Archive for Malaysian Makes

Click for larger image

This could possibly be the first spyshots of the new Proton MPV and it’s all thanks to reader the_king, who snapped them on the highway near the Prai Industrial Estate. We previously saw the car’s drivetrain being tested in a test mule based on the Toyota Wish.

I believe that judging from the proportions in these photos you can already judge that the MPV will be quite tall, which should mean good headroom which is especially needed when you are trying to get into the third row from the second row doors.

As with the Satria Neo spyshots, there is no front view as the photographer was alone in the car. We can see a little bit of the vertical rear lamps exposed and as expected they have a similiar layout to the one in the teaser video, with the brake light positioned at the bottom and the signal lamps at the top.

Those wheels look like they’re 15 inches in size but because this is a prototype test vehicle, the wheels could be different or perhaps the right size but of a different design than the one that will go onto the production vehicle. But even so, we can’t see that detail in these photos because the Proton MPV was moving.

Look after the jump for 2 more shots, or have a look at my previous posts linked below with exclusive details on the new Proton MPV.

Related Posts:
VIDEO SPYSHOT: 2009 Proton MPV sighted on the MRR2!
VIDEO SPYSHOT: Not one, but TWO Proton MPVs on the PLUS highway!
Proton MPV: exclusive initial details revealed!
Proton MPV first test batch to roll out mid-September 2008
Proton MPV sketches preview production model!

Click here to read the rest of Proton MPV spyshots, and its not a Toyota Wish-based test mule this time!

A trio of Proton vehicles were spotted on the highway by reader the_king near the Prai Industrial Estate area. From what I can see, they are two lightly covered up Satria Neo hatchbacks and one heavily camouflaged Proton MPV test vehicle.

If we look at this lightly covered up test car, we can immediately notice a large spoiler at the top of the hatch, something missing on the standard Satria Neo. It doesn’t even really look like the one found on the Proton Satria Neo R3 so this is something new that could end up on the final product of whatever version of the Neo this is.

You can also see that the rear bumper is new. Those little side strips on the side of the car have always been on the Neo but on this car they continue after the rear wheel arches onto the bumper. The area at the bottom of the bumper near the exhaust pipe also seems to be taped up, indicating it could be hiding a diffuser-like design of some kind.

The photographer did not manage to snap a front shot of the vehicle, just these rear and rear three quarter views as he was driving alone and turning back to snap a photo is just not possible, or too dangerous. But this is definitely enough as we now get to discuss a future Proton product.

The Satria Neo was launched in mid-2006 and facelifts commonly come every 2.5 to 3 years. This could be a facelift for the Proton Satria Neo that could make a debut sometime next year. Now the question is what’s under the hood. Will the Proton Satria Neo finally come with 125hp Campro CPS power?

Theophilus Chin’s “Waja 2″ rendering, a Waja/Perdana replacement model - what could happen if Proton pulled a SEAT and rebadged an Audi A4.

Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir revealed a few details on what’s coming up on Proton’s roadmap in the future. The following is a quick summary of what’s hopefully going to happen if everything goes well:

• Proton is in discussions with shareholders on the issue of strategic collaborations with a partner that could complement Proton’s existing markets instead of competing directly against it. Collaboration include areas like technology, vehicle platforms, improve efficiency, etc.
• Next generation Waja and Perdana will be a partnership with other manufacturers. The Proton Waja replacement should be out by early 2010. It seems that Proton is working with one partner for the Waja project and a different one for the Perdana project.
• A decision to be made soon on a new engine family that will replace the Campro engine by 2014, preferably a collaboration with another company for better economies of scale.
• A small capacity diesel engine for passenger cars from either PSA Peugeot Citroen or Fiat. The 1.3 liter Fiat JTD turbodiesel engine seems to be cheap enough for the diesel-powered Tata Indica Vista Quadra Jet so it could be cheap enough for Proton. It is available in various states of tune. Tata uses the 75 PS version. This engine won the 2005 International Engine of the Year award for the 1.0 liter to 1.4 liter category.
• Evaluation and testing of hybrid and electric technology for cars.
• Consolidation of dealer network to continue. Optimum value is said to be 200 outlets, while the current number stands at just under 300.
• Proton MPV launch in March 2009, targets 50k-60k global combined annual sales.
• Proton will continue to monitor and be cautious about the China partnership with Youngman. Syed Zainal says Proton is looking at how they are performing and will not hesitate to make a move if there are obstacles. Proton could appoint another dealer if it feels it is necessary, but this remains to be decided until after the Persona is launched in China. Proton cars are sold in China by Youngman under the Europestar badge.

