It all began in 1979. Malaysia's Father of Modernisation, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, (then the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia), mooted the idea of establishing an automotive assembling and manufacturing industry in our country.
It was Tun Mahathir's dream to accelerate Malaysia's industrialisation capabilities to match those of developed nations.
His dream became one step closer to reality when the Cabinet approved the National Car Project in 1982.

The dream was fulfilled when PROTON was officially incorporated on May 7, 1983. Our very first model, the Proton Saga was commercially launched on July 9, 1985.
The name "Saga" was chosen by Ismail Jaafar, a retired military soldier, and derived from "saga" (Adenanthera pavonina), a type of seed commonly found in Malaysia.
The first new market for the Proton Saga was Singapore, right across the Straits of Johor.

In 1986, barely a year after our first car was launched, we celebrated the official rollout of the 10,000th Proton
The following year, we launched the Proton Saga 1.5l sedan and Aeroback models. By then, over 50,000 units of the Proton Saga had been produced and sold in Bangladesh, Brunei, New Zealand, Malta and Sri Lanka. Soon after, Proton cars were distributed in the United Kingdom.

In 1988, PROTON debuted at the British International Motorshow, walking away successfully with three prestigious awards for quality, coachwork and ergonomics.
In 1996, we produced our 1 millionth.
We progressed towards in-house engine operations in 1989. In our quest to upgrade our technological prowess, a Transmission Assembly Plant was also set up in Shah Alam.
In 1996, we produced our one millionth car. This achievement was buoyed by several significant new model launches including the Proton Tiara, Proton Wira 2.0 Diesel and the two-door Proton Putra, in addition to our existing lineup of the Proton Wira, Proton Satria and Proton Perdana.
In the same year, we acquired a controlling stake in Group Lotus.

Even as the new millennium dawned, PROTON showed no signs of slowing down.
In 2000, we unveiled our prototype CamPro engine at the Lotus factory in Norwich, United.
The CamPro engine is aimed to show PROTON's ability to produce engines with good power output and meet newer emission standards. The first model to incorporate the CamPro engine was the Gen•2 which was launched in 2004.
The variants of the CamPro - the CPS and IAFM made their debut in 2008.The CPS was first introduced in the Proton Waja and Face-Lift Gen•2 while the IAFM was incorporated in the new Proton Saga.

In 2008, we launched the latest iteration of our logo, in conjunction with the rollout of our three millionth car.
The new Saga was the first model to use the black and chrome logo.
In 2009, PROTON Edar Sdn. Bhd. and Edaran Otomobil Nasional Berhad entered into a new Master Dealership Agreement to rationalise the sales and services network of our vehicles, to ensure a more efficient nationwide distribution

PROTON further cemented its success with the introduction of its first MPV – the Proton Exora in 2009. The Exora is widely accepted domestically and also in Thailand where the model was recognised in the "Top 10 Vehicles in Thailand" by Bangkok Post newspaper.
With growing concerns with protecting the environment, managing carbon footprints as well as volatile petrol prices, PROTON started to develop its electric and hybrid vehicles. In 2010, PROTON participated in the Royal Automobile Club's Brighton to London Future Car Challenge with the Saga EV and Exora Range-Extender Electric Vehicle. PROTON achieved success at the Challenge when the Exora REEV was awarded the Best E-REV Vehicle.
The following year, the Exora REEV was announced joint winner with the 2012 Toyota Prius plug-in petrol hybrid as the Best Overall Extender Range/Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle and The Most Energy Efficient Multi-Purpose Car-Prototype.
In 2012, PROTON introduced the turbo variant of the CamPro engine; the all-new 1.6-litre Campro Charge Fuel Efficiency (CFE) engine with performance comparable to that of a 2-litre engine. The CFE engine was first introduced in the Exora Bold and Exora Prime.
With the determination to capture international market, PROTON introduced the Proton Prevé dubbed as PROTON's first global car in 2012. In February 2013, the Prevé went on to achieve a 5 Star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) Safety Rating, a historical first for PROTON.

2012 marked a new phase for PROTON. From a Government-Linked Company, the national car-maker is now a private entity following its takeover by DRB-HICOM Berhad. With DRB-HICOM's experience as Malaysia's largest manufacturer of automobiles, the company is confident in transforming PROTON and also LOTUS as globally-recognised automotive players.
To reiterate the company's commitment, PROTON successfully launched the Prevé in Australia, Thailand and Brunei within months after the official launch in April 2012. Group LOTUS launched the LOTUS Originals flagship store in Regent Street London and the new Exige S in July 2012. At home in Kuala Lumpur, LOTUS Cars Malaysia in January 2013 opened its first Flagship Showroom and Centre in Sg Penchala and introduced two new cars to Malaysian customers – the Exige S and the Elise S.
In December 2012, PROTON acquired all engine technologies and knowledge developed by PETRONAS since 1997, a significant milestone which signified more exciting things for PROTON moving forward.
With the acquisition, PROTON now have ownership of a more powerful yet fuel efficient family of naturally aspirated and turbocharged 2.0L engines, as well as a 2.2L turbocharged version to complement its existing CAMPRO engine line-up. This move also ensured that the PETRONAS-developed engines will remain Malaysian and for the Malaysian people to experience and enjoy through the introduction of the engines in PROTON's existing and future models.
Additionally, the agreement gave PROTON access to the Spray-Guided Gasoline Direct Injection technology, which was co-developed by PETRONAS Research Sdn Bhd with a well renowned engineering firm. This technology, which helps increase engine performance and improve fuel efficiency drastically, will propel PROTON to a different playing field, to offer its customers exciting and competitive vehicle line-ups in the future.
Today, we are constantly seeking progress that drives PROTON as a brand that encompasses not only making the best quality cars, but embracing the values that comes with it.
- See more at: http://corporate.proton.com/en/About/Brand/History.aspx#sthash.W5ZVTpsL.dpuf