Proton is taking a number of phased initiatives under its five-year business plan to face the uncertain economy, the International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) said.

In a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat today, it said the steps included drafting a number of initiatives via its long term development plan.

"These steps are aimed at transforming and strengthening Proton's current and future position to ensure its competitiveness both at home and overseas," it said in response to a question posed by Nasrudin Hassan (PAS-Temerloh).

He had asked of Proton's future outlook following the economic challenges being faced by Malaysia.

MITI said Proton was also implementing various other efforts to strengthen its technical capabilities and distributor network.

"To ramp up sales, Proton plans to introduce several new models such as the the Perdana, Persona and Saga this year.

"At the same, through cooperation with Japanese vehicle manufacturer Suzuki, the company also plans to introduce new models for the domestic as well as regional markets," it added.

According to MITI, the direction of the new initiatives are to enable Proton to enhance competitiveness to face a more challenging market.