Advertisement

Proton and Mitsubishi’s broad range strategic collaboration to benefit both companies

September 15, 2011 at 7:32 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mitsubishi, Proton

The announcement made earlier today by Proton and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) that both automakers were in a detailed discussion to enter a broad ranging collaboration, with a firm focus on developing a powertrain joint venture, is a positive move for the national carmaker.

Proton chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh said that in collaborating with MMC, there would be no need for either company to swap equities or exchange shares. “Both companies stand to gain with the economies of scale, which will lower the cost of development,” he said.

Entering the final phases of discussion, details about the collaboration as well as the investment in the JV should be finalised in the next two months. At the press briefing announcing this, six strategic areas of the colloboration were delved on briefly.

On the powertrain front, Proton is set to build engines for MMC, which the national carmaker is also set to utilise in its future model lineup. The benefit to Proton is that it reduces development cost and time and provides economies of scale with the joint volumes, said Proton managing director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin.


Click to enlarge

“We have to make a decision on whether to invest in a new engine, or collaborate. The duration if we were to invest in our own engine would be 18-24 months, and we’d have to invest a lot of money. In working together, we’ll have greater economies of scale,” Syed Zainal said.

The MMC powertrain production is set to take place in Tanjung Malim, and the work will not just be for assembly but involve casting and machining processes as well.

“Besides the powertrain JV, the other step of the collaboration we are finalising is the opportunity to also do OEM assembly for MMC for its products. We’re talking about two products, and one of these could obviously bring down the cost structure for MMC, and we’d offer them a quick market for it,” Syed Zainal added. No mention was made as to which these models are, though it has been bandied about that the Mitsubishi ASX is one of them.

While increasing capacity utilisation in its plants would bring about additional revenue, it is yet to be decided whether Tanjung Malim or Shah Alam will handle the consignment production of these MMC-brand models.


Click to enlarge

Elsewhere, following on the broader strategic front scope, there was also mention of product and platform collaboration, with the co-utilisation of these aimed at further improving scale with joint values and stretching the commercial value of Proton’s products. This will also minimise the investment needed and also bring about the ability to tap into existing MMC JV partners to reduce the complexity of the collaboration.

Component sourcing is also to be improved, with joint sourcing and a commonisation of components tapping on existing component bins helping to reduce cost as well as improve purchasing power.

Meanwhile, in other news today, the company made the announcement that the facelifted Exora MPV was due to make its market debut in two months time. The long-awaited turbocharged 1.6 litre Campro mill is also set to finally make its way into the market, and also set to be introduced is a six-seater premium variant of the MPV called the Exora Prime.

142 Comments      

Proton and Mitsubishi strategic collaboration – Proton to build cars/engines for MMC, parts sharing for small car!

September 15, 2011 at 4:16 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Mitsubishi, Proton

Proton and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) have jointly announced today that they are in serious discussion for strategic collaboration to further strengthen the competitiveness of both companies. The items being considered for collaboration include the following:

- Joint production of engines in Malaysia
- Consignment production of MMC-brand vehicles at Proton facilities
- Sharing of major parts and components between MMC’s “Global Small” and Proton’s upcoming “Global Small Car”
- Provision of MMC’s future tech such as electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicle technology

So it looks like Proton’s plant, which has spare capacity, will churn out CKD Mitsubishi models. MMC’s Global Small Car (to be launched in March 2012) is out of the question, since Proton has its own upcoming small car (EMAS), and the Lancer is already made here with a Proton badge. Could it be the Mitsubishi ASX compact crossover then?

According to the statement, Proton and MMC had “jointly proceeded with feasibility studies since late 2010″ to identify these areas of collaboration that improves global competitiveness for both parties. We previously heard that Proton was talking with Nissan on a collaboration, but it’s clear now that it didn’t work out.

For Proton, this deal will help it expand its line up of cars and make good use of its under utilised production capacity, mainly at Tanjung Malim. For MMC, this is part of a plan to expand its footprint in ASEAN. They already have a presence in Thailand, building trucks, truck based SUVs and the eco car. So perhaps Malaysia can contribute to the cause with a sedan and crossover.

More updates soon.

181 Comments      


Proton hands over eight EVs to government for fleet testing trials – five Exora REEV and three Saga EVs to be deployed

September 14, 2011 at 8:36 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News, Proton

Proton today handed eight electric vehicles to the government for running trials with various ministries, as the national automaker works its way towards mass-production of these in 2013. The vehicles are three Saga EV and five Exora REEV (Range Extender Electric Vehicle) models.

The vehicles were presented by Proton chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya. Present at the handover ceremony was former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who is Proton’s adviser.

The initiative is also part of the Fleet Test Vehicle Programme, which is a joint effort by Proton, the Ministry of International trade and Industry (MITI) and the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA), which aims to assess the potential of green technology as well as the infrastructure of hybrid and electric vehicles in Malaysia.

