Mitsubishi copied Proton?

Whoa, did I read this right? Proton said, Mitsubishi copied Proton first and made Lancer. Then, Proton copied Lancer to make it better, i.e. Inspira. You copy me, I copy you back.

And even Mitsubishi “top management” said Inspira is better. Whoa.

The exact words are “He said the Waja’s replacement model originally started out as a joint development project between Proton and Mitsubishi Motors Corp three years ago.”

“Started out” alright, but how deep did Proton really go?

Dear Lancer owners, will you ever buy a Mitsubishi again, knowing that they can flush the second-hand value down the toilet any time?