National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd has expressed interest in purchasing two platforms of successful models from German auto giant Volkswagen.

The Edge financial newspaper quoted a Proton official as saying that the company was interested in Volkswagen's Passat and Sharan platforms, both of which achieved international success a few years ago.

The Sharan is a seven-seater multi-purpose vehicle while the Passat is a saloon model. The source declined to reveal how much Proton would pay for the platforms.

But one industry analyst said buying the two platforms would not address Proton's problem of quickly producing new models, as design and development work could still take a year or two.

The analyst also said that the deal with Volkswagen would not help Proton stop falling sales, noting: "Buying old models and producing old cars just isn't going to stem the decline."

Proton previously said it would continue to initiate and consider various business opportunities and technical collaborations, including those with Volkswagen, but that no deals had been reached with the German firm.

It recently announced a RM12.35 million net loss in its first quarter to June, compared with a profit of RM166.47 million a year earlier.

No drop in car prices

Malaysia on Wednesday rolled out an ambitious automotive policy to enhance the competitiveness of national carmakers Proton and Perodua, and to become a regional car manufacturing and assembly hub.

In a 10-page statement on the framework for the highly-anticipated national automotive policy, the government listed a string of measures to spur further growth in Malaysia's ailing automotive sector.

Proton used to sell six out of every 10 new cars in Malaysia but sales have fallen over the past few years due to growing foreign competition from Toyota, Honda and South Korea's Kia, which roll out new models more frequently.

The president of the Malaysian Automotive Association, Aishah Ahmad, cautioned that car prices would not drop despite the new auto policy framework.

"I do not think car prices will change because a lot of people still have stock at old pricing. If you want to buy a car, buy it now before changes happen," he was quoted as saying by the Sunday Times newspaper.