Archive for Proton

Proton Exora in Pyrite Brown spotted in Tg Malim

March 9, 2009 @ 1:26 am · Filed under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009, Spyshots

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These shots are courtesy of reader H+Z who spotted these two Proton Exora MPVs in the new Pyrite Brown colour at the Medan Selera Tanjung Malim near the Padang MDTM parking lot, thanks man! The Exora will be built at Proton’s plant in Shah Alam but I suppose these test units went up for Tanjung Malim for some purpose or another.

There are a few shots after the jump with one that is particularly interesting – while it was hard to snap photos of the interior because of the window’s reflections, there is one clear shot of the automatic transmission gear shifter area. Looks like there’s a gate-shift but no manual override function, which isn’t really important as it’s mostly a novelty on such a car. There are actually 2 Exoras there, and according to H+Z the one with the B461A has a manual transmission while the B462A was automatic.

Look after the jump for more of H+Z’s shots!

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Proton Exora CPS MPV features list teaser scan

March 5, 2009 @ 10:02 pm · Filed under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

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Here is the latest Proton Exora teaser ad insertion scanned from today’s The Star. There are loads of more details about the MPV, so let me just list them here for those who are kinda lazy to load the full-resolution version of the photo to read the details.

Campro CPS Engine – Proton claims enough power to transport 7 adults with a full load of luggage while maintaining fuel efficiency. The first part of believable but I’m doubtful about the second part, you can’t have the best of both worlds, not with a regular twincam normally aspirated engine like the Campro CPS. Power output is quoted at 125hp and 150Nm of torque which is equivalent to the output in the Waja CPS, GEN2 CPS and Satria Neo CPS, but some parameters such as CPS and VIM activation points may have been changed, we’ll only find out at the launch.
Quiet Cabin – Proton claims a quiet cabin because of sound absorption material (they use the word technology).
Ride & Handling – As usual, the Lotus brand name and their involvement in tuning the suspension settings for Proton cars are being pushed as a selling point for the Exora MPV.
Small Turning Radius – Proton says the Exora has a turning radius of 5.3 meters. A turning radius is essentially the radius of a small circular turn, or a U-turn that the vehicle is capable of making. The smaller the number, the less space required by a vehicle to U-turn. Note that there are two types of turning radius that can be specified – curb-to-curb or wall-to-wall which is measured either by the distance travelled by the wheels or including the whole car including body overhangs and etc, with the latter being more accurate of course. Let’s compare to some other MPVs – 5.2 meters for the Toyota Passo Sette (this could be the upcoming Perodua MPV), Toyota Wish – 5.3 meters, Nissan Grand Livina – 5.2 meters, Honda Stream – 5.4 meters, Mazda 5 – 5.3 meters, Toyota Alphard – 5.7 to 5.9 meters, Toyota Rush – 5.2 meters.
Intelligent Electronic Body Control Programme – I’m not sure what this is. Proton calls this an integrated module which allows you to recalibrate electronic components to suit your driving needs such as wipers and signal lights. I am told that this is a central control module which communicates with various components of the car including the examples given. My source tells me this is more of something that works behind the scenes at the moment and there is not much of a user interface to control but I suspect this will allow some form of user controllability in the future such as programmable follow-me home lights and etc just by adding a user interface to it.
LED tail lamps and brake lights – We already know this from the spyshots.

Read our past coverage of the Proton Exora while we patiently count down to its launch, expected to be in April 2009.

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Proton Exora MPV meter panel and dashboard textures in high-resolution!

March 4, 2009 @ 11:00 am · Filed under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009, Spyshots

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I have managed to source a very high resolution version of the first Proton Exora dashboard instrument panel and steering wheel teaser that Proton put up in the daily papers for you guys, thanks to a source that wishes to remain anonymous. This is probably the original image file for the ad sent to the newspapers and it reveals the full high resolution glory of the textures that Proton have put on the Proton Exora’s dashboard.

The instrumentation panel hood and upper dash seems to have a different texture from the rest of the dashboard and the center dash area where the 2-DIN head unit and air condition controls are also seem to have a sort of brushed look to it. The meter panel can also be seen in full high resolution glory, so check it out!

For other details please read our previous coverage of the Proton Exora MPV, the national carmaker’s first 7-seater 3-row MPV set for an April 2009 launch.

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Proton Exora MPV teaser scans: flat folding seats

March 1, 2009 @ 2:42 am · Filed under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

Click image above to view very detailed high-resolution version!

Here’s another teaser of the Proton Exora MPV, a scan courtesy of reader waja2000. We can see a full frontal view of the Proton Exora’s dashboard here which also reveals a gate-type shifter for the automatic transmission.

It also shows the 3 rows of seats which are 60:40 split for the 2nd row and 50:50 split for the third row. It also appears that the seats fold completely flat, which is good. The third row has some form of storage and cupholders integrated into the wheel arch intrusions, and we’re lucky Proton has completely abandoned any attempts to have stylo sporty door panels – they look completely normal even for the rear doors. The third row also has full 3-point seat belts too.

