Ready to Divorce, Lotus Find Replacement Proton

A hot issue revolving around the relationship back to Lotus and Proton. Now, Lotus CEO, Dany Bahar reportedly is seeking a new investor to break away from the Malaysian carmaker, Proton.

Even Bahar was reportedly looking for investors for Lotus since 2011 last summer and became stronger after Proton was taken over by a conglomerate of Malaysia Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary which makes the fate of so vacillating Lotus and Proton new directors had already said it would open the option to sell Lotus.

But to take the Lotus of Poton, estimated to need up to U.S. $ 792 million or around Rp 7 trilin. A rate is high, even for the class Lotus though.

Proton itself has a Lotus since the mid 90s. And not long ago, Proton is a shareholder of Lotus’s hand turned into a conglomerate Malaysia Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary of state-owned company Khazanah Nasional Malaysia Berhad which releases approximately 42.7 percent stake in Proton.

To redeem these shares, Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary who bought Proton DRB-HICOM through his company to spend up to U.S. $ 411.9 million and made this purchase to be a new record in Malaysia automotive world. Lotus plans to sell the car brand that could indeed happen.

Especially after a report stating that Lotus will not provide benefits for Proton since purchased in 1996 and 2014. Lotus is first used by James Bond car was bought by Proton since 1996.

But since then until today, Lotus does not provide financial benefits for Proton and even by the year 2014. Lotus is currently only able to sell only about 2,700 cars per year.

Even in the fiscal year ended last March 2011, Lotus posted a loss of up to 26.1 million, or twice the loss the previous year. Proton itself for Malaysia is a symbol of industrialization.

Since the Proton stand also enjoy the various facilities of the Malaysian government and on the other hand, beyond the manufacturer’s rated ‘difficulties’ that much, so hard to grow in Malaysia. Proton likely reluctance to release Lotus is not related to income, but access to technology where Japanese automakers such as Mitsubishi has limited their technological cooperation with Proton.

To that end, Proton need a car manufacturer that already has the technology and history like Lotus to slowly adopted technologies at their disposal. Proton repeatedly denied any intention to sell Lotus to the other party.