New Proton Perdana good for Argentine mart: envoy

KUALA LUMPUR: The newly launched Proton Perdana has a good chance of penetrating the Argentine market, with the country slowly opening up its economy under the new government of President Mauricio Macri, said its Ambassador to Malaysia Manuel Balaguer Salas.

The envoy said that although Argentina previously practised “protectionism” including towards its automotive industry, Macri had slowly opened up its market since coming to office in December 2015.

“The Proton Perdana is a beautiful car, the price is good. It has a good possibility to be imported to Argentina,” Salas told Bernama in an interview held at the news agency’s headquarters here on Argentina’s Bicentennial Independence Day celebration on July 9.

The newly apppointed ambassador was present at the launch of the fourth generation Proton Perdana by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya earlier on Tuesday.

Salas also revealed the possibility of Proton opening its showroom in Argentina, as part of the company’s effort to expand its presence in the South American market.

Earlier this month, Proton announced the official opening of its first 3S showroom in Santiago, Chile. According to reports, 1,000 units of selected models will be brought into the Chile market.

Meanwhile, Salas also echoed Najib’s view that the latest Proton Perdana model could mark a turning point for the national car maker.

“I think it has a strong possibility of doing that. Proton started off as a company which received a lot of protection from the Government, but now they are more competitive, and less dependent on government aid,” Salas said.

Touching on the country’s independence day celebration, Salas said that the embassy here would commemorate Argentina’s 200 years of independence with an exclusive polo match at the Royal Selangor Polo Club on July 12 featuring top Argentine players.

The Independence Day of Argentina is a national holiday celebrated on July 9, when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1816 to free the country from Spanish occupation. - Bernama