• R3 Artiga in the metal and on show at Proton Power of 1

    Say hello to the R3 Artiga… again. We previously saw this concept car in Shanghai) and now the Artiga is here, at the Proton Power of 1 in all its metal glory.

    There’s a bit more information about the Artiga this time around. We already know that the engine is a supercharged Campro unit that’s good for 180 hp and 240 Nm of torque. The Artiga can do its 0-100 km/h sprint in 7.6 seconds and hits maximum speed at 235 km/h.

    The Artiga sports Cusco Zero-3G height and damping adjustable coil-overs at the front and rear, possibly to take advantage of the partnership between Proton and Cusco (read about it here). Stopping power comes courtesy of Endless ventilated rotors and four pot calipers, but only for the front. The rear is equipped with solid brakes.

    It’s not a pure concept car per se; you can see that it is a Satria Neo underneath all that extra body kit. The grille and light assembly has also been revised to make it look more aggressive. The one big difference is the ‘eyebrow’ (indicators?) is now in amber instead of the ‘clear’ as seen in Shanghai. It is eye-catching, nonetheless.

    No pictures of the interior though. The car is locked tight when I was making my rounds.

    But the Artiga is not here just for show. Proton R3 is conducting a survey to see just how much you like the Artiga and what you think can be improved. Could Proton R3 be launching what could be the hottest Satria Neo yet?

     
  • Proton P3-21A meter panel shown at Proton Power of 1

    We’re here at the Proton Power of 1 event at Bukit Jalil, and there’s plenty to see. We just brought you scenes from the slalom demo featuring the soon to be launched P3-21A, and browsing through the many pavilions led us to this find – the P3-21A’s instrument cluster in its full glory.

    The fully lit-up meter panel shows a twin-dial layout, with digital readouts for fuel level and temperature. Below that is a screen showing average fuel consumption – this should be a part of a multi-info display that will also read out range, journey time, instantaneous fuel consumption and so on.

    We can also see warning lights for the airbags, ABS and electronic stability control – ESC appears on a Proton for the first time in the P3-21A. The meter panel is of the “always on” type, meaning you don’t have to turn on the headlights for it to come on. There’s a five-step dimming function. We snapped a pic of the spec sheet – full look in the gallery below.

    The fonts for the dials are quite sporty, and the red/black/white theme is a tried and tested formula for a sporty, “technical” and legible cluster – Audi, Volkswagen and BMW M are subscribers, and even Ford has it in its little Fiesta. Like what you see?

     
  • Proton P3-21A build-up process Day 1: Safety Structure

    Proton is showcasing the P3-21A in a day-by-day “build up” process at its Power of 1 event at Stadium Bukit Jalil this week.

    It starts today with the bare chassis, which Proton refers to as the RESS, or Reinforced Safety Structure. The chassis is formed using Hot Press Forming with a combination of ultra-high tensile steel and high tensile steel.

    Here’s something very interesting – it’s also revealed that the P3-21A will have the option for side airbags – a first for a Malaysian market Proton car. With four airbags and an electronic stability control system, this makes the P3-21A the safest Proton ever in terms of safety features. We’ll be back tomorrow with updates from Day 2 of the build.

     
  • VIDEO: Proton P3-21A slalom demo at Proton Power of 1

    Proton demonstrated the P3-21A’s ride and handling abilities against a Proton Persona in a car park slalom demo at the Proton Power of 1 event at Bukit Jalil earlier today.

    You may not hear or feel it in the video, but there was plenty of tyre screeching drama as the cars were actually going quite fast, something that an audience would only be able to perceive at the event proper.

    The P3-21A was probably having a better time tackling the course than the Persona, since it has an electronic stability control system which will be able to help keep the car’s traction in check.

     
  • Proton P3-21A bookings open at indicative RM62k to RM75k

    Proton managing director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal announced that the Proton P3-21A has been officially “soft launched” today, which means bookings are now open at all Proton showrooms, with a booking fee of RM500. Indicative pricing for the car is about RM62k for the base model up to RM75k for the high-spec model.

    It was also announced that if you book your car today at the Power of 1 event at Bukit Jalil, you’ll be entered into a raffle which wins you a trip to Spain. More details on this later.

