Is this a Proton Exora Hybrid demonstrator vehicle?

Is this a Proton Exora Hybrid demonstrator vehicle?
Click for enlarged image

This is a covered up Proton Exora snapped by reader Zai today on the North South Highway near the Proton City exit. Looks quite normal actually even down to the wheels, until you look at the side where you begin to notice some livery.

According to Zai, the livery had a big ‘hybrid’ word. I can’t really see it in these photos but considering the light green and light blue stripes that we can see as part of the livery, it kinda fits the hybrid theme. I guess this means that a hybrid Exora is now here in Malaysia. Proton revealed in the past that a hybrid Exora had existed in the UK and that it would eventually bring it back here to Malaysia.

A promotional poster at Proton’s recent 25th anniversary dinner (available below) reveals more details on Proton’s alternative fuel vehicle endeavors.

Is this a Proton Exora Hybrid demonstrator vehicle?
Click for enlarged image

According to Proton, their EV project started in November 2008 with a team of technologists dispatched to Lotus Engineering UK to develop two EV cars. One was a Proton Persona with a longer range, faster acceleration and higher maximum speed while the other was a Proton Saga EV with basic performance for urban city driving needs.

It’s hybrid vehicle efforts started in September 2009, with an Exora-based “serial digital hybrid electric vehicle” demonstrator to be used for performance evaluation, testing and safety assessment. This could be the car we are seeing above?

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • aku noob on Jul 28, 2010 at 8:34 pm

    i’ve seen this truck yesterday…together with saga EV and persona EV…all EV…biler la proton nak jual…tp proton cool!!! :-D

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  • Paul Tan on Jul 28, 2010 at 8:37 pm

    There’s also a Saga EV shown in Indonesia.

    http://oto.detik.com/read/2010/07/27/124726/1407612/965/proton-saga-listrik

    Maybe they’ll show this at KLIMS this year.

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    • Anak Malaysia on Jul 29, 2010 at 11:33 am

      Paul..

      This car they already display at badminton malaysia open recently…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Elvis on Jul 28, 2010 at 8:44 pm

    Proton should merge with Perodua for economic of scale and cost consideration before releasing any new technology such as hybrid. Its just too obvious that Proton alone cannot stand competition in years to come let alone release new technology.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • vbkcheng on Jul 28, 2010 at 9:50 pm

      economics of scale? If they ever now that word, they will never exist at the 1st place…

      The word they know is “kawan-kawan”,adik beradik…, minta tolong…

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    • dickybird on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:37 am

      what economies of scale? they dont even use the same platforms! p1 is desperate for a merger but p2 is not for obvious reasons, THERE IS NO SYNERGY.

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    • Elvis on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:49 am

      Looks like almost everyboyd hate Proton oledi. Perodua also fast becoming most hated car brand. Like my friend alway say, two craps better that one!

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      • ilikeproton on Jul 29, 2010 at 10:37 am

        Should be “almost everybody like proton oledi”

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • dickybird on Jul 29, 2010 at 2:09 pm

          u sure ah? tehn how come most everybody is buying perodua?! u must use the same polling agency as najis.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • really? everybody? prove it!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • just look at thumb up or down…..majority don hate proton..the minority look many bcoz sent many comment…the majority usually just read only minority of majority sent comment…wink

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      • Everybody hate proton oledi? wonder why your comment generally given thumb down rather than thumb up…

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • at least we have the option to choose between two turds.

        at least there would be some sort of competition. imagine if all this while there was no P2. P1 will maybe use H as their benchmark to price their cars.

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        • MoFaz on Jul 29, 2010 at 6:10 pm

          nope, price of saga is way cheaper than myvi. and with myvi price, you could get persona, or add a bit more to get exora basic.

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  • Kenariman on Jul 28, 2010 at 8:57 pm

    Bravo Proton! Look forward for this Green machine on road. Wonder what would be the price? Hopefully it is affordable for us to own…time to reduce some serious carbon count..

