Proton Goes To China
Proton Motors has announced its plans for China. Cashing in on the Chinese middle-class' desire for cars, the Malaysian manufacturer has today signed agreements with major Chinese automotive companies Youngman Automobile Sales Co. Ltd and Youngman Automobile Group Ltd Co, to sell Proton vehicles and technology in China.
30,000 finished Proton Gen.2s will initially head to China and be sold under the Europestar brand. Eventually the aim is for Europestar to use the expertise of Proton owned Lotus to develop a new range of made-in-China Proton inspired cars.
Proton will benefit by selling its Gen.2 platform and the Proton Campro engine for Youngman's new Europestar cars and for the supply of genuine spare parts.
The move comes amid a scramble by manufacturers to cash in on the Chinese middle-income group boom which is growing in size considerably. The Chinese car market is expected to grow by up to 30 per cent per annum over the next few years.
It is only a matter of time before Chinese cars find their way into Australia. CarAdvice is currently testing the first Indian car to make a comeback into the Australia market, the Mahindra Pikup. Expect a review on that soon.
Source: Proton
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