KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — The Malaysian embassy in Santiago, Chile has met the Chilean Taxi Association (Confenatach) to deliberate further on the latter’s request to get Proton Saga cars to be used as taxis in the South American country.

The association is an umbrella body for some 100,000 taxi drivers.

“The meeting held on Thursday was an initiative by the embassy with the support of Proton Malaysia to enhance further Proton penetration in Chile as well as in other Latin America nations,” the mission said in a statement.

The talks were led by Malaysian envoy to Chile Datuk Mohamad Rameez Yahaya and Confenatach president Luis Reyes Castro.

“The association president was optimistic and positive that there will be a collaboration and cooperation between the Chilean Taxi Association and Proton with assistance from the embassy,” the statement said.

Proton was launched in Chile in May 2016, and its Preve model was among the first to be exported to Chile.  It is being distributed by Andes Motor.

“It’s expected that with this momentum, the trade figure between Malaysia and Chile can be further enhanced,” the statement said, adding that bilateral trade worth US$146.9 million (RM602.8 million) was recorded during January-July 2016.

Currently, the car models being used as taxis in Chile are Hyundai, Citroen, Toyota and Nissan.

“With Proton (potentially) coming in and with a more competitive pricing, Proton cars especially the Saga may be widely used as taxis in Chile,” the statement said. — Bernama