The five Exora REEVs are set to be used by the Prime Minister’s office, MITI, KeTTHA, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and well as the Ministry of Finance (MOF), while the three Saga EVs will see service with MITI, KeTTHA and the MOT.

Proton will provide charging stations for the EVs at the Prime Minister’s Office and also on the premises of the other four ministries involved in the programme, as well as home chargers for the households of the designated drivers of the vehicles.

120 Comments      

My Proton Makeover: 1992 Saga handed back to Fadly!

September 14, 2011 at 12:44 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Fadly Hisham Roplay has been waiting for this afternoon for what seems like the longest month. His 1992 Proton Saga, which came with a heart warming story, was selected as the first car for R3 to work on under the ‘My Proton Makeover’ program. He got back the keys to WCP 3145 this afternoon, reuniting again with what he calls his “second wife”.

It wasn’t just him, but yours truly and some of the other Proton owning media members were also eager to see the reworked car. We crowded in R3′s sweltering workshop inside Proton’s Shah Alam facility as R3 head Tengku Djan and Proton Motorsports boss Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood greeted Fadly and family.

The 33-year old Fadly, who works as a technician with an electronics company, was very nervous and emotional through it all, even shedding some tears of joy when the car was revealed and when his story was played on the screen. The moment arrived, and he was shell shocked, a scene not unlike those in the TV show Overhaulin’.

Gone are the Fiore mods on his old Saga, which Tengku Djan said was in worse condition than what they had thought – a family of cockroaches in the boot were among the surprises in store for the R3 boys when they stripped the car!

The top drifter admitted that the task wasn’t easy, since they had only three weeks (instead of a month) thanks to the Raya break. The sourcing of new parts for the old Saga also wasn’t that straightforward.

But the end result looks great, and I envy lucky Fadly. After being stripped to the bone, some welding work was done to WCP 3145 before a base coat and the nice brown/grey paint (or is it gunmetal?) you see here were added. R3 wanted to maintain the “classic look” of the old Saga and spice it up with contemporary touches – the latter came from the 16-inch R3 wheels and the four round tail lamps.

The red R3 logos on the rims and front grille are joined by a red pinstripe around the body, which Fadly likes a lot. There’s also a rear spoiler and subtle carbon fiber style stickers on the B and C pillars. And if you’re wondering, the “VIP” logos on the fenders and boot stand for “Very Important Proton”.

As for the engine, Fadly’s 1.5L Megavalve was given a full overhaul job. With the clock turned back to 0 km, it now breathes better with a customised filter system and custom exhaust system starting from the extractor to the muffler – it sounds quite loud! The Saga also sits on new suspension tuned by R3, hence the lowered stance.

As for the interior, the old Saga’s 80s building blocks style dashboard makes way for the minimalist style Saga LMST dash. The interior is in black, accented in red, which appears on the air con rings and stitching on the leather seats. A MOMO steering and a new Blaupunkt ICE system are the other additions.

Click here to see the work in progress pics, as well as how Fadly’s Saga looked like before being “overhauled”. Full gallery of the handover ceremony and the reworked car is after the jump – over 50 pics await you!
[Read more...]

250 Comments      

Double retirement for Proton in IRC’s Hungarian Rally

September 12, 2011 at 10:13 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo


Click to enlarge

The International Rally Challenge (IRC) was in Hungary over the weekend for the inaugural Canon Mecsek Rallye. The event was previously an IRC Supporter Event upgraded to a fully-fledged round of the IRC this year. Based in the town of Pecs – named the 2010 European Capital of Culture – in the south-west of Hungary, the 2011 event is the 44th edition of the rally.

After a very close fight, Jan Kopecký from Skoda won the rally, which was led by Skoda UK’s Andreas Mikkelsen right till the penultimate stage. But the Norwegian slid wide on gravel in a fast right-hand corner in SS13, damaging his Fabia. Peugeot’s Thierry Neuville made a great late charge to finish second, just short of overall victory by a slim 0.8s. Freddy Loix was third in a Skoda.


Click to enlarge

As for Proton, both the Satria Neo S2000s were forced into retirement. PG Andersson began the two-day rally conservatively, finishing the opening special stage in 17th. His charge however, was dealt a blow when he hit a kerb and severely damaged a wheel through the 28km second special stage.

This forced him to make an unscheduled wheel change that cost almost 8 minutes, dropping him to 42nd overall. The car’s rear differential was also damaged. The Swede then fought back up to 39th place in SS5 before a technical problem eventually ended his rally in SS6.


Click to enlarge

It wasn’t much better for PG’s two-time FIA European Rally Champion teammate Giandomenico Basso. The Italian was also forced into retirement due to an abnormal mechanical issue on the first day. The extremely rare failure of the oil filter seal caused all the engine oil to leak out, giving Basso no choice but to stop.

