Malaysian Carmaker Debuts in the Kenyan Market

Malaysia’s national automotive corporation, Proton Holdings Bhd, has entered the Kenyan market with the first batch of its flagship automobile offering, the Proton Saga.

 The carmaker has announced shipments totaling 30 units of Completely Knocked Down kits, which will be assembled locally by Simba Corporation (SimbaCorp).

The consignment was flagged off by Kenya’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Francis Ndegwa Muhoro, who reaffirmed the importance of Kenya’s international economic diplomacy agenda while encouraging further Malaysian investment in the country.

Mutoro further noted that Proton’s entry into the country is not just as an entry into a market of 51 million people, but also a gateway to a potential African market of up to 1.3 billion people.

The envoy also pointed to Kenya’s potential as an East African automotive hub underpinned by a sizeable middle class, progressive business environment, regional market access, and history of automotive assembly.

In his address, Proton Deputy CEO Datuk Radzaif Mohamed said the move would see the company’s products in places as diverse as Bangkok, Islamabad, Cairo and now, Nairobi.

The Proton Saga was first conceptualized as Malaysia’s ‘national car’ in 1979, and is today viewed as a ‘national symbol’.

Saga is an acronym for ‘Safety, Achievement, Greatness and Ability’.