Proton to Celebrate Saga's 35th Birthday with Special Edition Model

The 9th of July 1985 will forever be a significant date in Malaysian history as it marks the day our first national car - the Proton Saga, started rolling out of the production line, and tomorrow, the iconic model is turning 35.

In case you didn’t know, the first Proton Saga was based on a Mitsubishi model after the Japanese car manufacturer agreed to a joint venture with HICOM to produce Malaysia’s first car.

It quickly established itself as a favourite amongst Malaysian car buyers and on 16 March 1989, it was even launched in the United Kingdom, where it sold in such numbers that its 12-month sales target was achieved in just six months.

Over the years, even though Proton grew so much from what it was and launched numerous new models, the Saga moniker remained a constant in Proton’s model range.

Known for its reliability and affordability, the new Saga received a major upgrade last August, and received overwhelming response by customers, just like it has always done since day one.

Today, the Saga retains its position as the mainstay of Proton’s range of offerings. Since the launch of the upgraded 2019 model, booking volumes have nearly matched those of the original, which was sold during a time when consumers had fewer options to choose from.

In fact, for the month of May 2020, it was the best-selling car in Malaysia while in June, it reached its highest monthly sales volume in 70 months.

Cumulatively over 1.8 million units have been sold in the last 35 years, meaning the Saga is the most popular model from a Malaysian automotive brand.

With more gradual improvements in the pipeline, a commitment to excellence and the company’s dedication to keeping the Saga ahead of its rivals, the popular nameplate will carry on for at least another 35 years.

So, in case you’re wondering what’s next, Proton will be unveiling a very special edition of the Saga to celebrate the model’s 35th anniversary.

All set to be unveiled tomorrow at 10.35 am virtually via Proton’s official Facebook page, rumour has it that the special model will be called the Saga Black Edition, with a few cosmetic enhancements to distinguish it from the regular Saga.

Excited yet? Log on to Facebook tomorrow and witness the unveiling yourself!