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  • and a long waited waja lancer ;)

    http://funtastickodesign.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/panas-spyshots-waja-lancer-di-klia/

    any other info?

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  • i dont like proton cars…but i love the fact tat they do a lots of development(hybrid,ev,turbocharging)…its much better than perodua…

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    • who care!!!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Yr Sister's NONOK on Jul 28, 2010 at 10:46 pm

        Aku PuN!!!!

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Tommy on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:51 am

        Who cares what? who cares about nick dont like proton cars or who cares about proton? I do care about proton cars.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • alldisc on Jul 30, 2010 at 4:25 pm

          i grew up with proton. i do care hell a lot and proud of them. even though they let me down one too often…. :|

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • frossonice on Jul 29, 2010 at 2:54 am

        Well, I care. And a whole bunch of people out there do care too. Furthermore, if you don’t really care, you won’t be wasting your time complaining it here. That means, YOU DO CARE!

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • dickybird on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:39 am

      the whole point of development is so you can put something out there that will sell and justify the money put into development! ppl in companies dont put money into development for the sake of it.

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      • Tiadaid on Jul 29, 2010 at 11:36 pm

        Then what about all the concept cars that other companies made almost every year without even putting into concept?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • dickybird on Jul 30, 2010 at 4:22 am

          concept cars put into concept?!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • Tiadaid on Jul 30, 2010 at 12:15 pm

            Then what about all the concept cars that other companies made almost every year without even putting into production?

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • alldisc on Jul 30, 2010 at 4:28 pm

            a concept car does not necessary goes into production. just the ideas of it. maybe the dashboard design. or the headlamp look. or concepts like blind spot system.

            do understand the word of concept first.

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  • New Waja replacement model Spyshot…confirm it a lancer :) http://funtastickodesign.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/panas-spyshots-waja-lancer-di-klia/

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    • lol the Clarion radio already gave a big clue that IT IS A PROTON.

      most likely this is the Waja replacement in disguise as a Lancer. but i really hope they put a new face instead of Lancer’s.

      and i hope they use a 5/6 speed manual GB or a 5/6 speed tiptronic GB instead of that boring mitsu CVT.

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      • I swear I’m going to be a P1 basher forever if they still use the inferior one size fits all 4 speed Mitsubishi AT in the new Waja.

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      • yeah…agree…
        i know it should be lancer based waja…
        but hopefully they do change the front or rear so that it doesn’t assemble so much as lancer…
        like Myvi badged from Passo…they does look different both..is it guys?

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    • Maybe the exterior will have some changes to look not 100% Lancer.

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    • excited n frustrated at the same time coz its a lancer n what the hell is proton doing? rebadged a lancer than slapped the proton logo? c’mon proton, be original with ur design… other car makers (eg. hyundai n kia) are going up the hill, but proton is going down. we as malaysian trying our best to support u but this is what we get. cheapo version of lancer.

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      • luristvan on Jul 29, 2010 at 11:13 am

        that why it cal rebadged.

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      • it is a rebadge la bro…
        but proton should have their own identity on their lacer based waja…
        at least hopefully they make the front and the rear look different than current lancer…

        like the myvi and viva rebadged from passo and mira!

        or if not…i think ill be upset…

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      • Tiadaid on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:48 pm

        Wait for the Persona R in 2012. Designed by Giugiaro. This is a stopgap measure because Proton needs to replace low selling Waja, but couldn’t afford to develop new car. I mean, why spend money developing a car for a small market. People are gravitating towards the Persona, Saga & Exora, so that’s where they’re focusing their resources. This car is just to grab a small piece of the pie.

        Besides, the Peugeot 107 is basically a rebadged Toyota Aygo. Or was it the other way around? No matter, it just goes to show that even bigwigs rebadge from time to time, especially for niche car. At least Proton have designed some cars on their own, unlike the other carmaker…

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        • alldisc on Jul 30, 2010 at 4:32 pm

          the toyota aygo, peugoet 107 and citroen C1 is co-developed by all three manufacturers. its not a case of one re-badging another.

