Consumers put the brakes on Malaysia's Proton

Malaysian Proton's highly publicised campaign to hike sales appears to have hit a road block, with drivers saying they will snub the national carmaker in favour of foreign models.
Proton last month launched a "zero-defect" campaign aimed at erasing a persistent reputation for poor quality that has left it struggling to compete against Japanese and European carmakers.
Proton managing director Syed Zainal Abidin also announced plans to fit all models with natural gas tanks from October to help motorists beat the rising cost of fuel -- following a 41 percent petrol price hike here last month.
But a snapshot of consumers in the capital Kuala Lumpur by AFP on the weekend shows many critical of the carmaker after a string of bad experiences.
“I am not convinced they can improve the quality of Proton cars," said R. Shangmugam, who now drives a Honda after owning three different Proton models.
Shangmugam, 40, said the rear axle of a Proton Saga that he owned in 2001 broke off -- while he was driving.