Shah Alam, 3 October 2008 – Proton Holdings Berhad received over 251,000 entries for the Proton MPV Naming Contest when the contest closed at 12 midnight on Tuesday, Sept 30th. The contest, which was launched on Sept 8th, consistently received about 11,000 entries daily.

The nationwide contest, reminiscence of the naming competition for its first car, the SAGA, was part of Proton’s effort to let Malaysians to come up with a name for the MPV and be part of the company’s 23 year history.

The contest, which was opened to all Malaysians 18 years and above, allowed entries to be made through SMS and online website. Part of the proceeds from the SMS entries will be donated to charities. The grand prize winner of the contest will receive the Proton MPV, while two runner-ups will each get a trip for two to Lotus UK, worth about RM15,000.

Proton has engaged professional auditors to audit the selection process to ensure the contest’s transparency and integrity. Winners will be notified sometime this month.

The Proton MPV is slated to hit the local market in March next year, specially designed for the driving comfort of Malaysian families by offering bigger legroom and luggage space

Proton,s Managing Director, Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said the contest was Proton’s way in sharing the company’s excitement with all Malaysians for its latest ‘bundle of joy.”

“This is a historic moment for us and we would like the public to play a big part in naming the new MPV,” he added.

Dato’ Syed Zainal said the Proton MPV would be a new market segment the company and was confident that the public would accept its “new baby” with open arms and believe that this MPV fits well with Proton’s aspiration to build the ‘right car for the right market at the right price’. “We hope the MPV will be Malaysia’s Preferred Vehicle in terms of style, price and utilization,” added Dato’ Syed Zainal.