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_C1

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      • other car maker also rebadge other maker cars…..

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    • chyan on Jul 29, 2010 at 3:47 am

      On a second look, with all the stickers and what not, it looks like a Dodge Charger at the front. lol
      Nice stickers Proton.

      http://www.dragtimes.com/images/10461-2006-Dodge-Charger.jpg

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    • PakAbu on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:36 am

      At KLIA?

      CBU from Japan?

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  • Perodua are merely a car rebadge comp , unless they can design a car diff from daihatsu or Toyota . Proton is great but the cabin material quality is really terrible , I wonder why they can’t make quality like Honda or Toyota ? Is it too expensive ? Not capable ? I would pay extra to have that in my persona or waja

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    • boss coffee on Jul 28, 2010 at 10:58 pm

      Hey there, I drove a Toyota Innova yesterday. Knocked on the dash and surprisingly same sound as the Saga!

      I wish they made good dashes like they did back in the 90s.

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    • dickybird on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:42 am

      why pay extra to have proper plastics in your car interior?! it isnt something they have develop from scratch to have, they get it off the shelf, no? so why wait, just pay extra and get it from honda or toyota, bah.

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      • frossonice on Jul 29, 2010 at 3:02 am

        Well, I may be bashed here by stating my opinion. What the heck…

        What is it with people and plastics in the car’s interior? Most of us will get into the car and drive (like drone, that is). You won’t lick the plastics and certainly you won’t bang your head or knock on it EVERY time you’re in the car. If you want something soft and cuddly, stick persian carpet or astroturf on them plastics.

        It is not as important as say… ride and handling or fuel efficiency.

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        • protonlover on Sep 24, 2010 at 10:30 am

          I agree..ride and handling or fuel efficiency plus safety are more important..
          Proton handling is better nowdays.. but still need more improvement on other areas..

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  • botak on Jul 28, 2010 at 10:09 pm

    wait 4 its perfomance test..

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  • waklanproton on Jul 28, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    waja replacement panas…….
    countdown starting now!
    yehhaaa!!!

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  • mosar on Jul 28, 2010 at 10:50 pm

    this news is obviously overshadowed by the spyshot of the [email protected] that it could be the the final product design, since that there’s only 2months left to go ebfore the official launch..

    Paul, you did not comment nor post anything about it yet, because of embargo / non-disclosure agreement perhaps?

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    • Paul Tan on Jul 29, 2010 at 2:26 am

      Nah, i am not aware of any prelaunch media activities for any future proton cars right now.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • PakAbu on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:38 am

        How dare these people downvote Paul Tan ?!!

        I’ll upvote you, Paul!

        :D

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
        • yeah…. hail Paul Tan! :D

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          • alldisc on Jul 30, 2010 at 4:37 pm

            paul is keeping mum about launch dates…. ha ha ha

            no offence to anyone. need something to entertain myself!!

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      • mosar on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:10 pm

        prelaunch activities? hrmmmmm…. (reading between the lines)

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    • mosar on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:12 pm

      nowadays with the new models, new techs, rebadging exercises, current development..all these are exciting stuff from Proton nonetheless…anyway Paul, do update us with more info once you’re able to do so will ya.. ;)

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  • to all whom eager to see our Proton Wajalution,click this link..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPSGLzpSeHM

    or if can’t, open youtube and search for proton waja impian 2010..

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  • nipah on Jul 28, 2010 at 11:32 pm

    wake up and look at the new Hyundai cars; technology, price b4 tax and quality !

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    • acerman on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:08 am

      Its up to the consumers. They have the money, they can buy what ever they want. Proton is an alternative to a cheaper car and budget people. People who don’t want to invest much on cars but property. At least Malaysian have cheaper choices inspite of the quality issues, they manage to have a four wheel vehicle in their garage even if it just a 660cc kancil.

      p/s two of the most valuable investments in 10 to 20 years from now are….(guess)

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      • tokmoh on Jul 29, 2010 at 2:45 pm

        Gold and silver? Or property? Oil? Tech industry? BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China and some say Indonesia)?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • corolla_KE70 on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:40 am

      good, then i suggest you move there and buy those cars !! no tax, rite?

