The Proton Persona is now in Saudi Arabia, making it the third Proton model offered by Proton’s Saudi Arabian distributor Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co. The first two models offered there are the Proton Waja and the Proton GEN2, and after the Proton Persona will soon come the Proton Saga.

Last I checked, Proton’s distributorship contract with Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co is for 5 years beginning the year 2006, and involves a volume commitment of 2,400 units for 2008. They hope this will grow to between 4,000 to 5,000 units annually in the future.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Youngman Automobile’s Europestar brand has just launched its second offering in the China market, the Europestar Jingyue, also called the Europestar Persona. It debuts at the 2008 Guangzhou Auto Show this week. It’s pretty much our Persona with Europestar badges, powered by the 1.6 liter Campro engine. No specs have been revealed so far.

According to Chinese publication northeast, Lotus is working with Youngman to develop more Europestar models which include a larger car, an SUV and an MPV.

Look for more shots of the Europestar Jingyue after the jump, though they aren’t much other than Proton product photos with the Europestar badge photoshopped on. Even the product photo of the left hand drive interior was just flipped horizontally as you can see from the gear shifter area – the D, 3, 2 and L are flipped.

PHOTO GALLERY: Europestar Jingyue
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

The Proton Persona CNG was launched earlier this week in Thailand and it will be available in 3 variants – the medium-line auto, medium-line manual and the high-line auto.

The Campro IAFM engine in the Persona CNG can take either regular petrol, an E20 ethanol-petrol mix as well as CNG (compressed natural gas). CNG is basically the fuel that NGV cars such as taxis use in Malaysia.

Proton targets to sell 500 units a month of the Persona CNG in Thailand. With many Malaysians considering NGV conversions right now, it would be timely to introduce the Persona CNG into the Malaysian market soon.

A car that comes with CNG fueling from the factory would be easier on the owner’s pocket as the cost of conversion is factored into the hire purchase loan, plus it is included in the manufacturer warranty.

Thai prices for the Proton Persona CNG:

Proton Persona CNG 1.6 M-LIne Manual – 549,000 Thai Baht
Proton Persona CNG 1.6 M-LIne Auto – 584,000 Thai Baht
Proton Persona CNG 1.6 H-LIne Auto – 629,000 Thai Baht

Some FAQs on the Proton Persona CNG:

Is the car’s capacity to store regular petrol affected?
No as the CNG tank is an “add on” system to the standard Persona.

Where is the fuel filler for me to refill the CNG?
It is located at the engine bay.

How do I switch from CNG to petrol?
It is quite easy and straight forward to switch between petrol and CNG by pressing on a button on the instrument panel.

Is there a gauge to see how much CNG I have left?
Yes, there are 4 LEDs to indicate CNG level.

How big is the CNG tank?
The tank is 90 liters.

Continue reading to see photos of the CNG refueller, the CNG tank in the boot and how much usable boot space is remaining as the CNG tank takes up boot space.

Related Posts:
Proton launches the Proton GEN2 ecoLogic powered by LPG in the UK

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Proton’s Thai distributor Phranakorn Auto Sales will be launching a CNG-equipped Proton Persona in Thailand tomorrow. The Persona CNG will be able to run on both petrol and compressed natural gas, a fuel which is also available in Malaysia and though limited in availability. CNG is very popular with taxis because of its cheaper price.

Following this announcement you can probably expect Proton to offer a similiarly equipped NGV Persona in Malaysia soon. Factoring the cost of the equipment needed to allow the car to run on natural gas into the hire purchase loan will take alot of financial burden off the carbuyer who is seeking to benefit from the lower price of natural gas.

The problem is refuelling your car with CNG in Malaysia is currently only limited to selected Petronas stations which are mainly concentrated around the Klang Valley. This is an inconvenience.

No prices for the Thai market Proton Persona CNG have been released yet, but as a comparison the Neo is sold for 499,000 Thai baht while the GEN2 goes for 549,000 Thai baht. The cheapest Proton model is the Savvy which goes for 399,000 Thai baht and comprises of half of all Proton cars sold in Thailand.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Proton launched a special edition of the Proton Persona SE today, priced at RM59,800. The Persona SE is only available in two colours – Blue Haze and Brilliant Red. Like all new units of the Persona, the new Proton Persona SE is powered by the Campro IAFM engine which offers a smoother torque curve compared to the old Campro engine. It is only available with an automatic transmission.