Look after the jump for a rear 3/4 view of Theophilus Chin’s rendering.

Source

Click here to read the rest of Proton unveils details on its roadmap, new petrol and diesel engines

The new updated Perodua Myvi SE has been launched in the Malaysian market, so let’s have a look through what’s new with this Special Edition model compared to the recently unveiled Perodua Myvi facelift.

The Perodua Myvi SE is essentially an easy way to accessorize your Perodua Myvi with all the costs of making it look different from the run of the mill Myvi factored into the hire purchase loan for you and installed straight from the factory.

What you get is a new bodykit featuring a different front bumper and a different rear bumper, a spoiler, and different 14″ alloy wheels. The new rear bumper features a diffuser-like design which looks so much better than the pre-facelift Myvi SE’s rear bumper. The taillamps are also now of a clear design and keep the LED lighting units inside while the headlamps are of a blacked out design.

On the interior you get leather upholstery on the seats as well as the steering wheel. The head unit is no longer integrated but of a 2-DIN type and comes standard with CD, MP3 and WMA capability. It can also load your music files from a USB drive, and it has Bluetooth capabilities. The instrument panel follows the facelifted Myvi’s three-gauge design but instead of being blue and white, it lights up in amber.

Interestingly the cute yellow Myvi that we saw in the spyshots is missing from the line-up of both the standard facelifted Myvi and this new Myvi SE. You do get one new colour - Tangerine Orange. Other colour options for the SE include Ivory White, Ebony Black, Glittering Siver or Pearl White. Pearl White is designated a “special metallic” colour that costs more than your normal metallic.

Basically that’s it - the enhancements are all aesthetics. The engine is still the same 1.3 liter unit producing 86 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 116Nm of torque at 3,200rpm, and the brakes are still discs at the front and drums at the rear.

The following are the prices for the new Perodua Myvi SE:

Look after the jump for more photos of the Myvi SE including all colours.

Click here to read the rest of 2008 Perodua Myvi SE - full details and prices

Click for hi-res image

The Proton Persona CNG was launched earlier this week in Thailand and it will be available in 3 variants - the medium-line auto, medium-line manual and the high-line auto.

The Campro IAFM engine in the Persona CNG can take either regular petrol, an E20 ethanol-petrol mix as well as CNG (compressed natural gas). CNG is basically the fuel that NGV cars such as taxis use in Malaysia.

Proton targets to sell 500 units a month of the Persona CNG in Thailand. With many Malaysians considering NGV conversions right now, it would be timely to introduce the Persona CNG into the Malaysian market soon.

A car that comes with CNG fueling from the factory would be easier on the owner’s pocket as the cost of conversion is factored into the hire purchase loan, plus it is included in the manufacturer warranty.

Thai prices for the Proton Persona CNG:

Proton Persona CNG 1.6 M-LIne Manual - 549,000 Thai Baht
Proton Persona CNG 1.6 M-LIne Auto - 584,000 Thai Baht
Proton Persona CNG 1.6 H-LIne Auto - 629,000 Thai Baht

Some FAQs on the Proton Persona CNG:

Is the car’s capacity to store regular petrol affected?
No as the CNG tank is an “add on” system to the standard Persona.

Where is the fuel filler for me to refill the CNG?
It is located at the engine bay.

How do I switch from CNG to petrol?
It is quite easy and straight forward to switch between petrol and CNG by pressing on a button on the instrument panel.

