At Proton’s recent Kuala Terengganu sales carnival, we had the chance to sit down with deputy CEO Datuk Lukman Ibrahim for a short chat, during which he talked to us about export plans and performance, the upcoming P2-30A Global Small Car and the general improvements that have been made at the national carmaker of late.
Regarding Proton’s plans to re-enter the UK, Lukman confirmed the Preve, Exora and Suprima S as the three new models that would spearhead the revival there. We reported previously that the brand’s relaunch was expected for December, and that British sales had not been encouraging due to the lack of new models.
“In terms of product development, our technical team are due to give me their readiness and availability report, while our commercial team are now working on price positioning and the level of advertising and promotion,” Lukman said. “We hope to resume operation (in the UK) within this year.”
The deputy CEO also indicated that the much-talked about six-speed manual gearbox (which has been announced for Australia from 2014) will be paired with the turbocharged 1.6 litre CFE engine rather than the non-turbo CPS and IAFM mills (for which five-speed manuals are already available).
This 6MT-CFE combo will be introduced in developed markets, including the UK. It’s definitely in the plans for Malaysia; what’s not so definite at present is who will get it first or when.
Where overseas sales are concerned, Proton is currently shifting over 1,000 cars a year in Indonesia. In Egypt, annual sales were previously around the 3,000 mark, but this has fallen in recent times to about 1,000, due to the unrest in the nation, Lukman said, adding that Brunei has registered a high growth rate for the company, although sales numbers there are small in comparison.
The much-anticipated Global Small Car (GSC) is expected to launch in Malaysia sometime around April. Lukman revealed that the vehicle has been designed with the intention for export, and will have features that meet international requirements (spyshots have revealed an ESC button on the vehicle’s dashboard).
Will it be an Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV)? “We are trying to meet the requirements,” answered Lukman. “But even without the EEV (policy), it’s the trend for manufacturers to come up with more fuel-efficient vehicles, (and this is) the direction that Proton is taking as well.”
What kind of engine would the GSC have? “In terms of a solution, I think it’s very much optimised,” was Lukman’s cryptic reply, leading us to suppose that an “optimised” version of an existing powerplant could be used for the B-segment hatch.
The legendary Proton Satria Neo S2000 rally car, of which we’ve not heard news for some time, has apparently been put on the back burner, if not retired altogether. “We are reviewing that (rally) programme in the long term,” explained the deputy CEO.
“We need to study (it) further, maybe by this year we’ll have a clear picture of our position in the context of (Super 2000) or even races outside of Malaysia.”
Meanwhile, improvements have been made in product quality and after-sales, according to Lukman. The implementation of a “cross-functional team” – one in which data regarding customer complaints are shared between Edar and manufacturing – has been beneficial to customer service and problem-solving, he said.
“The trend of complaints have reduced and the closure of problems have been very much effective, with fewer outstanding, unattended and vehicle-off-the-road issues,” said Lukman. He added that the increased availability of data has also made it easier for management to make decisions.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
neo shud be eplaced with proper performance tuned cfe 6mt while improving fc.
A big yes
agreed and preferably with better interior space as well.
Lukman, tak malu ke nak re enter UK market. Already fail gila gila there. Malu betul. Rated the worst car and the worst quality ever by all the mags, Jeremy Clarkson, Vicky Butler Henderson and every car reviewer.
That also, Proton hantar the EXPORT model which is much higher quality that the local models for the rakyat of Malaysia. So, if the EXPORT model can fail gila gila, what are we getting in Malaysia for our own rakyat Malaysia?
Nampaknya BN betul betul Prihatin dengan Rakyat Malaysia sendiri!
Dey, sbb Proton fail gila2 kat UK tu lah dia nk export keta Suprima S, Exora, Preve dgn GSC tu.
Orang putih mmg bnyak mengada, kita duduk reban ayam pun boleh hidup. Tapi mana ada keta luar negara lagi kualiti, sama jelah?
Face lifted Satria Neo, upgrade suspension, put in CFE engine with 20% extra torque, 6 speed manual.
Boy racers everywhere rejoice! Car clubs will flourish. A genuine car we can be proud of, no need wiralution/wajalution.
i think they will focus on suprima 6mt-cfe ?
more cost effective to them.
and make all the wheel driven by the engine also a bit better. :D
You received lesser complaints, not bcoz your product quality improves….
but merely customers got FED UP coz:
1- No action taken
2- Still repeat the same mistake, 7-8 times
3- No improvement or increase in quality
4- Proton service is sooo bad, customers just dont care and will buy other product as next car n dont bother complaining
5- Your organisation DO NOT HAVE the RIGHT CUSTOMER ORIENTED ATTITUDE…..
6- All complaints were just rubbished away by the Branch Manager…..