The following are the differences in equipment for the special edition model:

• Leather-wrapped seats, steering wheel, gear knob and trim
• Meter panel from the GEN2 CPS
• Different alloy wheel design (15 inch)
• Cruise Control
• Smoked headlamps
• Silver matte door handles and front grille
• A bodykit consisting of front, side and rear skirts and a subtle spoiler
• A Proton-rebadged windscreen-mounted GPS navigation device

The GPS device loads its maps from an SD card, so it should be easy to replace the maps whenever there are updates. I noticed there were some points of interests loaded onto the map such as local restaurants so if you’re in an area you do not know and want to grab a quick bite the GPS should be quite useful in that sense.

Look after the jump for more photos of the Persona SE.


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© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

India’s DNA Money reports that the Proton Saga and the Proton Persona have been spotted on test on the Greater Noida Expressway in India. These may be Proton’s initial model range in the Indian market which is good as niche cars like the 3-door Satria Neo do not make sense at the moment. Interestingly the same report also considers Proton vehicles “high-end” but with quality and finishing issues. When contacted by DNA Money, officials from Proton and rumoured partner Argentum declined to comment.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Proton has launched the Proton Persona for the Indonesian market today at the 16th Indonesian International Motorshow. It is the fifth Proton model to be sold in our neighbouring country, just over a year after Proton entered the Indonesian market in March 2007 with the Savvy and the GEN2. The other two models that have been launched since are the Satria Neo (known as the Neo in Indonesia) and the Waja.

The Indonesian Proton Persona is available in five variants and all come with the 1.6 liter Campro IAFM engine. The line-up consists of an auto and manual baseline, an auto and manual mid-line and a highline automatic model. The cheapest baseline manual model is priced at 122,000,000 Indonesian rupiah, or about RM42.6k.

The Persona will be sold through PT Proton Edar Indonesia’s network of 3S centers, which are currently situation in Warung Buncit, Bandung, Makasar, Pekanbaru, Palembang and Slipi. Three more sites have been identified – Pondok Indah, Kalimalang and Kelapa Gading. This will increase to about 27 by 2012.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Proton has launched the Proton Persona in the Brunei market, priced at BND$20,771 (RM47.636.50) for the 1.6 liter medium line manual and BND$22,495 (RM51,590.35) for the 1.6 liter medium line automatic.

It is available in seven colours, namely iridescent white, metal gray, tranquillity black, solid red, light gold, blueberry tea and solid white. Proton has been in Brunei since 1999, distributed by Worldwide Motor Sdn Bhd.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

The Proton Persona be on sale in Proton UK dealerships from the end of March 2008 onwards, and it will be called the Proton GEN-2 Persona in the UK market. There is only one variant sold there, which comes with front and rear power windows, a MP3/CD integrated head unit with 4 speakers, dual SRS airbags, and antilock brakes.

The 5-speed manual version goes for £10,795, while the 4-speed automatic goes for £11,595. The GEN2 hatchback goes for exactly £200 more expensive for both the manual and auto models. There is currently a promotion offering £1,000 off the list price for the GEN-2 Persona.

The UK-bound Persona is likely to come with the new 1.6 liter Campro IAFM engine which made its Malaysian debut in the mid-line GEN2 facelift. Word is that the Malaysian market Persona is also available with IAFM now, evident from Proton taking up advertising in major newspapers, but the PR department has not released an official announcement yet, so let’s wait for that as it would be better for us to have confirmed details on exact pricing, and availability.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

The Proton Persona has received an better than expected response so far, scoring over 8,000 bookings since the car was launched slightly more than a week ago. This includes the 2,200 bookings that were made before the Persona was launched.

“We are happy with the response received thus far. We are also touched by our consumers belief in us. Two thousand two hundred of them booked the Persona without seeing it during the pre-launch activities and now we have over 8,000 bookings. On behalf of PROTON, I would like to thank all those who have and are continuing to support us. Quality issues previously brought up by consumers have been addressed in the Persona. The PROTON i.CARE initiative was rolled out specifically with this in mind. We want our consumers to know that we are not merely paying lip-service to the You Can Count On Us promise but every PROTON employee, myself included, will strive towards delivering this promise,” said Proton managing director Syed Zainal.