With a competitive distance of 251.86 km, the Canon Mecsek Rallye was run mainly on high-speed roads with more than 100 teams and 20 IRC regulars taking part. Next up, IRC will head to the beautiful Italian Riveira for the Rallye Sanremo on 22-24 September.

14 Comments      

My Proton Makeover – Work in Progress pics of 1992 Saga

September 8, 2011 at 4:15 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton


UPDATE: Saga will be handed back to Fadly next week – stay tuned for the reveal!

The ‘My Proton Makeover’ contest, which is part of the national carmaker’s 1Perayaan Proton programme, kickstarted last month with the first project car, Fadly Hisham Roplay’s 1992 Saga. Fadly’s WCP 3145 came with a nice heart warming story, which won him the makeover ala Overhaulin’.

Playing the role of the famous Foose and friends are the boys from R3, Proton’s motorsports division headed by top drifter Tengku Djan Ley. His 19-year-old Saga will be in R3′s workshop for four weeks for a complete “tip to toe rework, inside out.”

Here are some pics of the work in progress, taken from Proton’s Facebook page. It shows Fadly’s Saga being stripped to the bone, and R3 working on the old body, which must have collected some rust by now. His Megavalve also gets a new paint job and new parts. The final pic shows a nice R3 rim with a similar design to that on the R3 Satria Neo.

Fadly is a lucky guy, and as a fellow owner of the last batch 1992 Saga Megavalve, I really envy him! View the pics after the jump.
[Read more...]

196 Comments      

Proton scores points in Skoda dominated Czech Rally Zlín

September 2, 2011 at 2:03 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

Proton scored points in last weekend’s Barum Czech Rally Zlin, Round 7 of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge. In front of a 300,000-strong crowd, the Satria Neo S2000 of P-G Andersson finished in ninth overall, but teammate Giandomenico Basso ended the weekend in 13th, after a puncture killed his hopes for points.

The rally was won by Jan Kopecký in a Skoda. Freddy Loix, also in a Fabia S2000, was just beaten by 1.2 seconds and had to settle for second. Championship leader Juho Hänninen finished third, giving Skoda the entire podium in its home rally.

The competition in this round was tougher than ever, with 29 Super 2000 cars making the start in a field of 123 competitors. Based in Zlin, the rally is known for attracting big crowds, but with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees for much of the event, attendance hit a record-breaking 300,000 on the bumpy asphalt roads in the south-east of the Czech Republic.

There were 248.48 km of competitive stages run over a total distance of 619.73 km. 34 cars failed to finish.

“We’re very pleased with the way the weekend has gone. Although we’ve had some punctures and some minor off-road excursions, but at the end of the event we have shown a significant step forwards in the development of the Proton Satria Neo S2000. From where we were 12 months ago, we have halved the gap to the cars at the front of the field and that represents real progress,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports.

“We have shown what we are capable of. We also have no illusions here and know that there is still much work to be done with the car. We believe we are on the right track here and know what areas of the car we will focus our attention on next,” he added.

Buoyed by its improved IRC pace, the Proton team now heads to Hungary for the next round of the series, the Canon Mecsek Rally on September 9-11.

17 Comments      

Proton P3-21A Persona R prototype teases its tail lamps

August 27, 2011 at 3:40 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Feature Stories, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Spyshots

Whenever we’ve seen the new P3-21A C-segment Proton sedan so far, it’s always been very heavily disguised to the point that even the tail lamp design are not only just taped up, but are covered up by decoy lenses. You can see an example in the image above.

The cars above were traveling in a rather big convoy that included three different P3-21A prototypes and a Proton Exora Turbo prototype. It just so happens that one of the P3-21A prototypes was a little different from the other two.

Yes, thanks to reader “.drive”, for the first time we’re looking at a P3-21A prototype with some of its tail lamp design showing. There’s no fake lenses covering up the details like on the other two cars you see here.

If you look closely, the exhaust system on this car also looks more refined than the other two cars – the transversely-installed exhaust box is neatly tucked under the rear bumper and there’s a nice single tailpipe, while the installation of the exhaust box for the other two prototypes are not as neat.

We also have a rather high resolution view of the front – I think I can see some projector lenses in the headlamps.

And while the other prototypes have been riding on lightly taped up Proton Inspira wheels, the wheel design on this particular prototype looked a little different – more of a double spoke design than the triple spoke design of the Inspira.

The Proton Exora Turbo traveling with the convoy was a white one with the new front bumper and clear tail lamps. You can’t see it here in this photo but previous shots revealed rear disc brakes for the car, presumably either to handle the increased power that the car has, or as a requirement to run an ESP stability control setup.

Look after the jump for a gallery of spyshots – have a look at the high resolution versions of each image as well as there are some pretty high resolution shots here.
[Read more...]

