When local production of motor vehicles in Malaysia started in 1967, the vehicles were assembled from parts imported from factories in other countries. The parts came in what are known as completely knocked-down (CKD) packs – just like a Tamiya scale model – and were assembled in the factory.
Some parts – like seatbelts, windscreen glass, tyres and wire harnesses – were supplied by local companies that were established but the larger parts like bodyshells and engines still came from overseas. It was not feasible in the early years to produce the body parts which required huge and expensive presses to stamp the steel panels. These required larger volumes than what the local car market had in the 1960s and 1970s.
When the Malaysian National Car project was started, the idea was to boost volume and with economies of scale, stamping of body panels could be done. This was one of the major investments Proton made in 1984 and it was the first company to make its own body panels for the Proton Saga.
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