Proton expects to sell about 4,000 units of the Proton Persona a month, and it looks like the public has received it well so far. I hope the Persona stands the test of time in terms of both sales as well as quality. We now wait patiently for the Proton BLM, which will replace the aging Proton Saga.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

I guess today is the day that most of you have been waiting for the day that the car that promises to set off a snowball effect of recovery at Proton. First sightings of the new Proton sedan were early this year in April, but we actually got to see 3D renderings of it in March. Little did we know that it was a real car to be put into production.

UPDATE: Proton Persona SE now on sale for RM59,800!

As most of you have known by now thanks to a tip off by The Edge, the new Proton sedan is called the Proton Persona. The name is not unfamiliar as it has been used before for the UK market Proton Wira. This makes the name somewhat apt, as it is finally the car that will replace the Wira, something the GEN2 did not do when it was introduced a few years ago.

Proton has taken steps to ensure the Proton Persona is what the customer wants, not what the management wants. Many models clinics and surveys have been conducted to ensure market acceptance. After my first impression of the car at the media preview earlier this week, I must say that Proton has done a relatively good job with this car!

Read more on the Proton Persona after the jump.

Most of you have an idea of what the exterior looks like already. Its basically a GEN2 with a boot. Other than the tail lamps, the entire car from the B-pillar onwards has been reworked. The new car is 167mm longer than the Proton GEN2, and 12mm longer than the Proton Waja. The boot is a respectable 430 liters in size, which is larger than the Toyota Vios at 400 liters. It also features a lock, something that was missing on the Proton GEN2. A 60:40 split rear bench folds flat in case you need more space.

Rear headroom has been improved by 43mm over the GEN2 thanks to a redesigned roof curve at the rear. It now measures at 980mm, compared to 950mm in the Vios and 970mm in the City! It only loses out to the Myvi which has a pretty tall roof at 995mm.

Click to enlarge

The interior has been thoroughly reworked and I can tell you this – the interior plastics arent the best that Ive seen but it is better than some C-segment Japanese sedans Ive driven recently. The dashboard is based on the one from the GEN2 but it has had its quirkiness removed. Normal is the new black, I say. I think the public is fed up of Protons previous attempts to be all “sporty minimalist Lotus”.

Other than the twin-pod meter panel (which now features fully black meter faces instead of the black and white one on the GEN2), the GEN2s interior felt like the Wira replacement it should be. Even the Pirates of the Caribbean cutlass-style handbrake lever is gone now. One qualm I have is that the buttons in the center of the dash still feel very cheap, and they do not really have any obvious switched on or off feel when you press them – or you could say the buttons provide not much feedback to tell you you’ve pressed them.

The door panels have been completely redesigned. The power window switches are now on the armrest which is the preferred location for many. There is some decent cloth trim on the panels. I dont know about you but I prefer my elbow touching some nice cloth or leather instead of bare plastic. The seats have a new design and now the front seats are more conventionally shaped and feature a headrest.

The little analog clock which no one could read has also been removed, so the dash lines flow a bit better now. But the best part of all would be a glovebox, although it is not a particularly cavernous one. With just a few minor changes, the functionality of the Proton Persona’s GEN2-based interior has improved. I hope this new dash carries on to the new GEN2 facelift as well.

There is central locking and 4 power windows on all of the Persona models from the base line to the high line. You can control the central locking either from a button near the power window button cluster or a button on the dashboard which the passenger can use in case of an emergency. The dash button also doubles up as the alarm deactivation button in case you mistakenly trigger the alarm system. The doors automatically lock themselves once the system detects all doors are closed, the handbrake is released, and the brake pedal is pressed.

Rear legroom was not too bad, a testament to how the increased legroom measurements translate into real life application. That said, once someone tall sits in the driver’s seat, the rear passenger behind him will start to suffer a little, but it is typical of a sedan car in the B-segment size.

Now on to how it drives. Proton allowed members of the media to drive the car around its test track in Shah Alam. At first impression, the Persona feels like it has a more comfort oriented setup unlike the GEN2, and this contributed more to body roll – you cannot have everything of course.

Proton included a 9-point Vehicle Dynamics Chart in the press kit and it shows that the Persona outperforms the GEN2 in terms of Ride Comfort and Roll Control but the GEN2 beats it in terms of lane change stability and cornering stability. The car generally understeers a lot under pressure but most of the time it is recoverable via throttle lift off.

