Volvo and Peugeot Parent Companies Race to Buy Struggling Lotus Owner Proton

Volvo and Peugeot Parent Companies Race to Buy Struggling Lotus Owner Proton

Published: February 20, 2017 | By: American Luxury Staff

Proton, the Malaysian company that currently owns British automaker Lotus, is for sale by Malaysian corporation DRB-Hicom. Chinese company Geely—which owns Volvo, and is the country’s largest independent automaker—and Groupe PSA, the French company that owns Peugeot and Citroen, are jockeying for the deal. But for their own reasons.

Groupe PSA, a company heavily invested in the SUV and crossover market, is interested in acquiring Proton. Geely is more interested in Lotus, for technological acquisition, and the development of right-hand drive technology for those markets. But Geely may deliver the top bid for a 51% share of Proton this week. Other companies interested in the purchased include Japan’s Suzuki Group, and France’s Groupe Renault, strategically partnered with Nissan, but the other interested companies have dropped out.

PSA and Geely each have their own market interests in acquiring Proton from DRB-Hicom. PSA would like to find themselves with a foothold in the Asian market, with 600 million new potential customers. And Geely, aside from its interest in using the technologies which would be made available through the sale, would offer Proton some of its own, strengthening its future relevance in the right-hand drive markets of Malaysia, Australia, India, and the U.K.

Geely’s interest may originate in the Chinese Government’s interest in strengthening its automaking sector, bringing it into line as a global competitor.

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