Proton has signed an MoU with Suzuki Motor cooperation to assemble and sell entry-level model in the Malaysian market. The vehicles will be assembled through the CKD route and will join the existing line up that has been on sale since late 2007.
A report from Paultan suggests that the models will be compact cars with a petrol engine capacity of up to 1.0-litre. This means the Malaysian market will get the Alto 800, Celerio, Alto K10 and most probably the Wagon R.
The cars are expected to be sold under the Proton badge but will most likely also have the Suzuki branding as has been the case with Maruti Suzuki in India. It is almost certain that the CKD kits will be exported from MSIL’s plant near Delhi. Further, this collaboration will enable Proton to access Suzuki’s engines, transmission and further technological developments. We believe that Suzuki will begin operations with the Celerio before moving onto the Alto twins and the Wagon R.