The Proton Saga was the first Proton model, based on the Mitsubishi Lancer Fiore. It rolled off the Shah Alam assembly line for the first time in September 1985. The 100,000th Proton Saga was produced in January 1989. It remains the top-selling model even though newer, more advanced models have been launched. There have been a few other face-lifted models: Proton Knight, Proton CARES and Iswara Aeroback, Iswara Limited Edition (painted in light purple with power steering and sporty exhaust note). This model is extremely popular with taxi drivers in Kuala Lumpur who repaint the vehicles red and white.
The Proton Saga Iswara is commonly used as taxicabs in Malaysia.
The Proton Saga Iswara is a face-lifted version of the Proton Saga; originally launched in 1992 and is still one of the top selling models for Proton in 2004 because of its low price. In past decades, this model had been well known for its low fuel consumption. However, with the advancement of technology Iswara has lost in this field. Sometime in 2005, the Saga Iswara was facelifted again and renamed back to the Proton Saga. This new version featured remodeled headlamps both front and rear. It also had an Audi TT-inspired dashboard and 1st generation Lotus Elise-derived dashboard display. In 2006, the Saga was facelifted yet again to include a new wau grille to match the rest of the family.
The Proton BLM (Base Line Model) is a Proton model in the form of a subcompact four-door sedan, replaced the original Saga series and assume the Saga name. The car is launched on the 18th of January 2008.
