Syed Zainal and Lee Iacocca

Syed Zainal, current head of Proton, reminds me of Lee Iacocca. No, not in terms of personality - Syed Zainal is as low profile as Lee Iacocca is outspoken. They’re the same in the sense that both of them were roped in to turn around the fortunes of an ailing car company.

In the eighties, Lee Iacocca saved Chrysler from bankruptcy by instituting heavy cost-cutting measures and introducing new models for the mass market. The K-cars (Plymouth Reliant/Dodge Aries) sold well and put Chrysler back in the black.

So far Syed Zainal seems to be pulling off the same trick. The Persona has finally replaced the Wira as Malaysia’s bread-and-butter car. Although it’s merely a Gen-2 with an elongated behind, it’s what people want: an okay-looking, affordable and spacious everyday drive. No doubt the decision to reuse the Gen-2 platform has helped save a lot of money. Proton now seems to be on the road to recovery.

4 December 2007 | Cars | Comments