Proton sale decision expected imminently

The sale of Proton to a successful bidder will be confirmed imminently, according to PSA Group boss Carlos Tavares.

PSA Group has long been in the running to purchase the ailing Malaysian car maker alongside emerging Chinese brand Geely. However the latter announced it was pulling out of the bidding process for Proton last month, accusing executives of the brand of indecisiveness in their plans.

Tavares confirmed that PSA, which owns Peugeot, Citroen and DS, remains in discussions with Proton to purchase it, but added that it was not the only interested party remaining. 

He said that the Malaysian authorities say a decision will be made in the second quarter of 2017, meaning an announcement by the end of June at the latest.

If the French car maker, which confirmed its purchase of Opel/Vauxhall earlier this month, bought the firm, it could also inherit Lotus, adding a sports car line-up to its portfolio.

Before Geely backed out, it had been in a bidding war with PSA for financially-embattled Proton, which is reported to have sold just 75,000 cars last year.

“They keep changing, today it’s this, tomorrow it’s that,” said Geely chairman Li Shufu. “They haven’t decided what they want.”

Proton is required to attract a foreign partner due to loan conditions from a financial rescue package settled in 2016.  

Proton, which is controlled by Malaysian entrepreneur Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary and his company DRB-Hicom, was established in 1983 by former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad as part of the country’s extensive industrialisation program. 

Geely, which is the parent company of Volvo, the recently announced Lynk&Co brand and the London Taxi Company (LTC), had been eying up Proton as part of a global expansion programme that insiders suggest also included the purchase of Proton-owned Lotus.

Speaking to Autocar at the recent Geneva motor show, a high-level Geely executive who asked not to be identified suggested preliminary plans had been drawn up to use Proton’s underutilised Tanjung Malim manufacturing facilities to produce right-hand-drive versions of the recently unveiled Lyn&Co 01 SUV for export to various markets including the UK, Australia and South Africa.

Further plans included establishing Proton as an entry-level brand within the growing Geely portfolio. “Geely has established itself as a reputable middle-class brand in China thanks to its links with Volvo. The purchase of Proton would give it a new entry-level point, which is considered crucial to further growth,” the executive said.

By using Proton as an entry-level brand, Geely would also have had key exposure to the potentially lucrative south-east Asian car market in markets such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.