We’ll start a new national car with help from neighbours, says Dr M

The prime minister says Proton is no longer a national car as it has been sold to a Chinese company.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaks at the International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo today. (AFP pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said he plans to start another national car, after Proton’s takeover by a Chinese company last year.

He told participants at the annual Nikkei conference in Tokyo that he had started Proton in hopes that the company would remain under local ownership.

“Now it’s been sold to a Chinese company, so it is no longer a national car.

“Our ambition is to start another national car, perhaps with the help of partners from Southeast Asia like Thailand, Japan or Korea, as they have the capacity to produce good quality cars saleable in the world market,” he said.

Laat year, China’s Zhejiang Geely acquired a 49.9% stake in Proton in a deal supported by the previous government.

The move drew strong protest from Mahathir, who a year earlier gave up his advisory post in the company after a fallout with then-prime minister Najib Razak.

MORE TO COME

-FMT