JIS vs ISO, why right-hand drive Protons have signal stalks on the left

Picture this – you were driving a Japanese car all along and recently replaced it with a more modern Proton, only to discover that the right signal has been swapped over, replaced by a wiper stalk instead, resulting in you turning on the wiper when you were supposed to be signalling. 

Why do right-hand drive Proton models have flipped stalks?

The common answer given is that it's because Proton needs to export to left-hand drive markets, but that's only half correct, because even in right-hand drive UK, all new cars are sold with signal and wiper stalks on the opposite sides.

Flipped stalks are a requirement in Europe, as that region follows the ISO standard, while most Japanese cars are developed to meet the Japan Industry Standard (JIS). The former requires signal stalks to be on left, regardless of whether the steering wheel is located on the left- or ride-side of the car.

As a low volume manufacturer, Proton has to choose one standard to follow and it chose ISO.

It started with the Proton Waja (sold in the UK as the Impian) in 2001. Every other new Proton since then (except the Honda Accord-based Proton Perdana, Proton Inspira, and Proton Ertiga) offered flipped stalks. Geely-derived models like the Proton X50 and Proton X70 continued that trend as well. 

Why didn't Proton offer flipped switches from the start?

When Proton first started, their technical partner was Mitsubishi.

In Japan, they adopt the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS). JIS dictates that the turn signal position has to be on the right, while wiper stalk has to be on the left.

This is why domestic Japanese cars have their signal stalks on the right and wiper stalk on the left – completely different from the rest of the world. Outside of Japan, regions like Europe, USA, and China have flipped stalks. 

But when Japan-manufactured cars are exported to the US or Europe, the cars have to comply with local regulations and these cars will adopt the flipped stalks configuration, regardless of whether said car is in a left-hand drive or a right-hand drive format.

Can cars with flipped stalks be sold in Japan?

Although Japan has JIS enforced, the country also recognizes ISO standard, allowing cars with flipped stalks to be sold in Japan.

As such, European marques like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen maintain the flipped stalks configuration for the models they sell in Japan.

Perodua was no exception

As you can tell, this also trickled down to Perodua, as Daihatsu is their technical partner. All Perodua models sold in Malaysia retain the Japanese-style stalks and not flipped stalks like Proton. 

Like Proton, Perodua also used to export their models to the UK. Earlier Perodua models, like the Kancil, which was sold in the UK as the Perodua Nippa, did not offer flipped stalks. Flipped stalks only made their debut in the Perodua Kenari in 2000. 

So the next time you accidentally turn on your wipers instead of signalling, fret not. It's just a matter of getting used to the different layout.