Proton Waja FR (with Video)
Another eye-opener at the recent R3 Street Shootout at Batu Kawan, Penang. Tengku Djan participated in the Drift session and emerged champion in a Proton Waja.
Archive for Proton
Proton Gen2 1.3 in showrooms
The Proton Gen2 finally comes with a 1.3 engine despite it being available overseas in markets such as the UK for some time. With the introduction, Proton introduces a new colour for the Gen2 – WHITE! I have to admit white looks hot on the Gen2.
No Lotus Involvement in Proton New Engine?
The piece of news was about something else, but I noticed something strange… Click here to read the rest of No Lotus Involvement in Proton New Engine?
Volkswagen still keen to buy Proton
Volkswagen and Proton are still in talks and it could end up with Volkswagen AG buying as much as 30% stake in Proton, or nothing at all.
Volkswagen and Khazanah Nasional officials met at the Proton Holdings Bhd HQ yesterday to discuss the matter.
Proton officials said that if there is no decision within a few days talk would be called off.
The deal is said to be involve MYR1.65 billion exchanging hands if it goes through. That translates to about RM10 per share. Proton shares were worth RM9.25 on the market on Thursday.
It’s said that the terms of the sale will involve Volkswagen AG gaining management control of the company.
Foreign CEO anyone?
Source: The Star, Yahoo News
Jeremy Clarkson on the Proton Savvy
He has absolutely no mercy! Click more to start playing the video. Click here to read the rest of Jeremy Clarkson on the Proton Savvy
Proton Ultimate – Lotus Europa?
It seems that the new sports car we’ve been seeing around is not a Proton but a Lotus Europa. Click here to read the rest of Proton Ultimate – Lotus Europa?
Perdana Replacement Model Photoshop
A pretty good Photoshop showing how the Proton Perdana replacement model based on an extended Volkswagen Passat platform could look like. This artist’s impression was done by a talented guy named Theophilus.
The grill follows the same wau concept which Proton has been using for the Gen2 and the Savvy.
The base car is a Skoda Superb which is also based on an extended Passat platform. Pleasing to the eye for people who drool over the Audi A4 but can’t afford one.
It’s not known whether the Perdana replacement model would be using a higher displacement Campro engine or a Volkswagen engine.
Looking at the way Proton is introducing their new models, Proton has been focusing on replacements instead of improvements. What does this imply? The previous model was not good so they had to junk it and replace it?
I think it’s a good idea to continue with the Proton Perdana name as the name still carries a bit of prestige unlike the other Proton model names which have been tarnished by horrible QC. However, Proton seems to want to use English names instead for the ease of exporting. Click here to read the rest of Perdana Replacement Model Photoshop
Gen2 R3 at DreamCarsAsia
I wanted to go to DreamCarsAsia to get photos of the Gen2 R3 prototype but as I did not have a camera, couldn’t do anything. Autoworld has some photos here. Looks hot.
500 units of the Proton Gen2 R3 will be built, an increase over the 150 unit availability of the Proton Satria R3. Unlike the Satria R3 which carries over the bodykit from the Satria GTi, the Proton Gen2 R3 will have a redesigned bodykit. Looks pretty good, and it comes with the trademark RaceRallyResearch Advanti Racing rims. I just love that design. Thin, five spoke rims are my favourite.
More updates on the stats once I get hold of information, but for the meantime check out Autoworld’s article here.
Ku Li: “Proton Tak Terdaya Maju”
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, or Ku Li bashes Proton in this unmarked video interview on 9th July 2005.
He says that Malaysia has no capacity to make cars. This is one case where dreams cannot fuel reality. He mentions UK’s failure with Rover and Australia’s supposed failure with Holden. I disagree. Holden was always part of General Motors from the very beginning. Just that it once made its own cars, but now just mostly does badge reengineering to achieve economies of scale.
He mentions Fiat is also having trouble. Huh? Fiat just celebrated it’s 106th birthday on 11th June. They look fine to me.
Ku Li attributes Proton’s failure to the car market being determined by the giant cartels of the automotive industry. The huge Japanese, American and German car companies total control of the market makes it hard for anyone new to break in.
