Yes, these are yet more spyshots of the 2016 Proton Perdana, this time sent in by reader Faizal Rizal. However, they do show some new details regarding the new national flagship D-segment sedan, as it gets ready for its Q1 2016 launch.
These photos show a mule that is slightly different from other prototypes, particularly at the rear – this particular units gains an ungainly bulge atop the bootlid that appears to be hiding a small rear spoiler. It seems that, like the Prevé, the Perdana will get a slim bootlid flap on the 2.4 litre model to separate it from the lower-spec 2.0.
Elsewhere, it’s much the same as what we’ve seen before – at the front are new, more rounded headlights that are a departure from the rectangular ones on the eighth-generation Honda Accord on which it’s based. The sole teaser image released by Proton showed projector headlights with solid LED daytime running light strips, as opposed to the individual diodes as seen on the Prevé, Suprima S and Iriz Premium.
Along the side, the door shutline that runs up the windows ends much shorter than the one on the Accord. We already know that the Perdana will lose the Accord’s BMW-style C-pillar kink in favour of a more elegant teardrop shape. It’s clear in these photos that the rear doors will gain a small quarter light, whereas the “work in progress” car seen in the movie Kapsul featured a thick pillar at the trailing edge of the doors.
The rear windscreen also has a shallower rake compared to the Accord – that, combined with the longer rear overhang (where most of the 150 mm length increase over the Honda should reside) lends a more graceful, if rear-heavy, profile. Around the back, there’s the L-shaped LED tail lights that were already revealed at the Alami Proton open day event, although the integrated twin rear exhaust exits are conspicuously missing here.
It’s confirmed that the 2016 Perdana will be built at Proton’s Medium Volume Factory in Shah Alam, alongside the Exora MPV (the current government-use version is assembled at Honda Malaysia’s plant in Melaka).
Engine wise, it’s set to retain Honda’s 154 hp/189 Nm R20A3 2.0 and 177 hp/222 Nm K24Z2 2.4 litre i-VTEC engines – for now, at least. Both engines will be mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. The Perdana will be offered to civilian buyers in the first quarter of 2016.
GALLERY: 2016 Proton Perdana teased
GALLERY: 2016 Proton Perdana rendered
