Proton To Use Turkey As European Gateway?

One automaker not receiving much press in the West is Proton, the Malaysian automaker which was at one time being courted by Volkswagen as part of a strategic alliance. Proton owns sports car maker Lotus and motorcycle builder MV Agusta, but outside of southeast Asia and a small presence in Britain and Australia, the brand isn’t widely known.

That may all change if the company follows through on plans to build cars in Turkey, a historic bridge between Europe and Asia. Founded in 1982, Proton exports cars to 20 countries and has been desiring to raise production to one million units annually. A facility in Turkey would help Proton increase production while giving the company access to Europe.

Proton is owned 52% by the Malaysian government with private investors in Malaysia and elsewhere holding the remaining shares. The company is also in talks with India’s Argentum Motors to begin producing Proton cars in India.

Although the Volkswagen talks have broken off (for now) and General Motors’ interest in the company has evaporated, Proton could still be ripe for investment by yet another global partner.

Proton first began building cars in 1982, making it the newest of the large automakers in the world.