Is there a gauge to see how much CNG I have left?
Yes, there are 4 LEDs to indicate CNG level.

How big is the CNG tank?
The tank is 90 liters.

Continue reading to see photos of the CNG refueller, the CNG tank in the boot and how much usable boot space is remaining as the CNG tank takes up boot space.

Click here to read the rest of Proton Persona CNG launched in Thailand!

Proton’s Thai distributor Phranakorn Auto Sales will be launching a CNG-equipped Proton Persona in Thailand tomorrow. The Persona CNG will be able to run on both petrol and compressed natural gas, a fuel which is also available in Malaysia and though limited in availability. CNG is very popular with taxis because of its cheaper price.

Following this announcement you can probably expect Proton to offer a similiarly equipped NGV Persona in Malaysia soon. Factoring the cost of the equipment needed to allow the car to run on natural gas into the hire purchase loan will take alot of financial burden off the carbuyer who is seeking to benefit from the lower price of natural gas.

The problem is refuelling your car with CNG in Malaysia is currently only limited to selected Petronas stations which are mainly concentrated around the Klang Valley. This is an inconvenience.

No prices for the Thai market Proton Persona CNG have been released yet, but as a comparison the Neo is sold for 499,000 Thai baht while the GEN2 goes for 549,000 Thai baht. The cheapest Proton model is the Savvy which goes for 399,000 Thai baht and comprises of half of all Proton cars sold in Thailand.

We’ve already seen one video of the MEM Proton Satria Neo S2000 rally car in the past, where it was being tested out by a very young racer. You will find two more videos after the jump, including one video of the Neo S2000 being tested on the French alps.

Click here to read the rest of More MEM Proton Satria Neo S2000 Videos!

Click for enlarged image

Perodua has put up a preview teaser site for the new Perodua Myvi SE facelift. It’s quite a multimedia-heavy effort, and it seems that they’re spending alot on the internet, with even an Adsense campaign going online this week.

On the teaser site, you basically travel down some city streets and you pass signboards with teaser images of the new Myvi SE. You have to click on the signboard to view each teaser image. The images appear shrouded, but you can move your mouse around to uncover bits of the image. The countdown timer on the site indicates the car will be unveiled in approximately 6 days and 17 hours time at time of publishing.

That’s 6PM, Thursday October 9 2008.

Look after the jump for unshrouded versions of the teasers.

Click here to read the rest of Perodua Myvi SE Facelift Teaser Goes Online!

The Proton MPV Naming Contest is now closed and Proton says they received a total of over 251,000 entries, or about 11,000 a day consistently. A team of professional auditors have been appointed to audit the selection process and the winners will be notified sometime in October 2008.

“This is a historic moment for us and we would like the public to play a big part in naming the new MPV. We hope the MPV will be Malaysia’s Preferred Vehicle in terms of style, price and utilization,” said Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal.

Related Posts:
Proton MPV - exclusive initial details revealed!
Proton MPV - first batch to roll-out mid-September 2008
Proton MPV sketches preview production model
First sighting of new Proton MPV test mule

Fans of Top Gear will know that one of the segments in the popular motoring TV show is the “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car”. In the UK show it is currently the Chevrolet Lacetti (called the Optra on our shores), which replaced a Suzuki Liana after the first 7 seasons.

What happens is a celebrity is brought onto the show, is interviewed about his or her interests in cars, then the star sets a lap around the Top Gear test track in the car.

In Top Gear Australia, the segment is called the “Star in a Bog Standard Car”, and the first car used is our very own Proton Satria Neo! I’d say its a great choice thanks to its relatively cheap price and above average handling, and for the most of it because I am Malaysian and it’s quite exciting to see something as familiar as a Proton used.

Proton Australia (whether they paid for this inclusion or not) must be really happy that their little hatch getting plenty of airtime through the show. As for the new and upcoming Top Gear USA, their reasonably priced car is supposed to be the Kia Rio.

Click here to read the rest of Proton Satria Neo: Top Gear Australia’s “Bog Standard Car!”