Proton Saga - Facts that make it a legend

Proton Saga, even though the name (and the car) is more than three decades old, it still suits the car perfectly because this model really is nothing short of a saga. The Saga is credited as the first Malaysian car. It was launched in 1985 and is still in production. Yes, it has gone through a host of changes over the years to make up for the customers’ varying demands, but the concept still remains the same - to provide the best and most affordable car in its segment.

Apart from the fact that the Proton Saga still provides a great value-for-money package, there are some other interesting attributes that you should know about, and that makes this car a legend.

The nomenclature

Back in the day when the production of the Saga began, Proton didn’t decide to use the name ‘Saga’ just like that. Since Proton was manufacturing the ‘first Malaysian car’, it was quite sceptical about what to name the car. It had to be a really good one. So, Proton decided to give this responsibility to those for whom this car was built for - the public.

Proton conducted a contest called ‘Name the National Car Contest’ in 1984 which accepted entries from the public to suggest a name for the first made in Malaysia car. There were a plethora of suggestions given by a number of people. However, the winner was Sarjan Ismail Jaafar, a retired soldier, who suggested the car to be named as ‘Saga’. He said that he saw this word while playing scrabble.

Wait, there’s more to it. SAGA stands for Safety, Achievement, Greatness, and Ability. So, even after getting the name from a random person, Proton was wise enough to derive a more relevant meaning from the word at that time.

The first models

Back in 1985 when Proton launched the Saga in the Malaysian market, it was offered in two variants - 1.3S and 1.5S priced at RM 17,575 and RM 19,005 respectively.

The first customer

The first customer of Proton Saga was Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, who is a Malaysian politician and is currently serving as the Prime Minister of the country for the second time. He bought the Saga for his wife Datin Seri Dr Siti Hasmah. The registration number of this car was ‘Proton 1001’.

Promotion as the National Car

After getting the title of the ‘first Malaysian car’, the Saga was also perceived as the National Car. So, Proton decided to use this title for the promotion of the Saga. The promotion involved two Proton Saga cars which were driven across Malaysia and covered a total distance of 4,109 km.

Sagathon Rally 1986

In 1986, a year after the launch of Proton Saga, the Sagathon Rally was organized by Proton and EON. The rally started from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, to Kuching in Sarawak. The motive behind the rally was to let people know that the first Malaysian car is rock-solid. A large number of Proton Saga participated in the rally and all of them completed the rally without any breakdown.

The longest-running production model

Most car manufacturers tend to upgrade or bring in a new/next generation of their popular products within a time span of 5-6 years. However, that was not the case with the Proton Saga.

The first generation of the Saga was an exceptional car, and that’s why it existed for over two decades. During this time, it was upgraded twice - Iswara and LMST - before the next generation Saga stepped in 2008. This interesting journey of the first-gen Saga makes it the longest-running production model sold in Malaysia.

Proton Aeroback and Knight

The Proton Saga Aeroback was created by Proton Malaysia in 1987. This version also sold in good numbers. Two years after the launch of the Aeroback, Proton Knight was launched as a replacement.

Exported to the UK

In March 1989, Proton launched the Saga in the UK. It advertised its models with the slogan ‘Japanese Technology, Malaysian Style’. It didn’t take long for Proton to set the record for the 'Fastest selling new car ever to enter the United Kingdom'. It surpassed its own expectations by exceeding its 12-month sales target within 6 months.

The Proton Saga was such a hit in the UK that it was featured in the world’s famous TV series - TopGear. However, Jeremy Clarkson wasn’t hosting at that time.

A guy named ‘Proton Saga’

Ever since its launch, the Proton Saga’s popularity increased tremendously with time. There’s even a person named after this legendary car. A guy called Proton Saga Kelambu hails from the state of Perak in Malaysia. Apparently, his father was pretty confused with the names, so, he decided to call his son after the national car - the Proton Saga.

Every car has got a history of its own, but the Proton Saga is really something special and a legend not only for the Malaysians but for the entire automobile industry.