Milo tin is a Malaysian
pejorative
A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
used to describe
unsafe or cheaply made vehicles. It is comparable to the slang term, 'deathtrap'.
The term 'Milo tin' originated in the 1950s as a result of shoddy workmanship and cost-cutting measures, in which damaged vehicles were often repaired with recycled
Milo
Milo may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine
*'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg
* ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...
tins as opposed to genuine parts.
The workshops would repaint the tin panels, painting over the word 'Milo'.
When the repaired vehicles became involved in subsequent accidents, the paint surface would scratch off and the word 'Milo' became visible again.
Thus, the term 'Milo tin' was created.
In the 1960s, the 'Milo tin' term gained further popularity as a means of criticism towards the light and flimsy construction of
early Japanese cars.
The Malaysian market had historically been a stronghold for Western car companies, and Japanese cars were initially perceived as inferior and cheaply made.
However, the Japanese cars continued to improve and gained a reputation for quality, reliability, high
fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, wh ...
and value for money.
By the 1970s, the Malaysian market was dominated by Japanese cars, and the usage of the 'Milo tin' term against Japanese cars gradually faded.
In the 1980s and 1990s, 'Milo tin' regained popularity as a discriminatory term towards
Proton
A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' elementary charge. Its mass is slightly less than that of a neutron and 1,836 times the mass of an electron (the proton–electron mass ...
and
Perodua
The (''Second Automobile Manufacturer Private Limited''), usually abbreviated to Perodua (), is Malaysia's largest car manufacturer,
followed by PROTON Holdings, Proton.
History
It was established in 1992 and launched its first car, the Pe ...
cars.
The early Proton and Perodua vehicles lacked modern safety features such as
airbag
An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. Th ...
s and
ABS. The thin construction also drew criticism, and the door closing action produced an unpleasant tinny sound. Newer models have remedied the old problems, and Proton scored its first 5-star
ANCAP ANCAP may refer to:
* ANCAP (commodity standard), based on ammonium nitrate, copper, aluminum and plywood
* Australasian New Car Assessment Program
* ANCAP (Uruguay)
ANCAP (Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcoholes y Portland, Engl ...
safety rating in 2013.
However, the negative stigma persists and the term 'Milo tin' is still widely used on Proton and Perodua cars today.
Milo tin can also be used to describe a cheap car that has been worked on with cheap parts, often with a loud but ineffective exhaust pipe, in a failed effort to make it racing worthy or more aesthetically pleasing. These exhausts at the rear of the car are often larger than the stock exhaust and resemble empty milo tins. The exhausts are derided by observers for simply making the cars louder and not improving performance.
See also
*
ASEAN NCAP
The New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asia, or known as ASEAN NCAP, is an automobile safety rating program jointly established by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP ...
– The agency which assesses crash worthiness for new car models in
ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...
member states.
*
Automobile safety
Automotive safety is the study and practice of design, construction, equipment and regulation to minimize the occurrence and consequences of traffic collisions involving motor vehicles. Road traffic safety more broadly includes roadway design.
...
*
Decrepit car
A decrepit car is a car that is often old and damaged and is in a barely functional state. There are many slang terms used to describe such cars, the more popular including junk car, beater, clunker, hooptie, jalopy, shitbox, junker, and banger ...
*
Lemon (automobile)
In American English, a lemon is a vehicle that turns out to have several manufacturing issues affecting its safety, value or utility. Any vehicle with such severe issues may be termed a lemon, and by extension, so may any product with flaws too g ...
*
Milo (drink)
Milo ( ; stylised as MILO) is a chocolate-flavoured malted powder product produced by Nestlé, typically mixed with milk, hot water, or both, to produce a beverage. It was originally developed in Australia by Thomas Mayne (1901–1995) in 193 ...
References
{{portalbar, Malaysia, Cars
Pejorative terms related to technology
Malaysian culture
Metaphors referring to food and drink
Automotive safety