234 Comments      

Proton set to take on IRC champs Skoda in their home rally

August 26, 2011 at 11:17 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

The Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) resumes this weekend in the Czech Republic, and Proton will be there at the Barum Czech Rally Zlin with their yellow Neos piloted by two-time FIA Junior World Rally Champion P-G Andersson and double FIA European Rally Champion Giandomenico Basso. This is round seven of IRC 2011′s 11 races.

Based in the south-east of the Czech Republic, some 300 km east from capital Prague and about 200 km north from the Austrian capital of Vienna, the 41st edition of the Zlin Rally will be contested through the forests close to the city of Zlin. The event will consist of 15 special stages with a combined competitive distance of 248.48 km. High-speed and tricky asphalt roads will be waiting for the drivers.

Rallying begins with a 9.36 km test along a super special stage in the town centre which will be run in the dark before day two takes teams through another nine SS totaling 133.4 km. The third and final day will feature six special stages with a distance of 115 km. The event will see 29 S2000 cars battle, 14 of which are Skoda Fabia S2000s, from a total of 123 registered entries. This is the home race for Skoda, the IRC champions.

“The roads on this rally can be quite bumpy with some broken tarmac, which is good for me – this kind of condition suits me quite well. I haven’t competed in Zlin before, but I have heard a lot about the rally. I’m looking forward to getting out there and driving again to chase a good result,” said ex-Suzuki man Andersson.

“The most important thing is to find a good confidence in the car on the bumpy surface. Barum is not like a normal tarmac rally, it is very specific. The bumps make finding the right set-up complicated so there is a lot of work to do with the dampers. The roads in Zlin can be especially difficult when there is rain,” said the experienced Italian Basso.

I went to the official Czech Rally website, and guess what greeted me? Hint, it’s not a Skoda!

31 Comments      

My Proton Makeover – 1992 Saga to be first car reworked

August 22, 2011 at 9:15 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Proton

The ‘My Proton Makeover’ contest, which Proton announced as part of its 1Perayaan Proton programme, has kicked off, and first up to bat in the project will be a 1992 Saga owned by Fadly Hisham Roplay, whose car is slated to be completely reworked by Proton Motorsports’ R3 unit.

The programme, targeted at rewarding Proton car owners who have loyally supported the brand over the years, will see five other selected Proton car owners with the most interesting story winning a makeover or renewal of their Proton. The contest – which runs until December 28 – requires entrants to submit their story involving themselves and their Proton, and the company will then identify the best stories or most heart-warming and reward these five owners with a complete car makeover.

Choosing Fadly to be the first recipient of the programme was a pretty clear-cut affair. “When we kicked off this initiative, Fadly’s name came up as a model example. The story of him and his Proton Saga was lighthearted and entertaining. But more importantly, it was really heart-warming to hear about much he loves his car and the memories that his family and him share with it. For this, we truly felt that he and his car deserved a big ‘Thank You’ and reward,” Proton MD Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin said.

Purchasing his Proton Saga in 1999 from its original owner in Kuala Lumpur, Fadly, a technician with an international electronics manufacturer, drove it back immediately to his home town, where upon arriving at the Sultan Azlan Syah bridge in Perak, shouted out “Welcome to Kuala Kangsar!” to the car, as described by his mother who was travelling with him.

“He has such an attachment to the car that only he can describe best,” said his mother, Hamiah Abdullah. “He once brought us down to shop in KL, and had his car towed by the traffic police as it was parked illegally. After frantically rushing to the impound and paying the fine, he ran over and hugged the car! We couldn’t help but watch and laugh,” she added.

Fadly expressed his great sentiments of the car. “One of my most memorable moments, or rather nightmare, involving the car was when I drove my mother over to my girlfriend’s house for her to convey the proposal of marriage to my girlfriend’s parents. I was sitting in this car, outside the house, trembling!” he recalled. His Saga has certainly travelled with him through the years, being the vehicle used on his first date with his then girlfriend, who has since become his wife and mother to his two children.

“This car and I have shared many stories together. We have been the brunt of jokes by my family and friends. My father-in-law has even offered to pay the down payment for a new car, but I politely declined,” said Fadly. “It is a bit of a relationship, where my car keeps me going and I also keep her going,” he laughed, after revealing that thousands of Ringgit have been well spent over the years on regular service maintenance and to keep the car roadworthy.

Fadly’s 19 year-old Proton Saga will now be in the R3 workshop for four weeks, for a complete tip to toe rework, inside out. Proton Motorsports Division’s R3 unit is certainly excited about the project, according to its head of engineering, Tengku Djan Ley. “It’s not often that we are given free-rein to do up a car like this. Considering the background of the situation, we’re really looking forward to giving the car an outstanding makeover as a gift for Fadly.” The fully reworked Proton Saga will be unveiled in September.

194 Comments