Archive for Proton MPV 2009

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This could possibly be the first spyshots of the new Proton MPV and it’s all thanks to reader the_king, who snapped them on the highway near the Prai Industrial Estate. We previously saw the car’s drivetrain being tested in a test mule based on the Toyota Wish.

I believe that judging from the proportions in these photos you can already feel that that MPV will be quite tall, which should mean good headroom which is especially needed when you are trying to get into the third row from the second row doors.

As with the Satria Neo spyshots, there is no front view as the photographer was alone in the car. We can see a little bit of the vertical rear lamps exposed and as expected they have a similiar layout to the one in the teaser video, with the brake light positioned at the bottom and the signal lamps at the top.

Those wheels look like they’re 15 inches in size but because this is a prototype test vehicle, the wheels could be different or perhaps the right size but of a different design than the one that will go onto the production vehicle. But even so, we can’t see that detail in these photos because the Proton MPV was moving.

Look after the jump for 2 more shots, or have a look at my previous posts linked below with exclusive details on the new Proton MPV.

Related Posts:
Proton MPV: exclusive initial details revealed!
Proton MPV first test batch to roll out mid-September 2008
Proton MPV sketches preview production model!

Click here to read the rest of Proton MPV spyshots, and its not a Toyota Wish-baesd test mule this time!

The Proton MPV Naming Contest is now closed and Proton says they received a total of over 251,000 entries, or about 11,000 a day consistently. A team of professional auditors have been appointed to audit the selection process and the winners will be notified sometime in October 2008.

“This is a historic moment for us and we would like the public to play a big part in naming the new MPV. We hope the MPV will be Malaysia’s Preferred Vehicle in terms of style, price and utilization,” said Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal.

Related Posts:
Proton MPV - exclusive initial details revealed!
Proton MPV - first batch to roll-out mid-September 2008
Proton MPV sketches preview production model
First sighting of new Proton MPV test mule

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Proton is having a nationwide naming contest for the new Proton MPV from now until the 30th of September 2008. Participants can enter the contest either via an online website or SMS. I recommend you use the online form as it is free while the SMS costs RM0.80 plus your existing mobile operator charges, unless you suddenly get an idea while you are not at a PC and want to quickly enter it in case someone else thinks of it first. Proton is not profiting from it though as the RM0.80 will be donated to charity.

To join via the website, just fill in this form. For SMS entries, you need to type P (space) IC Number (comma) Your MPV name entry (comma) Rationale for name (comma) Original tagline. Send the SMS to 36677. The example given is “P 821013105150 Familia, MPV is for families to travel together with enough space on long journeys, A place to bond with your family”.

There is a maximum length limit of 1 SMS for each entry, so be sure not to type a description that is so long that it extends over 1 SMS’s length (160 characters). For online entries there is a max limit of 145 characters including spaces as you don’t have to include your IC number in the entry, but fill it in separately in another form field. You will have to be 18 and above to participate.

The grand prize winner will get to name the new Proton MPV and will win one unit of the Proton MPV. Two runner-ups will win a trip for two to Lotus UK worth RM15,000 each.

Winners will be announced at least 1 month before the Proton MPV’s official launch somewhere in end-March 2009. Winners will be contacted in October 2008, but as there are 3 prizes, I think this will be for the two runner-up who will win the trips.

It would not make sense to contact the grand prize winner until much closer to the Proton MPV’s launch date as the chosen name would then be leaked. But then again I might be wrong. Look for one more photo of the chassis after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Win a Proton MPV in Proton’s naming contest!

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The Proton MPV will begin on-road testing from the 12th of September 2008 onwards, so we’ll be able to spot it on our local roads and hopefully get some nice clear photos possibly from mid-September onwards. It will be launched to the public in March 2009.

Proton sources have confirmed that the Proton MPV will initially come with the 125 horsepower Campro CPS found in the highline GEN2 CPS facelift. The car will ride on 15 inch wheels which should be easy on the fuel consumption as well as tyre change bills as smaller tyres are cheaper. 125hp is far from sprinty on a heavy vehicle especially with all 7 seats occupied, but it is still more powerful than the 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 liter engines that almost all B-segment Japanese MPVs have to make do with.