The photo cuts off just before the roof of the MPV so we cannot see the roof-mounted air conditioning vents but these were features that could be seen in the peek-a-boo box of the MPV interior at the Proton Technology Week.

UPDATE: Higher resolution photo added.

Read our past coverage of the Proton Exora below for more juicy details on the first 7-seater 3-row MPV from Proton.

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Proton teases the Proton Exora MPV dashboard

February 27, 2009 @ 6:59 pm · Filed under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

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Proton has been running a series of teaser print ads in the papers of the new Proton Exora, Proton’s first 7-seater MPV. It’s nothing that we haven’t seen before but for the rest of the Malaysian population it offers a rather unobstructed glimpse of the Proton MPV’s dashboard and instrument panel. While the leaked images we saw previously was of a Proton Exora equipped a manual transmission, this particular teaser image was clearly snapped from an Exora with an automatic transmission.

We get to see where the automatic gear position indicator is on the instrumentation panel – the LCD display integrated into the right-side gauge. Whether a manual Proton Exora will be offered or not is still questionable – while we saw a manual version previously, Proton’s teaser pricing only shows 2 automatic variants – an M-Line and a H-Line. With the automatic M-Line having a preliminary price of RM72k, it may be possible that a manual M-Line could dip under RM70k.

More updates on the Proton Exora soon to come – stay tuned! In the meanwhile please read our detailed past coverage on the Proton Exora MPV.

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Proton Exora 7-seater MPV interior details revealed!

February 22, 2009 @ 2:30 am · Filed under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

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Proton Edar’s Proton Exora teaser page reveals how the Exora’s seats and seating configuration looks like. The seats are in the typical three-row MPV 2-3-2 order for 7 seats, and Proton claims them to be suitable for full adult seating.

From the looks of it every seat (wrapped with leather) has its own headrest, and Proton says there are also individual air conditioning blowers for each row. From the details revealed at the Proton Technology Week, it is revealed that the dedicated air conditioning vents for the 2nd and 3rd rows will be located at the ceiling of the Proton Exora MPV. The 2nd and 3rd row of the Proton Exora can also be folded in 6 flexible configurations, and it looks like the 2nd row’s middle seat can be folded down as an armrest. There will be a total of 10 cupholders in the MPV, which is more than 1 for each seat, so there should be more than enough space to keep one’s drinks on a road trip.

As previously revealed, the steering wheel will feature audio controls but there is no mention yet on what the phone button is for. The Proton Exora will have an overhead LCD player that can read VCDs and DVDs along with a variety of other storage devices such as devices using USB input, and a memory card slot that supports SD and MMC. This will likely be available only in the high spec model.

Speaking of specification levels, Proton has also revealed tentative prices for the Proton Exora on its booking page. The tentative pricing are RM 72,000 for the M-Line model with an automatic transmission, and RM 76,000 for the H-Line model with an automatic transmission. This is well under the RM 80,000 maximum figure previously quoted. So far only prices for automatic transmission models have been revealed but if the automatic M-Line is 72K, a manual transmission M-Line could go under RM70k if Proton decides to make such a model available. But I feel manual is a must for the Proton buyer segment, and I am pretty sure their product team knows this too.

Bookings for the Proton Exora just opened yesterday and Proton Edar reported over 350 bookings. Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal hopes to achieve between 4,000 to 5,000 bookings before the April launch date, which gives them roughly over a month to go.

There have also been other details on the Exora revealed over the past few months, please read our previous coverage on the Proton Exora to find out more exclusive details!

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Proton clarifies choice of Proton Exora name

February 18, 2009 @ 7:59 pm · Filed under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Proton has issued a response to the public outcry of alleged unfairness in the results of the Proton MPV naming competition. The dissatisfaction is mostly related to the chosen name “Proton Exora”, which its MD Datuk Syed Zainal said was based on the Ixora flower name at the launch event. According to Syed Zainal, “Exora is a flower that blooms in a bunch, so that evokes the spirit of the MPV, which is togetherness. It demonstrates the MPV as a family vehicle and that is why we decided to pick the name.”

In Proton’s statement, it thanked members of the public for highlighting the issues and concerns related to the choice of name and understands the points being made. It clarified that the name “Proton Exora” was picked through a vigorous selection process and was chosen because it was not a name for any animal and vegetation although it had similar pronunciation as the flower, Ixora. In fact, there were 139 contest entries submitting the name Proton Ixora, and 39 entries for Proton Exora. The Ixora name was eliminated from the final selection because it was the direct spelling of the name of a flower.

The 39 people who had submitted the winning name had also chosen the name for various other reasons. The winning entry by Miss Norsholihan Bt Abdul Eanich was chosen because of the tagline “Keriangan Keluarga” or family joy. Proton felt the name and tagline represented the company’s effort to offer a vehicle which could offer family togetherness.