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      • autojohndoe on Jul 29, 2010 at 10:58 am

        thats what i keep pointing to those ppl…

        They want the car at their country market price…

        and then, those ppl still want to live in malaysia…

        It is totally not related…

        If they want something, they have to sacrifice something…

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        • dickybird on Jul 29, 2010 at 2:17 pm

          if so, then why is it in malaysia we will soon be paying world market price for fuel to put in super expensive milo-tins like protons?
          i guess if you want to drive a proton you have to sacrifice your brains and money.

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          • Milo tin? really? heh..!!

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          • MoFaz on Jul 29, 2010 at 6:28 pm

            well, you’re the first who have lost brain here.
            do you think it’s cheap to build road, schools & hospitals. heck, where in the world you get outpatient treatments for just RM3?
            even Indonesians and Philippines are paying more for petrol…
            modern countries would have more, or higher tax. Only few, very few countries are tax free. Well, you could try applying for citizenship there but I think they won’t accept you.

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          • autojohndoe on Jul 29, 2010 at 7:07 pm

            If you want to sacrifice your brain and money for a car… its your choice… do i care?

            NO!

            i will choose other things because I know what i want i want in my life…

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          • dickybird on Jul 29, 2010 at 10:48 pm

            @mofaz, quit talking out of your ass and show you are using some brains. how does hospitals, schools and roads pop up when we are talking about high car prices relative to income and skyrocketing fuel prices.
            as for me emigrating, perish the thought.
            but for you, it must feel small to live in this country and be perceived as needing assistance in all matters.

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          • MoFaz on Jul 30, 2010 at 12:33 am

            @dickybird, stop thinking with your dick.

            heck, i don’t need assistance whatsoever.
            my point is, which one is more important in a country? cheap car but expensive house and medical in UK, or expensive car but cheap house, food and basic medical in Malaysia? you also forget that income tax in UK is probably much higher than Malaysia. so, what’s wrong if gov impose high tax for import cars (which the poor couldn’t afford anyway, and you have alternatives P1 & P2) but give subsidies in various other important sectors? well, u can’t get cheap car in malaysia, so you have to migrate. that’s it, really.
            the fact is, the car price won’t be much cheaper even if proton didn’t exist, simply because it would make imbalanced trade or trade deficit. Thailand banned car imports in 1980s because of this. Check Vietnam for example. Vietnam does not have a passenger car brand but the car prices are the highest in the world. we could get cheap car if we could export 10 million barrels of oil daily like Saudi, or (ironically) if Proton could produce & export more than 1 million of car per year.

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          • xvtec on Jul 31, 2010 at 1:07 am

            dickybird..u r suck. look like u r not happy with many things living in Malaysia..not only about proton. Just take ur ass out of this beloved country and to where u would b happy of evrything

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          • dickybird on Aug 01, 2010 at 3:07 pm

            @xvtec, dont embarrass my beloved country with your subpar command of english. or maybe your are happy just being subpar.

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  • Protong planning to mass produce EV Hibrid Cars? If our normal conventional engine Protong cars with the normal battery “kaput” in less than 3 months after purchase, imagine buying Protong cars with more batteries? Ain’t that what they called suicide?

    Protong wanted to enter the EV segment, also means no reduction in tariff barrier for other imported brands of EV Hybrids such as Toyota and Honda that has been introduced in the market years ago.

    With QC/QA like sh*t from Protong, how in the heck the service center all around Malaysia gonna catch-up with the unnecessary work pressure (fixing other defects, while these able car mechanics should be solving engine problems or mechanical problems the least, and not QC/QA problems).