If you want to toss the car around, it can be quite lively but the supplied Silverstone Kruizer 1 tyres are not exactly performance oriented. I would say its a case of the Satria Neo 1.3 with Sime tyres all over again. Do change them if you want to have some fun with the car and have the budget. But I am sure Proton has reasons for the Silverstone Kruizer 1 choice as they are generally known to be one of the quietest tyres around within their price range and by far the best tyres to come out of the Silverstone labs to date.

I can see what Proton is trying to do with the new Proton Persona sedan. Families want refinement and general quietness in their drive. They dont want anything trashy or noisy. That explains the choice of tyres. The NVH is also significantly improved over the Satria Neo especially – and better than the GEN2 of course. There is minimal loud and boomy engine noise towards the redline. It sounds rather refined really. The Campro engine had an appealing sound in the manual transmission car. It had a pleasant growl that was not overpowered by vibration or metallic notes, and despite going way over the 6,500rpm redline it felt like it could still go. The rev cut off was a little over 7,000rpm.

We drove two automatic transmission cars, and one of it had a little irritating zingy noise towards the redline, while the other was as aurally smooth as the manual. Upon checking with Proton later, they took note of it and said the noise could be coming from the heat shield, so if you buy this car and get this problem, you can give the service center guys a hint on where to look for the source.

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As for the Campro engine, it is pretty much the same as previous units. Still the same 110 (82kW) horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 148Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. There is still a general lethargy with the throttle at low to mid engine speeds, but the engine shines at high revs. This engine still does not have the Bosch Variable Intake Manifold system yet, but the automatic model does have an improved TCU. The improved TCU or Transmission Control Unit seems more intelligent now, making up for the Campros unfortunately torque curve shape by having no qualms about downshifting when needed with reduced delay, and the shifts are rather smooth.

There is nothing new about the Campro engine in this car really in terms of performance; its just that improved sound dampening have managed to make the car in a whole appear more refined. But there are some design enhancements over the original GEN2 Campro engines that have served to make the engine more reliable.

For one, the oil pan has been redesigned to be more crack-resistant. The drain plug has been moved to the side instead of it’s previous position at the bottom, and large ribs have been added on the bottom for protection. The oil pan in general has been moved higher up in the engine bay, but the volume remains the same.

Now on to some specs. The base-line model will have 15 inch steel wheels and wheel covers with 195/60/R15 tyres, central locking, 4 power windows, alarm with immobilizer, front disc and rear drum brakes, reverse sensors, fixed rear seats, and a normal CD player with 2 speakers.

The medium-line model is further enhanced with alloy sports rims and 195/60/R15 tyres, a drivers SRS airbag, a foldable split rear seat bench, steering wheel audio controls, an MP3-capable CD player with 4 speakers, electrically adjustable wing mirrors, and foglamps.

The top of the range high-line model gains additional features over the medium-line model – antilock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution, disc brakes on all four wheels, both driver and passenger airbags, and remote trunk opening.

Click to enlarge

Now for prices:

Proton Persona 1.6AT H-Line Metallic – RM55,800
Proton Persona 1.6AT M-Line Metallic – RM52,800
Proton Persona 1.6MT M-Line Metallic – RM49,800
Proton Persona 1.6AT B-Line Metallic – RM48,449
Proton Persona 1.6AT B-Line Solid – RM47,999
Proton Persona 1.6MT B-Line Metallic – RM45,449
Proton Persona 1.6MT B-Line Solid – RM44,999

All prices are on the road with insurance for Peninsular Malaysia. The prices have changed slightly since the teaser prices were announced last month. The Base-Line models are now slightly cheaper. While it wont really reflect much in your monthly installment amount, breaching the RM45,000 barrier by RM1 ringgit serves as a psychological encouragement to buy the car. Proton has negotiated with all banks for them to offer an interest rate of 3.88% for the Proton Persona.

At first impression, the Proton Persona is a worthy successor to the Proton Wira. It is improved in almost all areas compared to the Wira and even the GEN2. However there were still some build issues here and there, for example some wiring was left exposed, like the lock for the rear boot as well as some wiring in the footwell of the dashboard. The steering boss assembly in one of the cars I drove was also not up to standards.

These are normal quality issues with the early production batches of any car from any manufacturer. The true test of whether Proton has changed or not will be the test of time, and whether its service networks have been improved or not. It will be up to early adopters of this car to tell us of their experiences.

