Editing Proton Holdings (section)

=== 1990s ===

[[File:Proton Saga Iswara (saloon) (front), Serdang.jpg|thumbnail|right|The [[Proton Saga (first generation)#Second Iteration (1992–2003)|Proton Saga Iswara]]{{Broken anchor|date=2025-05-11|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Proton Saga (first generation)#Second Iteration (1992–2003)|reason= }} saloon, widely used as Malaysian taxis in the 1990s and early 2000s.]]
On 15 August 1992, the [[Proton Saga Iswara]] was launched. It shares the older Mitsubishi platform used in the original Proton Saga, but its exterior and interior styling are unique to Proton. The Saga Iswara was widely used as taxicabs in Malaysia during the 1990s and 2000s, and many continue in service.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

[[File:1996 Proton Wira (C90) XLi sedan (2010-07-30).jpg|thumbnail|left|The [[Proton Wira]] saloon. Over 952,216 units were sold in around 65 countries worldwide.<ref name="Proton sales milestone"/>]]
On 21 May 1993 the [[Proton Wira]] was introduced. It is based on the fourth-generation 1991 [[Mitsubishi Mirage#Fourth|Mitsubishi Lancer]] and was sold in a four-door [[sedan (car)|saloon]] guise at launch. The Proton Wira Aeroback, a five-door hatchback variant featuring a Proton-designed rear-end joined the range in 1993. By 1996, the Wira saloon and hatchback shared six different engines, all of which were sourced from [[Mitsubishi Motors engines|Mitsubishi Motors]]. The engines included the [[Mitsubishi Orion engine#4G13|4G13]] 1.3L and [[Mitsubishi Orion engine#4G15|4G15]] 1.5L carried over from the Proton Saga, the newer [[Mitsubishi 4G9 engine#4G92|4G92]] 1.6L, [[Mitsubishi 4G9 engine#4G93|4G93]] [[Overhead camshaft#Single overhead camshaft|SOHC]] and [[Overhead camshaft#Double overhead camshaft|DOHC]] 1.8L and the [[Mitsubishi Sirius engine#4D68|4D68]] 2.0L [[diesel engine|diesel]]. The Wira was the first Proton car to be produced in [[Left- and right-hand traffic|right-hand drive (RHD) and left-hand drive (LHD)]] configurations, and remains the only Proton car to have been available with a diesel engine.<ref name="Proton Export 2"/>

[[File:2002 Proton Satria (C90) GTi hatchback (8085417900).jpg|thumbnail|right|The [[Proton Satria#Satria GTi|Proton Satria GTi]], widely regarded as the best Proton car ever produced.]]
Proton launched the three-door [[Proton Satria]] hatchback in 1994 and the two-door [[Proton Putra]] [[coupé]] in 1996, both of which are based on the Wira platform and powered by the same range of Mitsubishi engines offered in the Wira, except for the 2.0L diesel. The Proton Wira, Proton Satria and Proton Putra were exported and marketed across the [[European Union]] and Middle East during the 1990s. The [[Proton Perdana (first generation)|Proton Perdana]], a premium D-segment saloon, was launched in 1995. It is based on the seventh generation [[Mitsubishi Galant#Seventh generation|Mitsubishi Eterna]], introduced in 1992, and was fitted with Mitsubishi's [[4G63T|4G63]] 2.0-litre [[straight-four engine]]. It was also offered with the superior [[Mitsubishi 6A1 engine#6A12|6A12]] [[Overhead camshaft#Double overhead camshaft|DOHC]] 2.0-liter [[V6 engine]] after 1999. The Perdana remains the only D-segment, V6-powered car to be commercially produced by Proton. A [[Citroën AX]]-based 1.1-litre five-door [[supermini]] called the [[Proton Tiara]] debuted in 1996. It was the result of a joint venture between Proton and [[PSA Peugeot Citroën]], a collaboration which was later abandoned after the death of Proton's then CEO, [[Yahaya Ahmad|Tan Sri Yahaya Ahmad]] in 1997.

[[File:2003-2010 Proton Perdana Executive V6 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (01).jpg|thumbnail|right|The [[Proton Perdana (first generation)|first generation Proton Perdana]], then the company's most premium offering.]]
On 30 October 1996, Proton acquired an 80% stake in the British company, [[Lotus Cars|Lotus Group International Limited]], valued at £51 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/information/press/press/press1996/reuter.html |title=Lotus Purchased by Proton |publisher=Reuters, Archived at sandsmuseum.com |date=30 October 1996 |access-date=10 March 2013 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714192311/https://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/information/press/press/press1996/reuter.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The controlling interest was purchased from A.C.B.N. Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, a company controlled by Italian businessman [[Romano Artioli]], then also the owner of [[Bugatti]]. By 2003, Proton's stake in Lotus was increased to 100%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.protonbrunei.com/about-proton/ |title=About Proton |publisher=protonbrunei.com |access-date=10 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523104842/https://www.protonbrunei.com/about-proton/ |archive-date=23 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lotus has been involved in the development of suspension and handling elements of all Proton cars launched since 1996. The [[Proton Satria GTi]], widely regarded as the best Malaysian car ever produced, owes much of its success to Lotus' contributions.<ref>{{cite web |last=Walker |first=Steve |url=https://cars.uk.msn.com/features/the-worlds-greatest-cars-by-country#image=23 |title=The world's greatest cars by country – Proton Satria GTi – Malaysia |publisher=[[MSN]] (UK) |date=29 January 2013 |access-date=10 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224103748/https://cars.uk.msn.com/features/the-worlds-greatest-cars-by-country#image=23 |archive-date=24 February 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>