    Conclusion, Protong will need another 25 years of protection with rakyat’s money until they can actually designed a non-defect power window unit. At that time, maybe RM1 Zillion Ringgit has been spent to fatten up the cronies

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • autojohndoe on Jul 29, 2010 at 10:55 am

      Hey,

      Its Mr I-Like-to-Talk-about-Power Window lah aka SY0H…

      Power window
      Power window
      Power window
      Power window
      Power window
      Power window
      Power window
      Power window
      Power window’
      Power window = SY0H

      he has no other point….

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Tiadaid on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:55 pm

        This time he actually have new point! Knowing he’ll surely be bashed if he brings up power window again he brings up the kaput battery issue. Although the only time I saw a Proton battery going kaput was when my friend foolishly left her light on all day….

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • gen2lama on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:56 pm

        u dont know SYOH ka?….the proud owner of Persona & Waja……

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    • NFS4.0 on Jul 29, 2010 at 10:57 am

      I’ve driven a Proton Saga for a year and a half and I haven’t had any problems with my engine or my power windows. Don’t know what you’re talking about.

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    • Still in “takuk lama”? no wonder still talking about the past..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • pro_user on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:09 am

    Well done proton..if only i could own all of their latest vehicles..
    proud to be Malaysian..
    Congratulations!

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  • basically this WRM is a confirm model , there are rumours from insider tell that this is the WRP model. Proton said that the 1st batch of WRP would be a full CBU from mitsubishi and then the 2nd facelift will be a redesign WRP :) this car equip with GEMA engine 1.8 :)

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  • hybrid??? sepatut nyer proton dah buat keluar enjin jenis nie…. mesti ramai orang akan pakai nyer…. safe duit minyak… boole g jalan l;ebih kilometer….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Tiadaid on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:52 pm

      hybrid save minyak kalau kaki tu tak berat…kalau tekan minyak macam pelesit tak jimat jugak!

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      • littlefire on Jul 29, 2010 at 4:45 pm

        Bila Battery hybrid rosak macam mana? Mahal atau tidak tanya Honda hybrid replacement battery and see… Lagipun, battery hybrid biasa pun diimport dari negara lain?

        Pendapat saya, Bio-diesel turbo engine is the best.. Cheap to maintain, lagi power & last longer compare to hybrid. Tak percaya, cari article Civic Hybrid VS Polo Diesel Bluemotion. Siapa menang in the end?

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        • hybrid + biodiesel turbo engine + solar + range extender = ultimate hybrid maybe?…

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • dickybird on Jul 29, 2010 at 10:51 pm

        in the prius, it has a gauge that tells you, your estimated MPG which depends on your right foot pressure. so maybe, the proton hybrid will have this and then semua org akan drive slow to get as high an MPG as possible! kakaka! hilarious!

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  • drMpower on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:30 am

    there are bashers down there, but the number of people that love proton easily outnumbered them.

    kudos to proton and its new management team. pak syed in particular seems to move with times and try to challenge the world. kudos.

    keep it up.

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  • Izhar on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:45 am

    another improvement….although bit slower than other manufacture, but proton still can do it….congratulations proton!!!!

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    • At least proton is better than P2..hybrid in P2??no news..hahaha..
      MyVi replacemnt also dont have any news..if they proceed to this project, maybe their sale drop coz ppl hate the dsgn..

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  • Yes, many people say Hyundai is good. No one denies it but wait until it brakes down after a few month, then you will see that it is more expensive to repair and buy spare parts for it than a BMW!!!. Proton platforms are very well made and are of good technology. Not the best but very good. I believe people must support Proton so they can do better job, after all it is Malaysia’s national car and we can all support them. Just look at Satria Neo, I believe it is the most attractive looking hatch back ever made. Be proud of your own national acr and support it guys.

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  • dzulx on Jul 29, 2010 at 10:57 am

    http://us.oto.detik.com/read/2010/07/26/152042/1406903/965/beli-proton-berhadiah-ipad

    Buy proton free IPAD.. hehe

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  • Mozilla Chrome on Jul 29, 2010 at 11:19 am

    We’re still too far from using this environmental friendly technology..since our gov shows NO effort in reducing tax for hybrid cars and developing this tech..

