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Proton Tuah to be showcased at Japan AEE show – organisers hoping that EMAS will be exhibited too

March 10, 2011 at 1:12 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept

The next show stop for Proton’s EMAS hybrid is possibly Japan. According to a Bernama report, the organisers of the 2011 Japan Automotive Engineering Exposition (AEE) in Yokohama – which runs May 18-20 – are hoping Proton will exhibit the EMAS at the Malaysian Auto Industry Exhibition (MAIE), to be held within the AEE.

The report quoted Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro)’s director of international trade fairs in the Trade Fair Department Yoichi Kimura as saying the event’s organisers were hoping Proton will respond positively, given the ever-increasing growing interest in hybrid vehicles against the backdrop of rising oil prices, which is now at US$105 a barrel.

The annual exhibition – which is organised by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan – attracts about 70,000 visitors, including top auto industry officials and motoring enthusiasts.

The MAIE, which began in 2007, has been instrumental in getting more Japanese companies to evaluate the capability and export quality of Malaysian automotive products, Kimura said.

He said an example is the Satria Neo hatchback, which first caught the eye of Japanese auto parts manufacturer CUSCO at the 2007 exhibition. Plans are afoot to import the car from the middle of this year, which is set to be developed and sold as rally cars for Japanese rallying enthusiasts.

Proton has indicated it will exhibit the Tuah concept car at this year’s MAIE, according to another official from Jetro’s Trade Fair Department.

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Proton EMAS to enter India using Nissan March platform?

November 1, 2010 at 3:24 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, India, Malaysian Makes, Nissan, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept

Now here’s something interesting. According to Autocar India, Proton is attempting to enter the Indian market with a small car underpinned by Nissan’s V platform. The magazine’s sources spilled that Nissan may license the said platform to Proton, who could use it for the production version of its EMAS concept.

The V platform (V for Versatile) is used by the latest Nissan March (Micra in some markets) that’s being produced in India and Thailand. Nissan’s alliance partner Renault also have plans to use this platform to spin off a range of compact cars due in 2012. This modern platform’s main advantage is its light weight and the reduction of required parts by around 18%, and as the name suggests, it’s easily adaptable.

We reported early last month on Proton looking for suitable partners for the EMAS, which was unveiled at this year’s Geneva show by Italdesign Giugiaro, and that discussions will be concluded by the end of 2010. This latest piece of news sounds like a progression of that. It’s long known that Proton has India in its sights, and the 3,550 mm EMAS could be the ideal debut car – it’s spacious but comfortably ducks under the four-metre long tax barrier.

“There were discussions in terms of technology, platforms and how we can work with others to source engines to us. The current trend is to come up with cars, including those using hybrid technology, that are fuel-efficient and produce low amounts of carbon emission. As Proton is a competitive company, we will take on this concept and make it a reality,” Proton MD Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin was quoted as saying before.

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First image of Lotus-badged EMAS global small car

August 24, 2010 at 3:34 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Lotus, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept

Proton yesterday unveiled some new images of the Proton EMAS Concept alongside with a Lotus-badged version. Both cars will be aimed at very different markets, with different powertrain combinations, while still sharing the same basic platform allowing better economies of scale.

Above you have a rendering of what a Lotus version could look like, and I’m using the word could because no one indicated that this was a production photo. From our understanding, the Lotus Global Small Car will be positioned at a premium, with a shorter wheelbase and a three-door hatch body compared to the Proton badged version.

Possible powertrains include a plug-in EV or series hybrid with range extender (Lotus Omnivore) or a turbocharged small engine of around 1.2 litres of capacity or lower. Benchmark models for this car are vehicles like the MINI EV or the electric Smart.

This particular photo is an update of what the production Proton global small car based on the 5-door Proton EMAS could look like. As you can see the design has been revised compared to the one first shown in Geneva 2010 and later at the Proton 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner.

This one looks like it has inched closer to being a production design and the front end looks sharper and sportier, with the headlamps angled upwards. You can compare this design with the original Proton EMAS Concept design below:

Proton’s benchmark for their new global small car is vehicles such as the Toyota Aygo or the Nissan March – practical and youthful at the same time. Proton is looking at installing a small and fuel efficient engine to go with this car, and they are also exploring diesel options for the Indian market.

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Proton Emas Concept and 25th Anniversary Edition Cars unveiling at gala dinner last night

July 10, 2010 at 4:45 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept

Here’s a video we recorded from last night’s dinner, where the Proton Emas concept was shown in Malaysia to the public for the first time, along with the trio of 25th Anniversary Edition cars. This particular Emas was done up in a blue paintjob, and I think this is the first time we’ve been able to see the Emas headlamps light up in an actual video. Also, look at the gallery after the jump for more shots of the blue Emas concept at the dinner hall.
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How does the Proton EMAS hybrid system work?

