PROTON has become the first manufacturer in the UK to introduce a free five-year manufacturer warranty for cars. The new warranty (five years/80,000 miles) applies to all models sold through UK Proton dealers since January 1 and is backed by six-year powertrain and bodywork warranties and three years' RAC membership.

It represents a two-year increase over the Malaysian manufacturer's existing three-year/60,000-mile deal, and is the current industry leader for cars. Mazda introduced the option of a five-year warranty for commercial vehicles in 1999, and although manufacturers offer various extended warranty options at extra cost, Proton is the first to offer such cover as standard.

Proton has also introduced three-years/27,000 miles free servicing on all Wira 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre models sold between now and March 31. It follows a rush by many volume manufacturers to increase warranty cover from a year to three years in response to moves by Peugeot and Ford in 2000.