The controversial rule in the naming competition stated that an entry “tidak diambil daripada” the name of flora or fauna, but it appears that Proton and contestants had different interpretations of this rule. A lot of contestants who are dissatisfied right now assumed it meant any name related to flora and fauna were disallowed, however Proton’s interpretation was only a direct name of a flora or fauna is disallowed.

What’s done is done and nothing can be changed, but reflecting on the situation, what Proton should have done at the very beginning is clarify what exactly “tidak diambil daripada” meant by giving examples, because in my honest opinion it is obvious to me that Exora is “taken from/diambil daripada” the word Ixora and contestants have every right to be dissatisfied because perhaps if they had known variations or puns on flora/fauna are allowed, they could have let their creativity loose even more and may have come up with an even better name and tagline than Proton Exora.

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Proton Exora: the MPV Proton will launch!

February 17, 2009 @ 10:18 am · Filed under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

Proton has announced the name for the new Proton MPV – the Proton Exora! The Exora is based on the name of the Ixora flower, with the tagline “Keriangan Keluarga”. The name and tagline were picked by the Name The Proton MPV competition grand prize winner Norsholihan Bt Abdul Eanich, who will get to drive and own the 7-seater people mover she helped name once it is launched in April.

The company also revealed that the Proton Exora MPV will be priced at under RM 80,000 and will be available in 5 colours – Genetic Silver, Tranquility Black, Blue Haze, Pyrite Brown and Gaia Blue. In terms of safety, all variants will have at least 2 SRS airbags as standard, but this will be as far as it will go in terms of total airbag count. The Proton Exora will be built in the Shah Alam plant. Cost of development was slightly over RM 450 million.

Proton will produce between 3,000 to 3,500 units of the Proton Exora a month initially. After the local launch in April, the MPV will be swiftly exported to markets such as Thailand and Indonesia by July. We’ll see how the new Exora fares in an open market up with our friends up north against their favorite Toyota MPVs.

For more, please read some past coverage on the Proton Exora to find out more about the new MPV, expected to be powered by the Campro CPS engine. Bookings will be open at a fee of RM1,000 from this Saturday (21st Feb 2009) onwards.

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Proton Satria Neo CPS: parking lot test review

February 14, 2009 @ 6:34 pm · Filed under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Satria Neo, Test Drive Reviews

Satria Neo CPS

Along with the official launch of the Satria Neo CPS, members of the media were given the chance to test out the new Neo CPS at an empty parking lot. Although excited about testing the new spiritual successor to the Proton Satria GTI, I wasn’t too keen about driving the up-rated Neo within the confines of a rather small area. Proton had setup a pointless-looking mini race track within the compounds of the APAC parking lot and I managed to get a taste of both manual and automatic variants.

First up was the automatic version. Featuring similar cabin room as the standard Neo, the CPS variant also suffers from lack of head clearance. In my honest opinion, it was quite fun to drive the Neo CPS through tight spots, as the handling was rather sharp. At average speeds of up to 60 km/h, I only felt some easily correctable understeer at the limits of car. While negotiating those tight turns, I felt very minimal body roll, while the nicely-weighted steering wheel offered good feedback.

Satria Neo CPS

The sprint performance with the auto tranny was just about average. As expected, the performance of the automatic transmission during my initial test was made me to look forward to the manual Neo CPS. The manual is the only way to really enjoy this car!

The first thing I did when got myself into the manual Neo was to have a feel of the gear lever hoping for it to be nicely weighted, as opposed to being “soggy” or “lose”, and I am happy to say that my hopes were realized. A little on the hard side of things, gear change was slick and precise, which is good since this car is positioned as a performance variant. For the manual Neo CPS test, there were longer straights on the temporary track, which allowed me to feel the CPS powerplant’s good performance on high revs.

Satria Neo CPS

Through out the quick test drive, I also noticed that the throttle response was also up to expectation. I would like to mention about its ride quality but unfortunately the test drive was rather short, so looks like we have to wait for a longer drive. But based on the short drive, things are pointing the right direction for the Neo CPS. The handling and performance seems to suit the aggressive looks on the outside. Some might say that the body kit treatment is a little over the top, but personally, I feel its alright.

I just wish that the wheels were extended by half an inch or so, but that may affect the overall handling. I also feel that the rear exhaust box should have been hidden neatly. The way it is now makes the rear diffuser look bad. So far, my thumbs are pointing upwards for the Satria New CPS. Stick around as we will bring you the test review as soon as we get a test drive unit.

Story by Harvinder Singh, because Paul Tan cannot fit properly in the car while wearing a safety helmet, thanks to the headroom.

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Proton MPV name to be unveiled next week!

February 13, 2009 @ 3:42 pm · Filed under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton Exora - Proton MPV 2009

Proton MPV

Proton will be unveiling the name of the new Proton MPV on the 17th of February 2009, as well as the winners of the Name The Proton MPV competition held last year. An indicative launch date will also be revealed. Stay tuned for updates next week, enjoy your Valentines weekend for now.

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