in my POV,

its not about starting earlier (Toyota/Hyundai/Ford) vs late starter (Proton)

Proton was created to rip off the rakyat themselves, producing junky transportation vehicles that was not created based on a nationalism mind.

Japanese are proud to be making those Toyota(s) and proud to be using them.
The same goes with the examples given like Hyundai with the Koreans, Ford...etc.

Now back to Potong...
Are they proud to be making a national car?
Potong Management: Our goal and objective is to juice out from the low/low-middle income rakyats as much $$$ as we can. Not to worry if we price our cars too high, the gomen will make the others increase their price so high that the majority population will never afford it!

Are we proud of the national car maker?
Do i even need to answer that?

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Added on October 5, 2012, 2:13 pm
if by that time nothing falls apart from this car 

The Japanese certainly aren't proud of the cars they produce for the ASEAN market, or would even drive them. Not the ones they sell to us (apart from grey imports).

Protons are surprisingly reasonably price considering the high taxes on Proton vehicles (same as Toyota etc. when produced in Thailand, Indonesia, ...). Same taxes, but much lower prices. How do they do it?

The Japanese certainly aren't proud of the cars they produce for the ASEAN market, or would even drive them. Not the ones they sell to us (apart from grey imports).

Protons are surprisingly reasonably price considering the high taxes on Proton vehicles (same as Toyota etc. when produced in Thailand, Indonesia, ...). Same taxes, but much lower prices. How do they do it?

Proton is expert on this. Because the pressure of malaysian keep demanding on car with japanese reliability, continental quality with malaysian price.

So, their 'curi-curi jimat' is the best among all. 

Honda will definitely sell car like Preve spec with 110k at least. 

Japanese are known to have high nationalism spirit. A 15 year old Japan car can easily be more reliable and perform better than our 5 year old Potong here.

its the gomen that is allowing us to be discriminated in the first place. 

But not the **** they are selling us nowadays. How can they be proud of a D segment car with 2 airbags and 4 speed gearbox? Germans aren't proud of the VW Santana either. It's an ancient, not that good (anymore) model made for 3rd world countries.

15 year old Japanese cars are quite decent. At least they were back then, and probably quite reliable too. But I wouldn't trust new Japanese cars. Not ASEAN spec ones at least.