Proton has successfully launched two new marques this year - the Persona and the Saga - but the company has much to do to restore an unsightly balance sheet.

Sales suffered a 55 per cent fall last year, which led to losses of US$169 million, as aggressive marketing from Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda and domestic marque Perodua caused Proton’s market share to plunge. Sales of the Persona are reasonably healthy, with more than 5,000 units sold last year. That has helped make up for the phasing out of Proton’s Satira, which sold 4,000 units in 2003. However, sales of its best-selling Wira have drooped from 64,000 to 16,000 since 2003.

Proton also has plans to expand operations overseas to offset its problems at home. Agencies pitching for the RM45 million (US$14 million) account were asked to present creative and strategy for markets including Thailand, India, Indonesia and the Middle East as part of a brief to position Proton as a world-class automotive brand.

— brandrepublic.asia