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962 views November 9, 2007

Muslim nations planning an ‘Islamic’ car

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Malaysia’s state-owned carmaker Proton has announced plans to form a partnership with companies in Iran and Turkey to develop a new ‘Islamic’ car targeted at Muslim drivers. Some of the unique features being proposed include a compass that points to Mecca and dedicated storage for a copy of the Koran and a headscarf.

There’s been no official word on when the car will be released or where it will be built, only that it will be a global model. According to the BBC, Malaysian dignitaries recently visited Iran to meet with the local officials who originally suggested the idea.

Proton is suffering from flagging sales and an oversupply of vehicles in its homeland and is desperate for a volume export program. Officials are also in ongoing talks with Volkswagen over a possible partnership, however no progress has been made for more than six months now.

Pictured above is the Gen2 hatch, one of Proton’s more recent models that’s has enjoyed only limited success in export markets.