Our readers have been sending in spyshots of the upcoming 2016 Proton Saga, Persona and Perdana, but now it’s our turn to capture two of the three sedans – the Saga and Perdana – while readers Ong Bahk and Hanafi have also contributed with their own images of the trio.
Let’s start with the Saga. Our latest photos give us a closer look at the updated front fascia of the heavily-revamped budget sedan. The reshaped headlights, sleeker bumper design and downturned air intakes make for a cleaner, more sophisticated look.
The rest of the prototype is mostly familiar to us now – there’s a new C-pillar kink, Iriz-style door handles, a side character line that slopes further downwards and a completely revised rear end that is more elegant than the outgoing car, featuring trapezoidal three-dimensional tail lights.
Technical details remain scarce right now, but the Saga could launch with the Iriz’s 1.3 litre VVT engine and a choice of a five-speed manual or a CVT. Proton’s new naturally-aspirated 1.0 litre and 1.2 litre three-cylinder engines may also make an appearance further down the line – these mills are slated to begin production by the end of 2017 – while a turbocharged version of the 1.0 litre engine could also feature.
Next up, the Persona – here we also get a closer look at the front end, and while it does look fairly reminiscent of the Iriz, we can see the reshaped bonnet and grille, as well as round fog lights instead of triangular units on the hatch. We can also see reflector headlights instead of projector halogens on the Iriz, which is probably indicative of a lower-end positioning in the lineup.
The rear of the car sees a similar C-pillar kink as the Saga, as well as as almond-shaped tail lights and tall bootlid, all seen before. The Iriz’s range of 1.3 litre and 1.6 litre VVT engines are expected to be offered on the Persona at launch, but the car could gain Proton’s new 1.3 litre and 1.6 litre direct-injected (GDI/TGDI) engines after production of the new mills begin by the end of 2017.
Lastly, we’ll look at the Perdana. Unlike the others, we’ve already seen the D-segment sedan – based on the eighth-generation Honda Accord – in full before, so these spyshots hold little of significance in terms of the design of the car. However, the car has to be unveiled to the public very soon; out of the three cars here, the Perdana is slated to be launched first, and all three are expected to be launched this year.
At launch, the Perdana will feature the 154 hp/189 Nm R20A3 2.0 and 177 hp/222 Nm K24Z2 2.4 litre i-VTEC engines and five-speed automatic transmission, derived from the eighth-generation Honda Accord on which it is based. A revision is slated to arrive by the end of 2017, with the Perdana set to receive a new NE01 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, acquired from Petronas in 2012.
Also being considered is Proton’s new 1.5 litre turbocharged, direct-injected TGDI engine, claimed to be able to produce 180 hp and 250 Nm. Whichever powertrain ends up being slotted in, a new torque converter CVT automatic is expected to become standard fare come end-2017.