    Just my 1 cent..

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    • MoFaz on Jul 29, 2010 at 4:46 pm

      Tax for Prius is already reduced long time ago. check la. The price in Japan is after gov subsidy. you think Japan Gov give susbsidy for prius sold in Malaysia?

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      • Mozilla Chrome on Jul 29, 2010 at 11:22 pm

        Just 1 question..how many Prius do u see on our road today? It simply shows that hybrid cars are still unaffordable in our country..

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        • MoFaz on Jul 30, 2010 at 12:01 am

          yeah, it’s unaffordable even if the tax is reduced. hybrid has 50% less tax compared to normal engine.

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        • Tiadaid on Jul 30, 2010 at 7:08 am

          Demand isn’t there. If Malaysians truly wants hybrid cars, then people would buy it despite the price. Then it’ll get the price down

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          • alldisc on Jul 30, 2010 at 5:11 pm

            malaysians are still low on environment awareness. the prius is created to reduce emissions as its main point. low FC is just a bonus.

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        • almost anywhere in the world hybrid car still unaffordable

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  • facebook.com/protonlotusiast on Jul 29, 2010 at 11:19 am

    now exora ev, next exora caldina;)

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  • Raixa on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    Hopefully p1 would change their interior style to a more futuristic design, at least comparable to Prius.

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  • freeze on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:55 pm

    Proton sucks!

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  • freeze on Jul 29, 2010 at 12:55 pm

    Proton does not suck!

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  • New Hyundai Fan on Jul 29, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    JoE, we have been subsidising Proton for many years by paying all the taxes from buying non-national cars for government to support the National Car Project but Proton design & quality are still letting us down. Comparing to the Korea, they are also paying high taxes for foreign cars but their natonal car makers(Hyundai & Kia) did not let them down & have make their brands well known in the world with Hyundai become the 5th largest car maker in the world. After 25 years, Proton is still not progressing much even though has acquired Lotus technology & the world ranking is also poor as compared to Korean car makers. I will support Proton only if it has made a significant improvement which is better than Hyundai & Kia.

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    • gave them a bit more time lah, they have tons of surprise waiting at KLIMS 2010 lol. and secondly, Proton or not, all cars here have tons of taxes. you wanna know something? a high-line Exora without tax is only around RM30k+. while the current pricing is like RM70k+.

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    • MoFaz on Jul 29, 2010 at 5:37 pm

      you think you can be world’s no 1 overnight?

      In order to get economy of scale during initial establishment of their auto industries, Korea has banned import cars. We’ve never went that far to protect Proton. You can still get imported cars here. Yes, they’re taxed, but to be fair… Proton cars would also be much cheaper without tax. Hyundai had also suffered bad reputation in US previously. In wiki: “cost-cutting measures caused reliability to suffer. With an increasingly poor reputation for quality, Hyundai sales plummeted, and many dealerships either earned their profits on repairs or abandoned the product. At one point, Hyundai became the butt of many jokes (i.e. Hyundai stands for “Hope you understand nothing’s driveable and inexpensive”) and even made David Letterman’s Top Ten Hilarious Mischief Night Pranks To Play In Space: #8 – Paste a “Hyundai” logo on the main control panel.” Only then, they began investing heavily in the quality, design, manufacturing, and long-term research of its vehicles. Well, I believe Proton has learned their lessons too… or still learning?

      Yes, Proton acquired Lotus but Lotus didn’t mass produce their cars. Proton bought Lotus to act as their technology catalyst, for R&D. Lotus could help Proton produce new, or better engine and obviously on the car handling. Proton get most of positive feedbacks on car handling category, even in Australian forum.
      To put it in broader perspective, Fiat have Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa in its stable, but does it make Fiat as world’s no 1? Nope!

      The technology used in sport cars are wayyyyyy too expensive to be included into mass-produced cars. The high performance parts would also make car maintenance too costly, and this will definitely deter potential buyers.

