Proton Begins Rolls Out of Persona in Middle East

Malaysia’s Proton Holdings Bhd strengthens its Middle Eastern presence with two media launches of the Persona sedan, one of them in front of the Giza pyramids in Egypt.

The Persona also was introduced in Saudi Arabia and over the next two months will be launched in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Syria.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are two of the larger markets in the Middle East. Proton entered the Saudi market in 2006 with the Waja. In Egypt, Proton launched the Waja and Wira in 2001 and added the Gen2 last year.

“The decision to enter into the Middle East market was a natural progression for us,” Proton Managing Director Zainal Tahir says in a statement. “After more than 20 years in this industry, we now have presence in more than 24 countries worldwide.”

Malaysia’s Business Times says Proton is the third auto maker to launch a vehicle against the backdrop of the Giza pyramids, following BMW AG and Jaguar Cars Ltd.

The newspaper quotes Zainal as saying Egypt could become the gateway for Proton into the Northern African region, including Morocco, Sudan, Algeria and Tunisia.

Proton is planning to launch the Saga in Egypt in first-quarter 2009 and the new MPV by late-2009 or early 2010.

“It’s always a challenge to sell our cars overseas,” Zainal is quoted as saying. “But today, we are more confident because our cars are now better in terms of design and quality. Our approach in a market like the Middle East is to work with strong local partners that have been in the business for many years.”

The Malaysian government news agency Bernama reports Proton’s Egyptian distributor, Ezz Elarab Automotive Group, aims to initially sell 2,000 Protons annually and more than 5,000 units a year by 2010.

It quotes President Hesham Ezz Elarab as saying the distributor is spending $5 million to build a Proton sales, service and spare-parts center that will open next June.