7- “ala bang, biasalah kereta Proton memang macam ni….” familiar with this statement from the service advisor, technician etc……
pity…
Since 1985 basically nothing improved except those UMNO BN cronies.Ripped off the nation and luxury of owning a quality cars.
I wonder why this company still exist.Young ppl should stop supporting this crappy cars.
Since 1985 till present only invented rubbish cars but sold at wooping price.
Apa rakyat didahulukan?Rakyat ditipu but then there are some fools will say PROTON is the best.Malaysia does not need a national car…it needs a proper education and transportation system.
hak alahhh politik lagi, aduiii asal cta kereta je nak campur politik. adui semak la camni politik je memanjang. Mak dah pesan jgn main internet banyak sangat.
because our car maker is deeply involved with the government all these years. Kami tak mau campurkan Proton ngan politik tapi dari segi realiti, Proton selama ini telah menjadi projek gomen. Macam mana nak mengasingkannya?
You are moron arn’t you Panda? Proton survived SOLELY based on POLITICAL protection. Proton is not a business entity anymore, it has become a political tool. Next time study more, less Malay drama. FYI I am a Malay myself, so no racism here.
what political protection? its the National Automotive Policy lah. say if proton close shop, not only malays, but also chinese and indians proton employees also will lose their job. and then what car they can buy if they dont have any jobs at all?
good car with good chasis. need an improvement in engine department..and maybe interior space n design.
We need a totally brand new 3rd Gen Satria….
yes we need. but i would like to have a neo with cfe manual..
neo is a good car..just that less power..
ALSO, PLEASE CUT OFF SOME WEIGHT OF NEO!!!
And the price too…
1.2 tonne is suit for neo… if less than it like vios weight, sure it can terbang maa
THIS! Plus an improved interior design. If it’s under 65k, I’ll consider it.
As for the current Neo R3, hopefully Proton’s R3 division could offer transmission upgrade to 6MT for it.
Proton really needs to do facelift (if not entirely new) Satria Neo. Yeah, I know Proton’s budget are currently focusing on Suprima S, GSC and Perdana replacement. But since Satria Neo has already opened global eyes in S2000 class rally, the need for facelift or refreshed version is there so that rally team can bring Proton’s name to shine.
Imagine how many accidents this will create.
So again better specs for the rest of the world while Malaysians get the leftovers? It used to be safety specs, now it’s the 6-speed manual too?
Come on Proton, think different.
Bro, take a chill pill.
Just for your information, among all the B & C-segment cars currently on sale in Malaysia, only a handful come with a 6 speed manual option. Some cars don’t even get a manual transmission option at all ! Or if they do, it is the bajet, milo tin spec like the Vios J !
The opposite is true for the U.K.. People there still like manuals, especially 6 speed manuals. Proton is just allocating the resources to cater for the market in need most. I’m sure we will get the 6 speed manual too, very soon.
my gen2 cps manual is the top spec version with all the bells and whistles. i hope that they will offer something like that again. a top spec car with a manual. these days, too many car companies are using the manual as a budget offering. understandably allocation of resources to areas of need is important but this is its home market.
You know, he didn’t say that Malaysians won’t get the 6-speed manual.
Close ratio?
selling 1K unit only! LOL!
they really dont understand what developed market wants! since we wont buy protong either locally if its a fair game.
The total sales figure combine for World wide is nothing to shout about, it is probably in the region of 0.01 per cent.
However with the incoming ‘GSC Model’, Proton might conquer European market by ‘storm’ just like when Hyundai introduce the Hyundai Getz model and became quite popular in Europe. Can Proton do it to make the Proton bashers at home to ‘kecut’?
Dulu pun Preve tu cakap Global car..tapi..
Nowadays every new launch..Global small car..Global C-Segment..
In reality.. been driven by local only..
Conquer Europe market? LOL!! are you serious? it will be a problem if you are serious…sorry mate….
When you live overseas, the car price is …CHEAP, and hence the competitive is higher…with HIGHER standard.
1) Fuel Consumption
2) Safety
3) CO2 emission
4) lastly…technology..Hybrid, Diesel..
Now you tell me which part of Protong can compete..
UK sale about 2 million each year…1,000 is 0.0005 per cent…
My complaint about Exora Bold not resolved after 1 year plus.. are they serious? or just gimmick?
Which parts did EB did not solve? I ve changed 16 warranty items and there are few twitches to be done, mainly the tuning parts.I am pushing them to improve FC to 16km\L. Currently done 14.
Its easy for them to do it but too many Red Tape prevents the progress further.
So….how much time in total you spent to claim the 16 warranty? Are these been claim 1 shot? A reasonable car does not require as much as 16 warranty claim!
So, shall we classify the car as unreasonable car? or not reliable car? Or a car mean to be in workshop but not on the road???
Never ending power window failure. Not resolve till now.
