If I Was The Boss of Proton: An Unemployed Man's Craze

See I told you this issue will come out. I actually wrote the whole thing, then later split it into 2 issues to further increase readership in this lousy little blog. But if you're reading this, I thank you. 


Anyway let's get on with the rest of this mad man's senseless craze on having to take over a multinational company and reforming it. After discussing corporate structure and positioning the company, we now look at how we shall allocate and maximize the potential that is existing in the company, and where we shall go from there in order to grow and strengthen as a global corporation. 


Direction
Scrap the Campro. This VTEC-wannabe is not boding well for us, and it doesn't help that we just bought an expensive MIVEC technology. Switch over to MIVEC, and start using the 2 engine on all upcoming models. All except for the Saga, which will always need to be paired with a 1.3l engine. The Saga represents value, so this new 1.3l engine will need to be a whole lot more efficient than what it is now. Having less engine variants in the brand means being able to maximize cost-efficiency on replacement parts and maintenance. It also means it is easier to manage supply chain. We will also need to learn how to make these MIVEC engines, so we can ultimately make our very own engines and make them well.

Then there's the issue on transmission. The world is giving out 7-8 Speed auto boxes, and here we are still using 4 Speed ones built using technology from the Renaissance. May I also stress that the 4th Gear is actually an OverDrive. Then there's the thing with other generic technologies like Push Start and Pedal Shifts. They add tremendous value to our products and we need to ensure we are able to at least provide these basics.

Because we have Lotus (which if it was up to me, I would not sell anytime soon because we've barely even scratched the surface of what the Lotus can give us) we shall focus on handling and sportiness. Because we also have team S2000 we can leech off the experience and know-how of these people and make our cars more reliable under extreme conditions. We could also research turbos and use them on our models in the future. I know some of these things are already being done right now, and that just means the existing company is not all crap. So think of us making Malaysian versions of Mazda6s.

It is imperative that we have an identity, anything is better than nothing. And what's worst if we've been in the industry longer than Kia and Hyundai, and that we've been government-backed all these while.



Bread and Butter
Every product across all industries in the world have bread and butter ranges. Although we are always excited to design and engineer the most advanced technologies, we need to understand while the general public are as enthusiastic about it as you are they have limited resources and their criteria for choosing a good car includes boring things like Practicality and Safety and The Number of Seats. This is the one reason why cars like the Panamera and Rapide were born. Even super car makers need to make money.

I will make all my car models official so I do not have to get my staff to constantly come up with new car names, and that they may accidentally name a car Proton Syphilis. So the range will be:

Saga
Urban zippy little cars sell very well. The City and Vios immediately became favorites. I can't imagine why the Saga will not sell, not considering external forces at the moment.

Persona/Inspira
Personally I prefer the Persona, simply because it's not somebody else's design. What is worst that having a butt-ugly car? Having an Inspira. But we shall speak of this at a later time.
This range, provided it is carefully priced, will sell like hot-cakes. It's the single most balanced segment for the Malaysian and many other markets world-wide.

Perdana
Like all brands, we need a medium-sized luxury sedan, and frankly the Perdana has long outlived it's lifecycle. This segment is important as it creates a flagship for the brand. It is the model people will look to in absolute marvel, and then buy a Persona because it's a little out of their budget. Then they will imagine driving a Perdana while in their Personas. If you're a car enthusiast you will understand what I just said.

Satria and Putra
I will maintain the Satria, constantly building on it and improving it. The Satria is a very well-balanced car, and I believe it's capabilities are very well under appreciated. Also I will reintroduce the Putra, because what is a car brand without the coupe!
These 2 models will feature the most advanced in motorsport technology the brand is capable of. What use is an S2000 team when none of the expertise are being channeled to good use? These 2 models are the flagships of performance, the 2-doors many would have bought if it wasn't for their families.

Exora
Who would argue the practicality and versatility of an MPV ( it's so rhetorical I will just put a PERIOD at the end of this sentence). And also a MINI-MPV. Or better yet, maybe come up with a Hyundai Starek equivalent. Them, Alphard and VelleFire seem to be doing well in their little niche.

SUV
This is a must. But we will probably need to do some extensive research on this highly specialized segment before making yet another SUV that can only be used on roads (flashback X6).

All these models will only have a lifespan of maximum 6 years. All models, save the sports, will have only one face-lift on the 4th year. All models exceeding 6 year of age will have to be chopped immediately to make way for new ones. We need to first be seen as an innovative and refreshing brand to be able to compete in an innovative and refreshing industry.

Conclusion

Proton was initially a man's greed. But it has become an entity. It has become the ambassador of our nation. Proton has become a part of all our lives. It is the reliable cars that we usually like to own, but it is the problematic ones we usually have special relationships with. Proton has had numerous chances at glory which they failed miserably at grasping and making full use of, but this does not make it any less potent than other companies. If I ever become the boss of Proton all this will change. Because the pride of this nation is at stake, and I believe we will do everything we can to protect it.

Everything in discussion over the past 2 weeks are just an unemployed man's dreams, and none of them hold any truths. His intentions is to merely spark the thinking side of the readers' minds, and to remind himself he can still dream of the impossible.