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    • Tiadaid on Jul 29, 2010 at 5:56 pm

      How long do you think Hyundai & Kia took to get to where they are now? Don’t you know all the Hyundai cars when they’re 25 years are not as good as today? Don’t talk without knowledge. Hyundai took 25 years to get from bad to good, IN ADDITION to another 20 years of rebadging before that!

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    • xvtec on Jul 31, 2010 at 12:58 am

      In the next 20yrs I dont think you will support Proton.

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  • Tungau A/L Punat (original people) on Jul 29, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    Whatever technologies P1 and P2 using, selling price still suck!!!!

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  • elite on Jul 29, 2010 at 4:42 pm

    quality and safety pun tarak lagi…skarang mau tunjuk EV?

    how hard is it to integrate EV system developed by 3rd party?

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    • yea its hard. you talk like u can do everything.

      can you put an EV motor, synchronized with the main engine, on an existing MPV, without altering the chassis?

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    • Raixa on Jul 31, 2010 at 5:29 am

      Very hard when you have to consider the service, maintenance,build quality etc. Plus, to integrated it into a car is not an easy task when you have consider where to put the battery.

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  • mfahd on Jul 29, 2010 at 5:10 pm

    hopefully the price tag is not rm100k++
    if not,people will go for lancer

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    • i’m sure they will, hybrids are not that cheap. maybe around RM90k-120k.

      unless our govt. puts a lower tax on hybrid vehicles. :D

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    • Farhat on Jul 29, 2010 at 5:43 pm

      People who wants Hybrid for what they are, if Exora is 100K, they would go for it. Lancer is for youth who wants adrenalin while driving and have bad fuel economy, Exora Hybrid is for people who want a quiet, eco and fuel saving drive. 2 different things here, cmon.

      Plus, this would be the cheapest Hybrid in Malaysia. And it can carry 7! Fuck with the Lancer, this is PROTON EXORA HYBRID. Its on this page because people who care and are interested into Hybrids and Proton go on this page. Im not into supercars like lotus, ferraris and lambos coz i know for sure i cant afford them, nor i care so much about them, so i dont click on their page on Paul Tan.

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  • Farhat Haniff on Jul 29, 2010 at 5:30 pm

    Its cool how Proton is coming out with Hybrid models, but just look at Malaysians, sadly, we will not accept original looking vehicles. There will be modifications someplace and somewhere on the car, and this will seriously downgrade its already low performance and theres no point of a hybrid, you’ll be fueling up, racing around town and release CO2 while at standstill in traffic jams.
    Ive lived in Germany for 6 years and ive seen no fascia upgrades or wheel upgrades on current cars. If theres the included 15″ alloys, and no side skirtings, there will be no further upgrade untill the car goes to scrap metal a decade afterwards because people who wants a sportier car dont go for waja-type cars and modify but they would pay extra and go beyond for what they want. And people who purchase superminis because they want to save cash, they really do keep their mindset on saving cash and saving fuel, unlike malaysians.

    We ofcourse do need more and more Hybrids on our shores, it wont change decrease the pollution to a lower level, but it will teach Malaysians on eco-driving, no matter what kind of gas guzzler car they’re driving. This will not just save us from having red eyes, bad sinuses (i got my aweful sinuses and near athsma after being exposed KL pollution when i was younger, and its uncurable and sad) But i dont know if these are possible with our mindset of driving fast, pushing pedal to the metal, “KL DRIFT 2” and whatnot.

    Exora Hybrids = For dads who really want to change and be efficient and defensive drivers. For the new future and the next generation. This may be harsh, but if you want to race, push pedal to metal, u got to be rich enough to rent the sepang circuit for an hour. If you’re driving a modified ugly pink wira, just go crash and burn, i hate these kind of mindset.

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  • fasgen on Jul 29, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    aku pernah baca.. DSZ kata sebagai percubaan exora hybrid akan diguna oleh agensi2 dan jabatan2 kerajaan. sebagao platform utk mempromosi kereta hybrid proton..