Next is door handle.
Ten years from now Potong will be saying the same thing ” global car, conquer new markets, improve quality”, mark my words…tats the poblem when u dont hire the best…tats wat happens when Potong not protected, they cant even manage to sell successfully in the Uk market after o many bloody years
you left out, they will said restructure again, and new strategy again..forever…
heavy exora cfe need manual 6 spd.
Enough Proton!
I don’t need to self hypnotised to love Proton to show my patriotism. Crap is a crap.
The Korean and rhe the China cars all here loves to bash move on much further than this 30 yrs history junk company.
I really wish Proton could just hurry up an launch the Prevé and Suprima S in China.
Still no news on a production ready Left-Hand Drive Prevé/Suprima, what is Proton doing all this while ? The good ‘ol Persona and Gen-2 were launched berlambak-lambak in the Middle East and China.
I sincerely hope Proton can launch the new range in China by this year. Also, they should consider building a plant in Brazil for the South American markets and Turkey for the Middle East.
Only exporting will save Proton now.
Seriously? more launch and build more plant? come on dont burn any more tax money.
5 speed oledi slow poke. Mau 6 speed lagi?
ya..should upgrade to 4 speed.
Proton should continue its rally program.. it is one of the (very) few things that Proton got it right in the international scene… good for ad & marketing.
There’s a need for new engine.New CHE with 150hp/225nm will be just nice.Beside their ride and handling they should focus more on torque cause of their heavy chassis.Others I’ve no complains…2015 2.0/2.3 coming our way.Uk and India market they need turbo diesel engines.CPS extra and Neo should retrofit with either 6 speed manual or 6 speed cvt. .
I pity for P1.
I pity for P2.
I pity for local automotive industries.
I pity for Malaysian who need to fork out extra money just to buy a decent car as compare to other countries.
I pity for myself who still making ends meet in Malaysia.
i pity you for pitying yourself. get up stop complaining and grasp your life by the hand, dear boy.
Come on, have a life, you should be very proud of yourself by paying hefty car duties for 7-9 years by taking up bank loan to contribute to Malaysia economy. Our Gomen is very proud of you for your patriotism too.
dude, what u just describe is communism, understand this we elected our government so that they can bring peace and make our life better, not to be force to loan money nor be force to like their scheme, we choose our government to make our life easier not to be strangle by their policy.. most of people don’t understand this,
Did we…? Did we get the govt the majority of us voted for?
Suprima with 6 speed manual? I’ll get that!
What caught my attention is not CFE manual. But GSC trying to meet EEV criteria. I have my doubt, but we saw proton did benchmark GSC with Honda Brio.
He’s only talking about RHD markets? Does it mean no plans to re-enter continental Europe or LHD markets at all?
The EU is in deep recession, eventhough most of them denied it….
European do not have money to buy even food, clothes…..so why they want to buy cars????
Thats is why you must open your eyes, ears, mind……dont be like a katak bawah the tempurung…..
Bangang punya P1….
i tot car there cheap?
good luck for Preve, Exora and Suprima S, this is big challenge for entering global market .
how important or necessary to put six-speed manual, more over increase the cost dan increase the price. unless for sport purposes, or as an option is much better.
Only 28% of all cars sold in Europe (7% of small cars) are automatic. If they take the ‘re-enter’ serious, they simply have to offer a manual gearbox… ;)
I heard this 6 speed manual will be from a Chinese car manufacturer. Is it true?
no. it is sourced from Getrag, same supplier like Ford and Volvo.
no. it is sourced from Getrag, the same supplier for Ford and Volvo.
Getrag China.
Its from belgium
Its fro belgium
What kind of engine would the GSC have? “In terms of a solution, I think it’s very much optimised,” was Lukman’s cryptic reply, leading us to suppose that an “optimised” version of an existing powerplant could be used for the B-segment hatch.
what! that means they are still using campro engine!
come on! lah! campro engine is outdated already even perodua will using a new aluminium engine.
DVVT still can’t match Campro :D
Go away Myvians.
they use Campro 1.3L for the car. apparently originally it was developed using Mitsubishi new engines that werre supposed to be JV with proton under DSSZ. but DRB Alam Froma changed it CamPro to save money!!! info is reliable.
But Mitsubishi engine is aluminum engine while campro is not. Maybe it is old tech engine.
I would like to congratulate Proton. Job well done!!! Re-entering UK, increase in Brunei and Indonesia. I understand that Egypt is tough now. But all is good.
soooo…. can the govt take the away the protection now?
I have few friends working in Proton. They all wish the protection can be removed so that they can compete fairly. Can we remove it? Kesian they all.
thanks ioma. appreciate that *giggles
Doesn’t matter what Proton produces..whether a 6 speed manual or a 8 speed auto….the competition will always be ahead of them. Starting with the Koreans..who are giving even the Japs a run for their money. Proton just do us a favor and close shop. Enough.
