The Proton Saga, an icon in the country’s automotive industry, celebrated its 37th anniversary as the country’s first car.
The inauguration of the nation’s first car by then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was a momentous event which saw Malaysia make the leap toward becoming a heavy industry nation.
The signature red of the Saga was inspired by another ‘saga’; the saga fruit.
Through a collaboration with Mitsubishi Motors from Japan, the nation’s car programme was developed from scratch, despite a lack of local expertise. From there, it paved the way for the country’s automotive industry and saw the rise of other big names in the sector, which would not have happened had it not been for the national car programme.
To this day, the first generation Proton Saga can still be seen, being majestically driven on the roads, both here and abroad.
Some trivia about the Proton Saga.
– It’s name was taken from the ‘Name the National Car Contest’
– SAGA stands for ‘Safety. Achievement. Greatness. Ability.’
– It has been the country’s top selling car several times, from the 80s to the 90s.
– More than 1.95 million units of the Proton Saga have been sold since 1985.
– Proton cars have been exported to 28 countries.
by Rosli Mansor