A turbocharged Campro engine is said to be in the works but according to inside sources if any other engine options other than the CPS engine are to be available for the Proton MPV, next in line is more likely to be a turbodiesel engine. In fact, Proton may have played a part in (successfully) lobbying for the recent drop of diesel road tax rates to the same level as petrol road tax rates.

Above is a rendered image by Theophilus Chin based on insider information including some photos of a finished Proton MPV model that have been circulating in e-mail inboxes. Some of you have definitely seen it already by now. Some details in the rendered image are correct so you can have a “preview” but others are intentionally left different to prevent any legal problems.

The actual car will have a much sharper and sportier front end which will remind you of the Lotus APX. I am also unable to post up the finished model photos as they were taken inside private properties and not public roads, thus leaving anyone publishing it open to legal problems.

Look after the jump for two more shots of Theo Chin’s rendered speculation, or click any one of the related stories before for more exclusive details on the Proton MPV.

Related Stories:
Proton MPV: exclusive initial details and specifications revealed!
Proton MPV sketches preview production model
First sighting of Proton MPV test mule on the road

Click here to read the rest of Proton MPV first batch to roll out mid-Sept 2008

I have some preliminary details on the Proton MPV due to be launched in the first half of 2009. According to a source in Proton, the Proton MPV is on schedule and you can see one of the first chassis prototypes at the Proton Technology Week, so remember to head on there tomorrow from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM if you want to have a look at it.

The chassis reveals quite a bit about the car. There is also a model of the interior hidden in a box with holes cut into it, much like the peekaboo promo that Proton did for its previous two models. The following are what I gathered on the MPV:

Exterior

• Overall shape is like the Toyota Wish but the rear section of the roof does not slope down slightly like the Wish to improve headroom for the third row.
• Tail lamps use LEDs and have a vertical design extending from the top to down, unlike the Wish’s which do not extend into the D pillar. The tail lamps are slimmer at the top but curve out a little at the bottom, similiar to the Volvo XC90’s design. The signal lamps in the light cluster are positioned towards the top for better visibility. You can actually see this in the previously revealed sketch and the teaser video above.
• There is a swage line on the side profile of the MPV.
• Regular swing doors instead of sliding doors.
• The spare tyre is installed outside under the chassis instead of kept in the car so that you can get access to it easily when the luggage space is occupied.

Interior

• The peekaboo box revealed a two-tone beige interior, but sources in Proton say the colour of the interior has not been finalised. It may be either beige or grey.
• Luggage space is not that great with the third row of seats in place, but can fit one large golf bag. This means balik kampung with 7 people loaded and luggage for 7 will be a challenge.
• Second row splits 60:40 while the third row is a 50:50 split. The seats fold flat.
• Interior roof height is designed to be quite decent to accomodate people who want to ride with songkoks and turbans.
• The shifter uses a gated shift and is dashboard-mounted rather than mounted between the front two seats, a common modern trend with MPV-like vehicles.
• The in-car entertainment is a 2-DIN unit. There are options for a DVD player with an LCD display for the movie mounted at the second row roof area. There is also an option in the future for GPS navigation.
• The 2-DIN head unit is at the top of the center dash area below the aircond vents, and below it comes the air conditioning controls which are three knobs arranged in a triangle shape. Below that is the shifter.
• There are aircond blowers for the second and third row situation at the top left and right of the cabin roof (near the grip handles). Proton source says after testing this produced the best airflow.
• There is no armrest between the front two seats but the armrest is instead a fold-down type integrated into the seat itself.

Chassis

• The wheelbase of the chassis is estimated to be more than 2,700mm but less than 2,800mm. In comparison, the Honda Stream has a wheelbase of 2740mm, the Wish is 2,750mm, the Innova 2,750mm, the Livina 2600mm, and the Mazda5 2750mm.
• The front suspension design uses MacPherson struts and the rear design uses a torsion beam to minimize suspension system intrusion into cabin.
• The front end is designed, supplied and assembled as a single module for weight reduction and ease of installation to minimize QC problems.
• The MPV is said to have very good crash safety design from Proton internal crash tests. A few MPVs will be sent for official crash testing and rating soon.

So there you have it. If you want to look at the interior and chassis for yourself you can head to the Proton Technology Week event tomorrow. The event is happening at the Proton plant in Shah Alam. On the KESAS highway heading towards Klang, turn left after the Center of Excellence and then turn left into the Proton plant.

