20+ years of producing utter shit will do that to your brand. It's all about branding.

Unfortunately, Proton made the mistake of branding crapcans with their logo. If they had started out making Volvo levels of safety, they'd be fine.

It's difficult to change people's minds, especially when it comes to something as expensive as a car. No one will invest in your product if your track record isn't the best.

Of course it costs shit tons of money. But Proton had the backing of the government and its entire treasury back then.

Even before we talk about safety, the sheer amounts of quality problems associated with their products has tarnished their name. The protection afforded to them by the government made them lazy to compete, resulting in crap parts from crap suppliers.

End of the day, the problems that plague the company are numerous, and there really isn't just one cause for their utter failure. They have problems starting from their very founding, where politics and the government got involved, all the way down the supply chain, to their management, and finally their products.

Maybe DRB will sort them out. Maybe not. I'll just wait and see. If Proton continues to produce 5-star safety cars for a few product cycles, then maybe they'll shed their milo tin image. That takes time, and a lot of money in marketing.

In the meantime..., I'm lusting after a Satria Neo R3. The real one, not that fake bodykit shit they put out later. I'm looking to scrounge up some money to buy one and take it to Sepang once in a while.