     
  • VIDEO: Proton P3-21A full teaser video at Power of 1

    Well, it’s all happening here at Bukit Jalil where the P3-21A is concerned. Aside from the car doing the handling prowess showcase earlier (the car will be doing the same run daily) there was a full teaser video on the car. We had the teaser video up earlier, but that was a short clip – here’s the full one.

    You still don’t see the full vehicle, but lots of the hints and glimpses of elements, which includes folding side mirrors which auto unfold once the car gets to 5 km/h, speed-sensing auto door locks, a manual door lock button on the central console, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and follow-me home lights.

    The first Proton with side airbags (which means it has four in total) will also feature a seven-speed Protronic gearbox with paddle shifters (presumably in the upmarket variant), an engine start/stop button, electronic brake force distribution and electronic stability control, among other things.

    The tagline for the car is “Drive it to believe it” – guess you’ll be able to soon.

     
  • GALLERY: Proton P3-21A on handling display at Power of 1

    The Proton P3-21A earlier made a handling display run at the Power of 1 event here in Bukit Jalil. The heavily-taped car was pitted against a Persona in a series of exercises – straight-line acceleration, chase and slalom, the last as seen in the earlier video.

    The disguise doesn’t give much away about the car, but it does afford a decent general view of the upcoming vehicle. They’ve even taped the wheels, mind you! Enjoy the gallery; we’ll have more photos of the car as the day progresses, so check back for more updates.

    View the full gallery after the jump.
    Read more ›

     
  • Proton P3-21A handling prowess to be showcased at Proton Power of 1 showcase event at Bukit Jalil

    Want to see the P3-21A in the metal? We’ve just heard that Proton will be demonstrating the P3-21A on track at the Proton Power of 1 event at Bukit Jalil. We snapped the above shot of the P3-21A in full “European style” swirly camouflage, all poised and ready to go up against a Proton Persona on a big, open carpark ‘track’ here at the event.

    Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin also announced that the P3-21A has been officially soft launched for booking today at any Proton showroom. He also revealed that the indicative price for the P3-21A is RM62k to RM75k, with the real price to be announced later. The booking fee is RM500.

    We’ll be back with more updates later in the day.

     
  • VIDEO: Proton P3-21A teaser video at Proton Power of 1

    UPDATE: Hi-Res video added.

    We’re here at the Proton Power of 1 event and sighted this Proton P3-21A teaser video being played on the TV screens at the event hospitality lounge. It reveals a few things about the car, such as the confirmed inclusion of an electronic stability programme system, the first time in a Proton car.

    Former F1 racing driver Jean Alesi is featured in the video driving the car. Alesi is the Lotus ambassador, and it seems like Proton has roped him in to endorse the P3-21A.

    Stay tuned for more updates from the Proton Power of 1 event at Bukit Jalil, which is running this week, or better yet, come on over and check everything out!
    Read more ›

     
  • DRB-Hicom boss rubbishes talk on Proton rebadging VWs

    Last week, we picked up a report from Business Times that said Volkswagen AG had earmarked the Polo for Proton to remodel, and that Proton’s Polo will be priced below RM70,000.

    Quoting insider sources, the report even mentioned where the proposal was made (Hong Kong) and who was involved (VW’s Head of Commercial Operations China/ASEAN Soh Wei Ming and DRB-Hicom’s chief operating officer, Datuk Lukman Ibrahim).

    At yesterday’s unveiling of the CKD Volkswagen Passat in Pekan, DRB-Hicom’s Group MD Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil rubbished talks of Proton rebadging VW models. DRB-Hicom is of course the new owner of national carmaker Proton, and counts VW as partner and biggest customer of its Pekan facility.

    “The reports got me by surprise,” Khamil said. “Rebadging was never in our plans. If we want to develop the national auto industry, we got to move forward. Rebadging is taking a step backwards,” he said, adding that “short term pains, but long term gains” is needed for Proton.

    “I may have to eat my words someday, but as long as I’m in charge, I will never allow that [rebadging] to happen,” he stated firmly.

    However, no rebadging doesn’t mean that Proton, a small carmaker in the grand scheme of things, needs to do it all alone, for Khamil believes that Proton needs a reputable OEM as partner.

    So there you go, erase that RM70k “Proton Sago” from your mind!

     
 
 
 
 
 

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