National automotive manufacturer PROTON Holdings Berhad (PROTON) recently officiated the opening of its service outlet which was upgraded to a 4S centre. Mercu Usaha Mesra Corporation (MUMC), who has been a PROTON dealer since 2005 had moved to a new building in Sungai Petani, Kedah, on a 78,000 square feet of land from their former 1S set up under a 2-shop lot unit. The Proton 4S centre is the second centre as such for the Northern region.
“The upgrade to a 4S centre by MUMC is seen as a success story for PROTON in growing the capabilities of our dealers’ network. It is also timely since the Northern region is the highest contributor in terms of sale and volume of Proton cars. By providing facilities such as sales, service, spare parts and spray, or repairs, in one roof, MUMC can help cater to the growing needs of the consumers in the Northern region,” said Dato’ Abdul Harith Abdullah, CEO of PROTON.
This move also bodes well with the recently launched Proton Iriz, the much talked about game-changer in the local automotive industry.
“People have said to me that producing good quality cars do not suffice if we fail to see the much needed improvements in our after-sales-services team, and we agree. Internally, we have talked about improvements done on all levels. Therefore, we are intensifying our efforts to provide quality service and convenience to our customers by making sure our service centres are open 7 days a week in the more urban or busy areas where customers’ trend shows their preference to service their cars on a weekend,” Dato’ Harith added.
PROTON currently has 270 service outlets nationwide with 16 outlets upgraded to 4S centres. For a start, 47 outlets will start opening 7 days a week starting 10 October 2014, whilst the rest will follow suit by January 2015, gradually.
“One of our biggest challenges in this industry is the use of fake PROTON parts in our cars when customers choose to service their cars at unauthorised service centres. This can damage the car, compromise the safety of its occupants and make warranty void if the car is still under warranty. Now that our selected service centres are open 7 days a week, you can be assured the peace of mind,” Dato’ Harith added further.
Customers are advised to call PROTON We-Care at 1-800-888-398 for details of the participating service centres nearest to them or visitwww.proton.com for the list of participating service centres. As higher volume of customers are expected during the weekend in some areas, customers are advised to make an appointment.