March 3, 2010 at 3:30 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Proton EMAS Concept, Technology

Lotus Range ExtenderLet’s have a look at the very heart of the Proton EMAS Concept cars – the Lotus Range Extender Engine. There has been a lot of concerns from readers about the range which has been rated at 50km. First of all, the car is still a concept at this point of time, so these figures are generally quite meaningless unless the car gets closer to production.

Concept cars are generally done as a ‘what if’ exercise and to gauge public perception and interest before moving ahead with the production version. This is why the one big question put forth at the Proton Concepts microsite is “would you like this to be the future of Proton”. According to Datuk Syed Zainal, it may take another 2 years before we can see a production version of the Proton EMAS on the roads.

But in any case, one of the most common comparisons in the comments so far is between the EMAS and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. After all, the i-MiEV is somewhat similar – raised floor, compact size, rear motor and rear wheel driven. But the key difference between the two cars is that the i-MiEV is a pure electric car while the Proton EMAS Concept is a series-hybrid. But what exactly does series-hybrid mean? Does it mean it is not an electric car thus is not as ‘clean’ as an i-MiEV?

A series hybrid is basically an electric car, as long as you have enough juice in the battery packs for the electric motor to function. The Proton EMAS Concept has a range of 50km, which is shorter than the i-MiEV’s 160km range. But note that it isn’t an apple to apple comparison – the i-MiEV’s 160km range is calculated based on the Japanese 10-15 urban mode driving cycle, while Proton’s 50km range is not specified. It might be a mixed mode range or a ‘best effort’ range.

The difference is range can be quite easily explained – it is simply because the i-MiEV has a larger battery. It needs to have a larger battery because the battery is its only source of energy. Once you’re out of juice, you’re a sitting duck. With the Lotus Range Extender system, you do not need to have such a large battery – only one that is large enough to complete most city trips. That means less weight and less cost in terms of battery costs. Let’s say your office is about 15km to 20km from your home. You’ll hopefully be able to complete a to and fro trip on a single charge. When you get home, you plug the EMAS into your wall socket again to fully charge it up (3 hours on our 240V voltage – longer in 120V countries), and repeat the cycle the next day.

What happens when you need to travel further than 50km? The internal combustion engine will turn on and run to generate power. Because it only generates power and does not drive the wheels, Lotus can optimize it to run only at certain RPM points, so there is no need for costly variable valve timing, or this or that. The engine is a very simple 1.2 litre 3 cylinder single cam engine with only 2 valves per cylinder and a 10.0:1 compression ratio. It does not have to be built to withstand high RPM speeds so it can be lighter and cheaper to manufacture. The Range Extender engine only runs at 2 points – 1,500rpm and a higher 3,500rpm when you need to generate power a little faster. Peak torque is 107Nm at 2,500rpm, while peak power is quoted at 51hp at 3,500rpm.

Thus the Proton EMAS is hybrid in the sense that the electricity that its electric motor requires can be obtained through 2 ways – either a wall socket, or by the range extender engine burning fuel to generate electricity. As long as you do not exhaust the 50km battery capacity, your EMAS is technically as good as an electric vehicle and there won’t be any exhaust gas coming out of your exhaust pipes. But we don’t know yet how the battery management system works so the range extender engine might kick in earlier to ensure the battery does not get too weak in order to preserve battery life.

What I want to know now is how efficient the engine is in burning petrol to generate electricity. How many km can the car go on the electricity generated by 1 litre of petrol? That will give us a “km per litre” measurement for when the car is not running on plug-in power. Look after the jump for 4 pix of the engine.
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More on Proton’s EMAS Concept Cars

March 2, 2010 at 8:47 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Proton EMAS Concept

Proton has just sent over a PDF document explaining the EMAS Concepts a little. The text goes a little more in depth into the design language. It’s an interesting read if you just can’t get enough of the EMAS triplets. If we’re lucky, Proton will probably showcase then at the KLIMS the end of this year alongside some other interesting stuff. Then both you and I will get to see it in flesh. But for now, enjoy the text and remember to click the ‘fullscreen’ button for easier reading, or download it for offline use.
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Proton EMAS Concept Video Presentation

March 2, 2010 at 7:38 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept, Videos

Italdesign-Giugiaro have uploaded a video presentation of the new Proton EMAS Concept on its website. You can watch it here streamed from local servers. The video has a little technical presentation in it, showing how the interior dimensions were designed to be similiar to that of a C or D segment SUV, etc. Hope you enjoy it!
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Proton EMAS Concepts: over 50 live images!

March 2, 2010 at 6:29 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept

Here we have it, a massive 53 photos of the new Proton EMAS range of concepts, live from the floors of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show! Look after the jump to check out all the photos. For more details on the Proton EMAS Concept, click the link to read our previous launch story. We’ll be back with more details if there are any more to be gained from the show floor. For now, enjoy the photos!
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Proton showcases the EMAS, EMAS Country and EMAS3 trio of concepts at Geneva 2010!

