Proton's Italian fiasco......

At first, the stake in MV Augusta was like a dream come true for Proton - having acquired world class engineering capabilities in two wheeler production and blending them into Proton's 4 wheel product line up. Vehicles renowned for their engineering prowess would always be the mainstay of Proton - and the move was a baby step forward. Proton endeavours to stay clear of the mass market car concept championed by low cost producers - China.

The strategy turned out to be otherwise. What is meant to be the nation's joy and shareholder pleaser was indeed a loser. Proton has decided to bite the bullet and dispose of its stake in MV Augusta as it was responsible for the bulk of the red ink in Proton. What went wrong here? The inept Augusta's management team to turn around things under the helm of Proton or the hand wringing and prognosticating attitude of Proton team to run full steam? Has Proton managed to learn a thing or two about bike technology during a the short stint to be applied towards car making or are they too engrossed in dressing up outdated car models to rejuvenate customers interest?