When the rakyat is free, could you all do us Malaysians a BIG favour in the year of the HORSE?
Kindly check with ROB when Protong has closed shop!Then we all can sing “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD”
all the best!
dont need to complaint or argue..
Put the car in free duty and tax..
what car will you choose and why ??
i myself driving Satria. i dont like the satria much, not because the outlook, but QC and material.
sama la kita… i drive satria too…
with newly tranplanted more powderful engine now i happy…i fast on the road no once can bully me anymore…i koner fast too since small 15″ tires are dirt cheap…can use hi performance tires ahha..
just look at Lukman’s face, no passion and no charisma. accountant trying to be automotive big shot. I dont believe a word from this guy. sorry dont want to be rude but this is what I see in him. at least the other guy Tan Sri smiles and looks like a goo person. but lukman is just not fit for this post. proton needs something to hype the market. BTW I heard that GSC will use the Campro 1.3L engine.
DSZ must return to Proton. Seriously. If he returns, I’m sure many of those ex-Proton guys in JLR, Qoros, Caterham, those motorsports teams will also return. Now, money is there (DRB’s) but development has been very slow due to lack of engineers and vital staffs.
problem is that DRB it self fired all the talent and let them go or did not approve their contracts or employment. the brain drain from proton is criticcal. DRB bosses specially that Ego Dato Lukman does not care and only cares of his job. I hope he feels the poain he gacve to all the good guys who left proton.
Breaking news… Lukman has resigned, for the 2nd time! Hope its PERMANENT this time around.
i might agree with you on that. an engineering-based company, should be led by engineering/technical background people, for automotive is concerned. take a look at merc, bmw, vw. all of em are led by engineering people with phd, prof title, expert in transmission, engine etc. they know how is the technical level or limitations that they have which can be translated to final products. for example, a heavier vehicle, wider tyres translate to higher FC. to reduce weight, no need to put all accessories into 1 vehicle. please differentiate between must-have and nice-to-have. common parts are also good in long term business scale, but, to common all parts in different vehicle segment is a bad idea. how can you common a same 1.6L torque engine for both 1-tonne and 1.3-tonne vehicle? and expect to have same performance and FC? Proton are bad in making calculation involving vehicle power-weight ratio. CVTs are good, but not in Malaysia and Europe, i think. in Japan, CVTs are welcomed. Further studies should be made. For engine, DI are common nowadays to achieve lower FC, high output with lower emission. Get newer engine line-up. Campro-based is OK, but to compete with global, it is quite a bad strategy.
no offense to accounting/business minded people. yes, they are really good with cash flow, money making strategy, fast money etc compared with technical people. but, in term of decision making related to technical aspects, give the power to appropriate party.
to Dato Lukman, it is not i underestimate you. your success of turnaround local company from losses to profits were impressive (PHN, i think). hope you can do the same with Proton, in shaa Allah.
In summary, Potong is crap! After 30 years in business but still know nothing! They deserve to bungkus tikar.
Wil it be the getrag gearbox? I bet dat cfe wil hav a higher output compare to dat limiting cvt…a manual wil have alot higher limits n tolerences…..dat s2000 news make me feel thy wil retire the satria neo altogether
Neo should have AWD variant lol
At last… the long waited wise decision from Proton regarding its product. Six speed manual with CFE should be an attractive product. How about adding more useful feature such as built-in smart tag for Malaysian market. Plus front strut bar, lower front bar and lower bar. Dont forget the semi bucket seat. No need Recaro. I believe Proton can make a nice one.
I just wish Proton release some 6MT RWD/AWD sedans/hatchbacks/wagons/coupes car (with Lotus ride and handling), regard of size…
I mean car as in pure C-D segments…not MPVs or Vans or whatsoever…
Proton will have BIG/HUGE boost if they start making RWD/AWD cars
yeah i also wish that…i would like a proton station wagon…maybe they can utilize the persona/preve/waja chassis to build station wagons/coupes, just like what they do with wira, that become putra/arena…
Proton, how long you want to keep Petronas E01 Engine in the store room?
Petronas E01 engine is too advance to this crappy baby like 30 year old automaker!
campro 1.3 engine again? huhuhu…hope there will be some improvements done to the engine..kemonlah proton!
It’s 1.3 Camp Rock but with almost new
Improved parts and best thing no iafm!There’s also a turbo version if I’m not mistaken…Question is will they sell under 50k for the forced induction?Rims varies from 14 & 15 inch
I heard eo-1 engine got no transmission to work with… So they have to source china… Geely perhaps? Platform sharing since sana sudah pakai itu engine
hey there, my msg is if you never buy proton or use proton , never do comment proton .if you have many money just buy import car.