirage), the Proton Perdana (based on the Mitsubishi Eterna), the Proton Juara (based on the Mitsubishi Town Box), the Proton Waja/Impian, and the Proton Savvy. Proton also manufactures the Arena, a mini utility truck that goes by the name Jumbuck in both the UK and Australia. Additionally, the Proton PERT is more or less a copy of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and it has participated in the World Rally Championship.
