PROTON Unveils its New Logo and Tagline

PROTON cars had earlier today unveiled its new logo and tagline - which is Inspiring Connections. The logo, is a more streamlined version of the outgoing one features only the tiger's head and a change in its angle. Aside from that, the company also outlined its ambition to be a global, modern automotive brand at the event.

Now let's get the usual Thundercars Ho! joke out of the way first. Note that the new logo is a more 2D or two dimensional version of the outgoing logo. These days, everything is simplified and even the new PROTON logo is doing that. Yes, some amy relate it to that nice 1980s cartoon, but the Malaysian Tiger has featured on the Proton logo since the early 2000s and it is actually nothing new. In fact, if you note, the Malaysian tiger is featured on the Malaysian Coat of Arms. So using the head is quite alright in my opinion. And every large corporate company goes through a rebranding exercise every few decades or so.

Anyway,  the refreshed brand underscores the journey of PROTON’s evolution to what it is today. This is especially notable since it announced its global strategic partnership with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2017. This partnership has actually resulted in PROTON’s dramatic improvement in performance across all dimensions  which has allowed them to achieving the No. 2 spot in terms of sales for the year after many years of being in turmoil.

Some other achievements which PROTON had stated includes a36% growth in a market that saw a 5% decrease in total sales, the only major manufacturer to have double digit growth in 2019,  having more than 102 3S and 4S centres  and launching 5 new models in the span of 8 months.

Dato’ Sri Syed Faisal Albar, Chairman, PROTON Holdings Bhd said: “As we unveil our new logo, we are marking the next chapter in PROTON’s journey. Driven by our new ethos, I’m proud to say that the past two years have proven that we are capable of making this journey to becoming a modern automotive brand, a success.”

Dr. Li Chunrong, CEO, PROTON Holdings Bhd said: “For us, branding goes beyond our logo, tagline or colours. It’s about what our company stands for and is known for; it is our company’s commitment to our consumers. This is why we did not rush to launch new branding when we began our journey in 2017, but instead we focused our energy on solving customer issues, making a better product, upgrading our dealer network and restoring customer trust. That is our commitment and our ‘brand’.”

Expect the first new Proton car to use the new logo to be the upcoming locally assembled Proton X70. This will be coming with the new logo, a slight facelift in some styling as well as an engine option instead of only the 1.8liter being offered today. As for the total rebranding of their cars and showrooms, the former will be rolled out when the new models appear and expect the showrooms to feature the new logo within a two year period.

Sometime, a brand needs to regain stable footing before they embark on a rebranding exercise. I believe that while it may be strange to some that they launched their revamped cars first, and then the logo, it was also brought up to us that PROTON actually did a logo change first before coming out with their then Proton Waja sedan. So I suppose that this time, they did launch their revitalised range first before their new logo. 

The New Branding Exercise

PROTON’s new branding is driven by its three core values: innovative technology, reliability and international.

Innovative Technology

PROTON is committed to adopting and equipping its products with the most innovative technology available, incorporating global R&D and Geely’s iNTEC advanced platforms. PROTON products will strive to be equipped with best-in-class technology; a promise already being kept through the new line up of PROTON vehicles which feature the innovative “Hi, Proton” voice controls as well as the Proton Saga being the first vehicle under RM 40,000 to come standard with EBD and ABS safety technology.

Reliability

PROTON’s commitment to reliability means you can always count on PROTON - whether it is your Proton car, or our after-sales service. PROTON aims to do this by improving the quality of our products through the adoption of global standards and best practices, as well as through the training of staff to provide best-in-class service. PROTON is already working hand-in-hand with its dealership network, now with the highest number of 3S / 4S centres in Malaysia (102 in total), to further improve the PROTON customer experience.

International

PROTON’s ambition is to become a truly global brand, and be one of the top three automotive manufacturer in the ASEAN region. To achieve this ambition, PROTON is adopting a global view to succeed as a modern automotive manufacturer that is in-step with global development trends. PROTON will work with global partners, leverage the strength of its world-class supply-chain, attract global talent and adopt global technology to become a competitive global automotive brand.

Dr. Li added: “Today as we unveil a new logo and tagline, we are capturing the new ethos of PROTON and our ambition to become a truly modern, global automotive brand. Our new ethos comprises our core values of always using innovative technology, our commitment to reliability and adopting an international point of view. This stems from our dedication to our work, to our current and future customers, and of course to all of our PROTON employees, stand behind this commitment.”

Dato’ Sri Syed concluded: “The modern automotive industry, like many other industries today, must adopt a global and international mindset. Global partnerships. Global supply-chain. Global standards. Global talent. This is what the PROTON of tomorrow will stand for, and we are proud of our evolution because we are taking the journey to the next level. PROTON will continue making the best cars that meet Malaysian needs, make no mistake, but we will do this as a globally-competitive company.”

The New Logo and Tagline

The proud tiger emblem found on Proton cars will be updated to a more stylised representation, rendered in silver, with a stronger finish to represent Malaysia’s pride. Featuring a new ‘uncaged’ design, the logo features the tiger’s head held high, symbolizing PROTON like an arrow-head, moving forward to success.

Accompanying the new logo is PROTON’s new tagline ‘Inspiring Connections’ which encapsulates the brand’s aspiration of utilising technology and mobility to help make human connections that inspire a successful life.