The first Malaysian car manufacturer, established 1983, with first Mitsubishi Lancer Fiore (1983–7)-based model, Saga, rolling off the lines in Selangor in 1985. Proton was a contraction of Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional (National Automotive Enterprise). Originally, Mitsubishi held a share in the venture, as did the Malaysian government. Through governmental protection, Proton held a majority of the domestic car market for decades, while its models were exported and sold on low price. British car maker Lotus was bought in 1996, giving Proton engineering expertise. An attempt to replace Mitsubishi with Peugeot–Citroën, eyeing its diesel engines, was cut short when Proton’s CEO, Yahaya Ahmad, was killed in an air accident in 1997, and only one model resulted from the deal, the Citroën AX-based Tiara. The company continued to base its models on Mitsubishi cars, before coming out with its own designs, beginning with the 2001 Proton Waja. The company continued to struggle, and eventually, Geely bought 49·9 per cent of Proton in 2017.

• Proton Tiara
• Proton Savvy
• Proton Saga
• Proton Satria
• Proton Putra
• Proton Gen-2
• Proton Persona
• Proton Waja
• Proton Exora
• Proton Inspira
• Proton Perdana