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  • Freddo on Jul 30, 2010 at 7:15 am

    PROTON IS NOT A SUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I LOVE PROTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Let’s vote and see how many will support PROTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Bashers!!!!!!!!!!!! Get out of this website.

    Be positive in life. Proton works so hard to improve. We as TRUE MALAYSIANs should support. NOT bashing around and in the end you get BASHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    “£$%^&*()

    KEEP IT UP PROTON – Proud to be a Malaysian – MERDEKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    FREDDO.

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  • zimmer on Jul 30, 2010 at 10:46 am

    Me too Freedo . Even I have bmw , I still love to drive my Saga BLM .

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  • scooobydoo on Jul 30, 2010 at 11:10 am

    Paul, can we do a Price Point vote for the Exora Hybrid to determine what would be the tipping point for consumers to consider purchasing it. Maybe I can suggest;

    a – RM100k
    b – RM101 – 110K
    c – RM111 – 120k

    Bearing in mind that Prius is selling for RM170k and Civic Hybrid at RM129k (both are parallal hybrids while the Exora is a Series Hybrid)

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  • New Hyundai Fan on Jul 30, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    Proton supporters, don’t be too patriotic just because Proton is our national car & we must support it blindly even though its standard is still not up to the level that we are expecting after 25 years of establishment. I owned Proton Wira as 1st car but decided to go for non-national car as 2nd car 7 years ago due to disappointment with its standard after 18 years of establishment. I would have bought Proton car as 2nd & 3rd car if it had reached the standard that is meeting my expectation. Would switch to Proton car now if it had reached the same level as Hyundai now. I would love to see Proton to reach the same level as Hyundai or even T&H, but question is, how long more we can see that happen after 25 years now? Wait for another 25 years, no way man. Does Proton has a target set for when they will reach that level?

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    • dickybird on Jul 31, 2010 at 9:15 pm

      if proton produced a piece of turd, these ppl would sing its praises to high heaven! kononnya we are one of the few carmaking nation, so what!
      the truth is we suck at it and they cant handle the truth. dont ask them when they will no longer need domestic market protection, they dont know and why bother when they keep turning turds and make money!

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    • MoFaz on Jul 31, 2010 at 10:30 pm

      yeah, pray hard for your hyundai to be trouble free ya…
      cost of ownership is one of the major factor why people choose to buy P1 or P2 cars here. once you need to replace parts or repair, you’ll see what i meant.

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      • john doe on Aug 01, 2010 at 2:31 am

        oh yeah….try taking off 1/2 of the import duty…..YES, ONLY HALF, n see hw many P1 n P2 end up in the scrapyard

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        • dickybird on Aug 01, 2010 at 10:35 am

          thailand is moving ahead attracting!
          ford fiesta is being specced with levels of equipment never before seen in its class! ESP in a B segment car while, proton doesnt even have that in its product line.

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          • dickybird on Aug 01, 2010 at 10:52 am

            ford fiesta is being specced with levels of equipment never before seen in its class! ESP and a dual clutch tranny in a B segment car!
            while proton doesnt have neither that in its product line. just who are they building cars for? to sell or just so they can tell the world we can build a car too. heck, a man and his dog can do it in a shed in central england.
            oh wait, that sounds like lotus!

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          • MoFaz on Aug 01, 2010 at 5:10 pm

            haih.. that’s so typical of you dicky.
            looking at others with high respect but looking down at your fellow countrymen. i believe if Persona or Saga produed by Toyota you’d say it’s the best car in its category simply because it’s Toyota. and even if Proton produced car like S-Class, you’ll still say it’s a shit. sooo prejudice.

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          • dickybird on Aug 01, 2010 at 11:56 pm

            so?! what are you waiitng for?! liberalise the car market lah! talk is chaep!

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  • Faisal on Jul 30, 2010 at 3:32 pm

    great! more option for the rakyat :)

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  • aaron on Nov 20, 2010 at 12:56 pm

    when is the new avanza to be launched? Toyota website has masked the avanza.Any idea?

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