After 41 Years On Sale Has The Proton Saga Become A Car On Par With Its Rivals
If you look at cars like the Hyundai Accent, Nissan Sunny, Honda City, Toyota Vios and even the humble Suzuki Swift, you will notice how FAR FORWARD they have moved in the decades that they have been in production.
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, we still have a car called the Proton SAGA that celebrates its 41st birthday this year that has moved very very little forward in 40 plus years.
Well, at the start it was just a simple rebadged Mitsubishi and with local incentives became a country favourite, in fact 35 odd years ago, we owned a lift back version for a short time ….. a very short time!
Then after many many many Malaysians were sent abroad to study automotive engineering, a brand new locally ‘designed’ and ‘made’ Proton SAGA appeared in 2008 and since then …… very little development can be seen till today. Yes, its is designed by Malaysians, but the drivetrain is ……. well ….. you know what we are taking about. Build quality like plastics and material used ……… well ……. you can ask any SAGA owner after the 3rd or 4th year of ownership.
Or you can order a ride hailing and get into a unit and see and feel for yourself.
Infotainment is borrowed from its new technical partner and still lacks what you can find in a low priced Japanese or Korean made car on sale in Malaysia or ASEAN nations.
The latest version of the SAGA has a 1.5L i-GT engine delivering 120 PS and 150 Nm of torque, paired with modern automatic transmission. Following the strategic partnership with Geely, Proton’s internal quality audit scores for the Saga plummeted (indicating significantly fewer production issues) to be on par with class competitors. The latest models sport interior tech like integrated dual screens with wireless smartphone connectivity. All from Geely partnership, right?
So, what happened to all the Malaysian engineers that went overseas to study and bring back their extensive knowledge to make the SAGA better and be truly ‘Kebanggaan Malaysia’?
It was Malaysian tax payer money that educated them, gave their families FREE flights to foreign lands and paid for their holidays.
Why can’t we get a SAGA in our showroom that competes head to head with even a basic Japanese Kei Car or compact Korean like the Hyundai i10 or Kia Picanto.
