KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9, 2007 (AFP) - Malaysian automaker Proton's latest car Persona has become its fastest-selling model from the last two decades, boosting the troubled company, a report said Sunday.

Since its launch in the middle of last month, some 14,000 bookings have been placed for the four-door saloon, the New Sunday Times newspaper said.

"So far in terms of response, it has beaten all other models (in Proton's stable). The figure of 14,000 is a lot," Syed Zainal Abidin, Proton Holdings Bhd's managing director, was quoted as saying by the daily.

The Persona, which replaced the 14-year old Wira model, has been touted as the car that will change Proton's fortunes.

But it faces stiff competition from top sellers like Perodua's Myvi, the Toyota Vios and the Honda City, which are in demand and command a better resale value.

The Persona is the fifth new model launched since 2000. It joins a stable that includes the Waja, the Savvy, the Satria Neo and the Gen-2.

Proton has been criticised for a lack of enough new models and poor quality. The firm last year lost its status as Malaysia's biggest-selling automaker to homegrown rival Perodua.

Proton, launched in the mid-1980s to showcase Malaysia's manufacturing ability, has been unable to cope with a wave of competition since the government began cutting protectionist measures several years ago.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently said that Volkswagen was studying Proton for a possible strategic tie-up that could revitalise the Malaysian carmaker.

For Proton, a deal is expected to boost its efforts to reclaim the top spot in the domestic car market and help it get a foothold in the lucrative European market.