Unsung heroes: the rise and fall of Proton

In the second of what I hope to be an occasional series on the unsung heroes of the motoring world (the first of which is here), I turn my attention to a car manufacturer that may never have produced anything remotely exciting or technologically advanced and is now virtually invisible in this country, but once filled an important niche among those wanting cheap reliable no-frills transport and appealed particularly to the retired generation.

The Malaysian firm of Proton has had a presence in the UK for over 25 years now but you would easily be forgiven for not realising the brand is still active here as 2014 sales totalled a pathetic eleven cars! Yes, you read that right: less than a dozen cars sold in an entire year, and all but one of those were in December after a ten-month drought with no sales at all, so cynics might suggest they were actually dealer-registered in desperation to avoid the acute embarrassment of selling only one car all year. The range may be cheap but is now distinctly on the elderly side, the newest model dating back to 2006, and although there have been promises of all-new products for several years these have yet to materialise, leaving Proton as a tiny and forgotten bit-player in the UK market. It wasn't always that way though...