Proton X Project : Here's the gist of it?

2nd Posting

Firstly, I would like to thank all those who gave their comments, either on the MACRI (Malaysian Association for Creativity & Innovation) email group, via direct email or comments posted on this blog, in particular Mr CW Chong of Aerodraft (TQVM).

I think some of you may have some idea as to how this Proton X Project can be achieved. Granted, it will take alot of 'political' will to get those Big Boys at Proton to swallow this idea.

I am not a qualified engineer nor do I consider myself a automotive enthusiast. I am more of a keen observer of things & events. And this idea is an outcome of some observations & articles I have made & read respectively over the years.

1. Take the VW & Toyota case

When the VW beetle came out, it was a revolutionary design. Many laughed at it and the whole idea of a small/funny design car when at that time the US auto industry were so proud of their big oil guzzling macho cars. Same goes for how the Japanese (once small) auto giant Toyota grew with their compact, low fuel consumption designs & options for the US market. We know what happened later on as these foreign auto companies grew to capture a huge market share within US.

2. Honda mimics BMW design

Is this a coincidence or just brilliant marketing strategy. You can see how some designs have followed BMW marquee. From my observations, I noticed how Honda will come out with a particular design range first & later adjust some of it's design in future relaunch to look like some of BMW well known design range. Examples would be the the new CRV looking like the X-5 (or is it the X-3 !?!?) & the new Honda Accord looking like the new BMW 5 series & so forth.

The thing to ask ourselves is, aren't the people behind Honda embarrassed for being so obvious in following some design traits of BMW? Well, the answer is obviously NO! Why should they when they are following one of the world leaders in auto engineering? They obviously made a PRACTICAL decision when going down that path. They didn't let their EGO dictate their business strategy.

Look at the Suzuki Swift. Doesn't it look very much like the Mini Cooper. What's with that?

So, having taken a lot of words to basically explain how top auto companies make decisions that are PRACTICAL in nature & being able to put aside their EGO, I come to the idea I have for the PROTON X Project. My idea is not really about Proton copying some of the other well known auto designs (which is a no brainer) but the key words I want highlight above are 'PRACTICAL' decisions & putting aside 'EGO' when approaching the PROTON X Project idea.

To win, Proton has to look at the game this way. These other auto companies have had a good head start & so if Proton try to play according to their game, it's going to be tough. One of the big advantages in their game has always been volume (that includes distribution network). Proton will lose out if they try to play according to this game. However, the ability to come out with new designs regularly is the key to survival, which other auto co. can do but not necessarily Proton.

Let's say for example, when introducing a new design into the market, an auto co. has to sell at least 100,000 units to break even (ie to cover for R&D, mold etc). A sale of 100,000 for Toyota, Honda (& most foreign auto co.) is easy because they have a lot more countries to sell to than Proton. So, 10,000 units to be sold in 10 countries is much easier compared to Proton who has to sell nearly all 100,000 units in Malaysia. I know Proton also sells their cars outside Malaysia but I'm very sure the distribution channel/network that it has is still small compared to other foreign auto co.

So, if you can't beat them at their game, you have 3 options. 1st - To create a totally new game, 2nd - Play the game on a totally new field & 3rd - Use a combination of both.

Back to the example of 100,000 units to break even. So, rather than produce 100,000 units of just one design, why not produce 100,000 of a basic box shape design. (New approach to auto design must be explored but I believe it is possible. I'll try with words to describe what I mean but visual would be much better, but that's not my forte.)

The New Game Approach

This basic box shape design would enable the fittings of various other parts of the car that would be different. Examples would be the roof, rear & front bumper, even the door panels etc. This way, the main bulk of the car design parts can be produced in mass while the other 'outer shell' of the car can be in many design options.

The New Field Approach

So, here comes the other plus point. Let's say I bought a Proton X - 'Shark' design in early 2009. When I get a bit bored of the design & want something new, all I need to do is go to an Authorized Proton X 'Refitter' workshop and trade-in my 'Shark' design for the recently launched Proton X - 'Ice' design. Maybe the cost involved would be a net outlay of RM1,000.

Clubs & DIYs

You know what will happen next? The Proton X Club would be formed where all Proton X car owners can network & more importantly exchange their many design 'body shell' among each other. Because the fittings are considerably easy to do (like snap-on & screw etc), the owners can do it themselves.

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Boy, I could go on & on but better stop here. So, basically in my mind I can imagine how this could work & the design I have in mind. In my intro. posting I said that the idea would be centered around the Savvy platform because I figured these would be the kind of market to target with this kind of concept. Plus, the Savvy already has a box-like design.

So where do we go from here? Well, I invite those who are keen to put in their ideas & suggestions to make this a reality.. So jot down those thoughts first & give me some indication which days & where would be a good place to meet. So email me directly on this at whosane87@gmail.com if you are still interested to join in & make history. Either way, I'm going to do this, slowly but surely. Why Proton? I have some Patriotism blood in me, though I get a bit feed up with the usual flaws we find in Proton. But if we Malaysians won't help them, who will then?

[Read the latest news (as of 22/12/08) in Russia. President Putin has increased the import duty of foreign cars in order "to promote their local auto industry". The Koreans did that & more to help Hyundai & KIA. I read somewhere, even the petrol attendants refuse to fill-up a foreign car. They made you feel that guilty in Korea.]

Anyway, I want to thank you for dropping by and leaving your comments & suggestions here.

What is the Proton-X Project ?

I want to share an idea of a concept car for Proton to pursue which will revolutionise the car industry. Here's the pitch to Proton....

"Proton to produce a total of 20 new models for the next 5 years!"

That's 4 new models every year for the next 5 years. Is that possible? Why not? The model names can be as follows:-

1. Proton X - Shark
2.. Proton X - Fire
3. Proton X - Ice
4. Proton X - Aqua
5. Proton X - Storm
6. Proton X - Puma
..............and so forth.............

How can this be possible? I say it can ! Want to join this think tank/blog? Leave your comments here or email to whosane87@gmail.com and tell me how YOU think it can be possible. Follow this blog to get more insight as to how I know it can be possible.

Whether they (Proton) like the idea or not, is a whole different story. But my plan is to form a group of 'Innovative' & 'Go-getter's who can contribute to this project & later present it to the big boys at Proton. Nay Sayers not welcomed. So many of them out there, another one won't help.

So what is the idea, you may ask? Surely it can't be the many model names I just listed at the top, right?

Well yes, there is more to the idea than just those names I 'cooked-up'. I will reveal bit by bit but more importantly, I want to see what YOU have to say as this will help me determine the right mix of brains to form this group that will ultimately formulate the Proton X Project Paper.

I recognise that 2 brains are better than just one, especially if that one brain is mine. So, I'm looking for more brains - to challenge the norm, to go beyond existing borders, to believe in the impossible or to use the quote that has been used so often I'm sick and tired of hearing it....here it goes...."think outside the box!" (sorry...).

So before I end this posting, let me leave you with this, my other hint/clue to this Proton X idea.

Bearing in mind that the Proton X is targeted to the usual Proton market segment (essentially those who can't afford Japanese & European cars) and is centered around the Savvy target market & platform. Do you think these buyers buy Proton because of the inside workings of the car (engine, handling, performance etc.) or the outside look of it? I'm betting that it's more Looks/Design than what's inside the hud? The Gen-2 gave my wife & I a lot of heartbreak but the decision to buy it was largely due to it's new curves against the decade old Wira design. What do you think?