It’s 2021, but the Proton Wira is still the most stolen car in the country. Here’s why…
Jerrica · Apr 25, 2021 11:50 AM
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According to the Vehicle Theft Reduction Council of Malaysia (VTREC), a car is stolen every 1 hour 15 minutes in Malaysia. This calculates to a total of 20 cars stolen every day in 2020. But what’s more interesting is that the model that ranks the most popular amongst thieves of all time is the Proton Wira.
Nope, the most popular stolen cars are not of premium makes but the Proton Wira whose production ended in 2009. Here’s a little history about the Wira, the sedan was first launched back in 1993, Proton later introduced an ‘Aeroback’ version as well.
Logically, someone who would steal a 16-year-old model will most probably be selling the car for its spare parts. But are the Wira’s spare parts really that lucrative? There is more to it than just the surface that makes the Wira’s spare parts so popular! Read on to find out!
Proton has halted the Wira’s spare part production
According to Proton’s spare parts supplier, demand for Proton Wira spare parts have long been declining. This makes the continuous production of spare parts no longer worthwhile.
Hence, they have halted the production of spare parts for the model and shifted their focus to producing spare parts for newer Proton models.
Plus, there are also plenty of Mitsubishi spare parts on the market that can be used on the Proton Wira. This further emphasises the point that there is no need to continue producing spare parts for the car.
We’re sure we don’t have to explain that the Wira is basically a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer. Since Mitsubishi parts can be used on the Wira, this has allowed many owners the chance to modify their Wiras to look like a Lancer instead.
For example the engine. Many can opt to switch the 1.3-litre naturally aspirated engine in the Wira for either the 1.8-litre Mivec 4G93 or a 2.0-litre 4G63 engine from the Lancer Evolution.
But unfortunately, Mitsubishi too has ceased production of spare parts for the Wira generation Lancer. This has further contributed to the Wira's popularity amongst thieves.
For your information, the Proton Wira is one of Proton’s best-selling models. The company sold 952,215 units throughout the 16 years the Wira was in production between 1993 to 2009.
Spare parts are expensive, even used
As an example, a 1.5-litre 4G15P engine can be sold from RM 1,500 up to RM 2,000. The gearbox, on the other hand, can fetch about RM 1,000 for the manual and RM 1,300 for the automatic unit.
The rear windscreen can be sold for RM 350 while the instrument panel, especially the manual variant with the RPM and speedometer, can have an asking price of around RM 300.
It's worth a lot!
And we’re just talking about the standard instrument cluster, we haven’t yet progressed to the special edition panels like in the 1.8 EXi, Thomas Cup Edition, Special Edition (SE), and more that can fetch up to RM 800.
There are also smaller components such as the door handle that can be sold at RM 20 per unit. So, it is not a surprise at all that the Proton Wira is such a popular target amongst car thieves because of its spare parts.
Like most cars in the 90s, the Wira also uses a knob lock. A thief can easily pull off the rubber lining on the outer window and slide a metal rod and wire into the window slit, then it is a simple matter of poking the metal rod against the lock mechanism until the knob springs up.
Don’t get us wrong! We’re not teaching you how to steal a car, but this is a method that most car users already know of.
What if the car has an alarm? The Wira’s car alarm can be easily disengaged by just removing the fuse under the steering column or in the engine area.
The wiring in a car like the Wira is also easy to understand, unlike modern-day cars that require more wiring for the many electronic systems in the car.
Other than spare parts, the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) has stated once that Proton Wiras are one of the most common cars used by criminals. This is because there are just so many Wiras on the road making it hard to differentiate one from the other.
Don’t believe us? Just Google up the words ‘Proton Wira’ and ‘crime’ and you’ll be swamped with news stories of robberies and other criminal cases involving a Proton Wira. There was even a case where a Proton Wira owner was busted for smuggling 4 cows inside it!
An abandoned Wira just waiting to be taken apart
Proton Wira owner?
As a Proton Wira owner myself, I can understand that reading this article might just raise the anxiety of having your precious daily drive stolen. But don’t fret, there are plenty of anti-theft devices out there that would make your car less appealing to thieves.
There isn’t a time in memory that doesn’t involve staring at cars. After discovering the excitement of watching Schumacher vs Hakkinen, Formula 1 became a major part of life. The love for cars and F1 ultimately led to a job with CAR Magazine. The untimely death of the magazine meant a hiatus from cars at lifestyle women’s magazine Marie Claire before another opportunity came knocking again.
