Proton Saga Hot Wheels toy coming in 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: One of the world’s most popular toy car brands, Hot Wheels, has recently announced its collaboration with the national carmaker Proton. The two iconic brands will be creating a 1:64 die-cast model of the automaker’s first model, the Saga, rolled out in 1985.

The announcement was made by Mattel Inc, the American toy manufacturer that owns the toy car brand and is celebrating its 40th anniversary of Mattel Malaysia. 

The company’s president and chief commercial officer Steve Totzke said the “new Hot Wheels model is expected to start shipping and be sold worldwide by the end of 2023. This timely and meaningful partnership epitomizes both brands’ proud legacy in Malaysia.” This is a part of the company’s continued investment and commitment to its Malaysian operations.

For those who are not aware, Mattel Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MMSB) was established way back in 1981. Located in Penang, the facility is Mattel’s largest Hot Wheels plant globally and supplies flagship Hot Wheels vehicles around the globe. It solely produces Hot Wheels basic singles, which is the brand’s best-selling product.

The original Proton Saga will become a part of Hot Wheels’ singles collection, confirms the toy manufacturer.

The company also announced that the expansion of the plant is expected to be completed in January 2023. Currently, it has an average output capacity of 9.0M (approx) cars per week. The targeted investment in line with Mattel’s Capital Light strategy aims to enhance the manufacturing capacity of the facility along with improving productivity and technological capabilities while reducing costs. The company targets a 20% increase in production capacity by 2025. 

A brief on the original Proton Saga

The original Saga, also known as the Saga Orion, was launched on July 9 1985, by then-prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is one of the founders of the national car brand. Based on the Mitsubishi Lancer sedan, the car was simple in design and interior appointments. It was powered by a 1.3-litre 4G13 carburetor eight-valve, four-popper engine paired with a five-speed manual gearbox.

So, are you eager to get your hands on the OG Proton Saga Hot Wheels? Tell us in the comments.

Also read: Proton announces sales numbers for November 2022