He gives some history on how Proton came about. I am not sure if its true. Apparently Mitsubishi approached Taiwan to propose to a company be setup there, doing Mitsubishi badge re-engineering. They rejected, so they came to Dr. Mahathir and he accepted the idea.
However, “Proton tak terdaya maju“, he says.
In Rawang, Kuantan, Klang, tens of thousands of unsold Protons are left to rot in stockyards. More and more finance companies are giving 100% loans to Protons. 9 year durations. By the end of 9 years, he comments, the financed Proton would be worth nothing.
He mentioned something which he himself admits is unconfirmed though. He says in foreign markets, Protons are hard or expensive to insure because of it’s crappy safety features. Really? I thought the Waja scored a 3 in European NCAP crash tests? Hmm…
Most of his bashing is to do with the Mitsubishi era of Proton. Nothing about the new batch of cars. Hmm…
Anyway, watch the video yourselves. I have posted it up here for viewing.
Video: Ku Li: “Proton Tak Terdaya Maju”
Edit: I found that the video was posted here before me, so I assume that’s the source of the video. If otherwise, please leave a comment to correct me and I will edit my post to credit the proper source.
For those who don’t know who Tengku Razaleigh is, Google or Wikipedia is your best friend.
Proton Savvy Automatic to get Renault Quickshift5
As you all know, the Proton Savvy models offered currently does not have an automatic transmission model. But what Proton is planning to offer to people who prefer the convenience of automatic in a Proton Savvy is not something usual. Normal automatic gearboxes are not liked very much by performance freaks because of it’s big power loss due to the torque converter, and lack of response to the throttle position and shift level changes.
The automatic variant of the Proton Savvy will be using something new which Proton likes to call a Automated-Manual Transmission, or Proton AMT for short. This gearbox is basically the Renault Quickshift5 gearbox, which is available in the Renault Clio. After all, the Proton Savvy was loosely based on the Clio.
Left: Gear position indicator on the Savvy meter panel. In the manual version that space is blank. Right: The Clio’s Quickshift gear lever.
The Renault Quickshift5 is a clutchless manual transmission gearbox. Yes, it works like a manual transmission with clutches and gears, not like an oil-driven automatic with a torque converter. No power loss there. It also has the speedy response of a manual transmission. All of that without the inconvenience of having to press a clutch, especially in traffic jams.
The Quickshift5, or Automated-Manual Transmission (AMT) as Proton likes to call it has 5 gears as you would expect from the name. There are 2 modes to it, a manual selection mode where you can switch through the gears sequentially by flicking the gear lever frontwards or backwards. The gearbox was derived from Renault’s normal 5 speed manual gearbox, but an electronic control module was added to it to operate the clutch electronically. The other mode is an automatic mode which shifts gears on it’s own and requires no intervention from the driver.
Because the clutch control is computerized with precised timing, shifts are much quicker than any average driver can ever attempt with a normal manual gearbox and foot-operated clutch. The result is a driving experience that’s zippy and fun. The computer features some form of fuzzy logic which allows the auto mode to adapt to your driving patterns.
Since the Quickshift5 is derived from a normal manual gearbox, it is lighter than an automatic gearbox thus improving fuel economy and performance.
Note: I am basing this blog post on Renault’s Quickshift5 gearbox, which has already been outdated by it’s Quickshift 6 speed gearbox. It is not known whether Proton’s variant of Quickshift5 will have all of the features I’ve mentioned. The Proton Savvy with Quickshift5 is still under testing with Malaysian road conditions.
UPDATE: The Savvy AMT has been launched. Details here.
Related Proton Savvy posts:
Tiara Replacement Model Available For Booking
Tiara Replacement Model On The Road
Tiara Replacement Model Again
New Tiara Replacement Model Spyshots
Tiara Replacement Model Ads in Newspapers
Proton Sassy – The Name for the Tiara Replacement Model
Proton Savvy: Proton Renames The Sassy Tiara Replacement Model to Savvy
Proton Savvy Launch this 8th June
Possible Proton Savvy Interior Shots
Proton Savvy Photos
Proton Savvy Quality Control TUV Audit
Proton Savvy Launch at 5pm today!
Proton Press Release on the Savvy
Proton Savvy R3 ?
Proton Savvy R3 Concept at Proton Edar Mutiara
Proton Savvy Automatic to get Renault’s Quickshift 5
