Geely And Groupe PSA To Enter Bidding War For Strategic Partnership With Proton And Lotus

Malaysia's Proton Holdings, manufacturer of Proton and Lotus automobiles, looks set to enter a strategic partnership with Volvo’s parent company, China’s Geely, according to a report by Reuters.

Full details of Geely’s bid are yet to be revealed, though it is believed part of the offer to Proton’s current owner DRB-Hicom will include access to Geely’s latest vehicle technologies to help boost the profile of struggling Proton.

In return, Geely would gain access to a broad selection of right-hand drive markets that it currently misses out on, including India, the UK, Malaysia, and Australia - representing a combined sales pool of almost 8 million vehicles per year.

Proton's current range in Australia is limited to the Suprima S hatch (top of page) and Exora people mover (below) with just 182 sales in 2016, down from 421 in 2015.

Geely