Proton
"PRO-ton," same as the physics term.
in the group since 2017Proton is Malaysia's national automaker, founded by the government in 1983. In 1996 it acquired British sports-car maker Lotus, but Proton's own fortunes proved rockier: by the time of its 2012 privatization, its domestic market share had shrunk to 12%. The turnaround came in 2017, when Geely acquired 49.9% of Proton (with Malaysia's DRB-HICOM keeping a 50.1% controlling stake) — a deal in which the Chinese company beat out France's PSA Group in the bidding.
Distinguishing feature
The Geely partnership gave Proton what decades on its own hadn't: a modern platform. The X70 crossover is built on the Geely Boyue, one of China's best-selling SUVs, complete with up-to-date ADAS, turbocharged engines, and infotainment to Chinese standards.