An initial concept sketch of the Proton MPV interior, but the production version will be tamed down.

Proton MPV teaser video gets attention…

Day 1 visitors having a peek at the new MPV’s interior.

Click here to read the rest of Proton MPV exclusive initial details revealed!

Proton will be opening its doors to the public at the Proton Technology Week this weekend. Members of the public will be able to have a look at some of Proton’s R&D facilities and future initiatives at Proton’s plant in the Hicom Industrial Estate, Section 26 Shah Alam.

- 2nd August 2008 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- 3rd August 2008 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

In the technology area members of the public will be able to get a glimpse of Proton’s upcoming 2009 Proton MPV as well as R&D facilities like styling studios, safety labs, VR rooms, prototype studios, noise labs and others. I’ll most definitely be there to share with you what can be seen on Saturday night. Then you can decide if its worth checking out on Sunday which has longer opening hours.

UPDATE: Sheikh Muszaphar will be there on the 2nd of August, so this may be one chance for you to meet him in person for whatever reason you want.

In the carnival area there will be free go-kart rides, a precision driving showcase by Proton’s R3 team, a remote control car championship, a drifting demo, show cars and a demo of a driverless Lotus. It should be quite interesting as the driverless Lotus has been flown in all the way from the US.

The Lotus Autonomous Vehicle is based off the Lotus Elise and was an entry to the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007. It was developed by the North Carolina State University, Insight Technologies, Advanced Vehicle Research Center and Lotus Engineering. It uses laser measurements sensors, high accuracy GPS, and radar.

For those who have children there’s also a children’s fun area. Look after the jump for videos of the autonomous Lotus Elise.

Click here to read the rest of Proton MPV sneak peek at Proton Technology Week

See rest of upcoming Chery MPV spyshots

Ever since initial sketches of the Proton MPV was revealed by Buletin Utama TV3, there have been readers who have noticed similarities with a disguised next generation Chery MPV that has been spotted and captured on camera in Europe. It’s only natural to start speculating. Let’s take it beyond speculation for abit shall we?

Click here to read the rest of Does the Proton MPV have anything to do with an upcoming Chery MPV?

Sketches of the front and rear three quarter views of the upcoming 2009 Proton MPV have been revealed on the Buletin Utama segment on TV3 last night, revealing a front bumper design that is reminiscent of the second generation Proton Saga.

Other design details that are revealed include a swage line on the side profile of the car to hide the actual door height.

These sketches may or may not represent how the actual production 2009 Proton MPV will look like as we have not seen an actual test mule being driven on the road yet. All that has been spotted is a test mule using a Toyota Wish body with what is presumably a Proton engine and a rojak dashboard.

WATCH: Buletin Utama TV3, 26th May 2008 - Part 2

Related Links:
First sighting of new Proton MPV-related test mule
Proton MPV due in early 2009

AV Ventures Sdn Bhd has received a Letter of Intent from Proton to develop and supply components such as steering, wiper and washer and window regulator systems for Proton’s new MPV.

According to the report by The Edge, supply for these components would commence sometime in Q1 2009, so I think we can expect the new Proton MPV to arrive on schedule. On a side note, we now know who to curse if the new MPV’s power windows fail

Source

Related Links:
First sighting of new Proton MPV-related test mule
Proton MPV due in early 2009

This photo has been circulating around the internet and many have been posting it up claiming that these are leaked promotional images of the new Proton MPV. It does look very good. But no, this is not the new Proton MPV. This is actually an unknown person’s Photoshop job of the Mazda 8, which Naza World started selling in Malaysia recently. If you look closely, the alloy wheels still have the Mazda logo on them.

But still, response to this design as a “Proton” in the many forums around the internet so far has been very good, and alot of people seem to believe it is Proton. Kudos to Mazda’s designers for designing a nice looking MPV, and congratulations to the creator for producing a Photoshop job that many believed.

Have a look at more shots of the Mazda 8 MPV after the jump.

Related Links:
Mazda Hong Kong’s Mazda 8 page
Mazda Japan’s Mazda MPV page
First sighting of new Proton MPV-related test mule
Proton MPV due in early 2009

Click here to read the rest of Is this the new Proton MPV?