The national automotive company, Proton just revealed its latest model called the Persona with the tag line "our pride and joy". I had the opportunity to view it a few hours prior to its official launch. It looked good and priced right.
Almost all media reports and review of the car came with a prophesy : This model will save Proton.
Well, that is for time to prove right (or otherwise).
The fact is, many companies in the automotive industry has done the same to rescue themselves. Some has been successful while others not so. The ones that were successful did not only come out with a winning new car model but also developed a winning new 'mental model'. Remember Nissan before Ghosn? That's right. He came up with not only newer models but also developed a new mentality and culture for Nissan Japan. If anybody thinks that Toyota is the biggest auto company in the world today because it managed to have a string of top sellers, has got it all wrong. Toyota is where it is today because it had a mental model that facilitated the production of winning models. The world renowned TPS (Toyota Production System) is at the crux of it, a winning mental model that was translated into a winning quality and production system.
The new Persona looks good and should be a hit in the local market. But, the problem with Proton is much deeper than poor selling models. It is about its worldview or rather the worldview that the powers that be wants it to have. Proton needs to be run as a business entity. Its people should be made to realize that the country owes them nothing. The world is not interested in its history but only what it can do now and five, ten, fifteen years down the road. It needs to develop new models at every level of its business process.
Go see the Persona. You will like it.
