Malaysian car maker Proton makes foray into Kenya

[divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″][dropcap]M[/dropcap]alaysian car maker Proton has shipped its first batch of cars to Kenya  a move that Deputy CEO  Dato’ Radzaif Mohamed says will boost the value of trade between Malaysia and Kenya and help to contribute to the creation of jobs in Kenya’s automotive industry.

Consisting of 30 units of the Proton Saga, the cars were shipped as CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits and will be assembled by Simba Corporation (Simba), a diversified conglomerate with a long history of sales and assembly experience in the automotive industry.

 Assembly of Proton vehicles to help spur Kenyan manufacturing activities

PROTON’s decision to export the Saga in a CKD format was made following close consultation with its Kenyan partner, Simba. Aside from attracting lower taxes by being locally assembled, CKD units will help spur development in Kenya’s automotive manufacturing industry.

“While strengthening PROTON’s domestic position is critical to truly be acknowledged as an international car maker, we need to see our products in places as diverse as Bangkok, Islamabad, Cairo and now, Nairobi, said Mr Mohamed.

The guest of honour for the ceremonial flag-off ceremony was the Kenyan High Commissioner for Malaysia, His Excellency Mr. Francis N. Muhoro.  During his address, Mr Muhoro explained how his country has a look East policy and his wish was for more Malaysian companies like PROTON to discover the investment opportunities in Kenya.

“Malaysia and Kenya share many similarities, from a colonial past to our efforts in developing our nations. PROTON’s entry in to the country is not just as an entry in to a market of 51 million people but it is also a gateway to a potential market of 1.3 billion inhabiting the African continent. Therefore, I am hopeful this will be just the start of more trade between our two nations,” said His Excellency.

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