March 2, 2010 at 4:13 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept


Proton EMAS3

Proton’s range of concept hybrid city cars have been officially unveiled in Geneva today and we now know that they are called the EMAS, the EMAS Country and the EMAS3. For non-Malaysians reading this site, EMAS basically means gold in Bahasa Malaysia, but in this context it also stands for ‘Eco Mobility Advance Solution’. The cars were unveiled at Italdesign Giugiaro’s booth by our ex-PM Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who so happens to also be Proton’s advisor.

The EMAS is the 5-door 4-seater silver hatchback that we first saw. The other two models are the EMAS3, which is a three-door 3+1 seater for city driving, and the EMAS Country which is for country driving – that’s the model with the SUV styling and raised suspension. The concept cars were designed by Italdesign-Giugiaro to fit the description of a compact car with the passenger room of an SUV.


Proton EMAS

The EMAS range of vehicles all run on a common platform that can spawn some other body variants such as a small van for short commercial trips around the city. The chassis has a wheelbase of 2,590mm (the shorter EMAS3′s wheelbase is 2,035mm). Imagine a small zero emissions and silent van used by Pos Malaysia to deliver your mail and parcels! The batteries are positioned somewhere at the centre of the car. The Lotus Range Extender engine is mounted at the front.

It’s basically a 1.2 litre inline-3 engine that’s designed to run only specifically as certain RPM ranges, since it does not drive the wheels directly but only generates power to recharge the batteries. This means it does not necessarily have to rev very high. Drive torque is provided by the electric motor. So it is not surprising that the 1.2 litre engine’s peak power is 51 horsepower at a very low 3,500rpm.

Proton EMAS Lotus Range Extender

Because the engine does not have to rev high, Lotus can design it for a lower redline and certain parts such as valve springs and etc do not have to be built to tolerate higher speeds. This can save weight and cost – and the result is an engine that weighs only 56kg according to the original specs. But in any case, the specs that was unveiled here is actually slightly more powerful than what Lotus initially announced when they introduced the range extender engine. The original Lotus Range Extender press release quoted two different power generation points depending on load – 20hp at 1,500rpm and 47hp at 3,500rpm. The engine can run on gasoline, ethanol, methanol or natural gas.

The electric motor outputs a continuous power of 45kW and a peak power of 75kW. The motor’s torque output is pegged at 240Nm at peak, and does not require the use of a gearbox, so the motor drives the rear wheels through a fixed ratio. 0 to 100km/h tales 14 seconds, the car’s top speed is 170km/h, and one battery charge’s worth of range is 50km before the internal combustion engine needs to kick in to recharge it. You can also charge the battery via an electrical outlet as it has plug-in capabilities. A full charge is said to take 3 hours with 240V 13A power point.

The interior (which you can see above – we’re in the midst of getting better pix) is said to feature two TFT monitors in the center mounted at a concave angle. The right hand monitor shows the speedo and various other vital statistics of the car such as the hybrid system energy flow diagrams, while the left hand monitor handles the in-car entertainment and communication settings, including a browser for internet access. A third display located beneath the center console is a touch screen display that allows you to control various car functions.

“The unveiling of the concept cars today reflects the long-term strategy we have in matching global automotive standards as we expand and reinforce our presence worldwide. We strive to listen to our customers to ensure the development of a global car that meets customer’s requirements and expectations. The aim is to produce the global car for world market in the future,” said Proton managing director Dato Syed Zainal. According to DSZ, the car is between 17 to 24 months away from production, so we’re looking at a 2012 to 2013 launch date!

We’ll be back very soon with some more info from our man Danny on the floors of Geneva with more live photos of the car (live photos now uploaded) as well as perhaps some videos. Look after the jump for a full spec sheet as well as product images.
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20 hours to Proton Concept live unveiling!

March 1, 2010 at 8:30 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Concept Cars, International News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Proton EMAS Concept

Only just over 20 hours left before the new Proton Concept is unveiled to the world at the Geneva Motorshow in Switzerland. The Proton Concepts teaser website has a new photo uploaded now, showing both the SUV-styled three door version and the silver 5-door hatchback version that was first unveiled. Here’s a recap on what we know of the twin concepts so far:

  • The two concepts are a creative collaboration between Proton, Lotus Engineering and design firm Italdesign Giugiaro.
  • The hatchback version will have five doors and four seats that are independently adjustable and slide-able.
  • The SUV-styled version has increased ground clearance, 3-doors, and it can accommodate 5 instead of just 4 thanks to the interior space saved by the omission of a B-pillar.
  • The car was designed to offer interior spaciousness of a D-segment car with the exterior dimensions of an A-segment car.
  • The hip point is designed to be at just the right natural and ergonomic height – you do not get down into the car like a short sedan or “climb” up into the car like an SUV.
  • It is 3,550 mm in length. That is about a good half meter longer than the Toyota iQ but shorter than the Savvy.
  • It uses a special chassis with a raised floor that allows installation of the combustion engine at the front and batteries in the rear
  • The cars will use a Lotus Range Extender series hybrid drive. A combustion engine will be mounted at the front and will be used only to recharge lithium ion batteries. The batteries power a motor that turns the wheels.

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