Anyway, for those who have the intention of buying this car and want to do something to it aesthetically to keep it a little different from the rest of the Persona crowd, this post might give you some ideas.

Blueberry Tea – exclusive for the H-Line models. Click to enlarge

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© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

UPDATE: Proton Persona SE now on sale for RM59,800!

When a new national car is about to be launched, many will start to speculate on the name, and this is also the case with the new Proton sedan.

Word passing through the grapevines is that the new Proton sedan will be called the Proton Persona, and there was even a little photo being circulated of the sedan with the word Persona on it’s number plate.

Today we get a little confirmation – though not 100% sure as it is not from Proton’s mouth. The Edge carries an article on the new Proton Sedan and it calls the new car the Proton Persona. This name is not new, as it has been used by Proton in the past as the export market Proton Wira’s name in the UK.

The article also mentions Proton targets to sell about 4,000 units of the Proton persona a month, though industry analysts from RHB Research Institute thinks a figure of 2,000 to 2,500 Proton Personas a month is more achievable and sustainable.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Proton has placed a few units of it’s upcoming new sedan in four venues across Malaysia, but before you excitedly head on to the venue to have a look at it, there’s just one thing – the sedan is in a giant box! What you can do is just peek through a few holes to have a look at the sedan inside. Not sure if there is a light in the box so it might be best to bring some form of torch light along! UPDATE: The interior of the box is lit!

The giant boxes with the new Proton sedan inside them are located at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, Selangor (10am to 10pm); Proton showroom in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang (8am to 8pm); Proton Showroom in Plentong, Johor (8am to 8pm) and Giant Hypermarket, Jalan Gambang, Kuantan (10am to 10pm).

“Were happy with the excitement building up for our new sedan. PROTON began to accept bookings from 22 July 2007 and all the public could see then was a visual of the silhouette of the car. That was enough for quite a number to commit and make bookings for the new sedan. However, we have been receiving many requests that we show more and that was what prompted us to come up with this peekaboo idea of showing the actual car, but just enough only,” said Proton managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Reader Chaku has updated his new Proton Sedan artist’s impressions as some of you have requested variations of his previous impression with different bootlid spoilers. Well, here they are – complete with modified rear tail lights similar to the aftermarket LED tail lights available in the market. Look at all variations after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Usually the fan art of modified cars only surface AFTER a car is launched, but thanks to nearly a month’s teaser period that Proton has given us with the upcoming new Proton Sedan, some have started modifying the look of whatever they have available.

Blog reader and forumer Chaku (aka Maru) has whipped up this nice artist’s impression of the new Proton Sedan with a bodykit based on the 3D renderings posted here back in March this year. He has added a small bootlid spoiler, subtle side skirts and a front lip, but the rear bumper gets a new diffuser-like design.

Of course, no sporty look is complete without larger sports alloy wheels and a reduced wheel arch gap. What do you think? The LED brake lamps available as a third party aftermarket accessory would complement this design well.

I think the new Proton Sedan like all modern Protons have tremendous potential for aesthetics enhancement.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Proton has posted more information on it’s teaser page’s FAQ section. They’ve revealed the exterior dimensions of the new sedan. Let’s compare it to the GEN2 and the Waja.

*Not sure about the Waja’s weight range

The teaser page also reveals the base-line model will have 15 inch steel wheels and wheel covers with 195/60/R15 tyres, central locking, 4 power windows, alarm with immobilizer, front disc and rear drum brakes, reverse sensors, fixed rear seats, and a normal CD player with 2 speakers.

Proton New Sedan 1.6 Base-line (M) AT – RM 48,800.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 Base-line (M) MT – RM 45,800.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 Base-line (S) AT – RM 48,350.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 Base-line (S) MT – RM 45,350.00

The medium-line model is further enhanced with alloy sports rims and 195/60/R15 tyres, a driver seat airbag, a foldable split rear seat bench, steering wheel audio controls, an MP3-capable CD player with 4 speakers, electrically controlled door mirrors, and foglamps.

Proton New Sedan 1.6 Medium-line (M) AT – RM 52,800.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 Medium-line (M) MT – RM 49,800.00

The top of the range high-line model gains additional features over the medium-line model – antilock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution, disc brakes on all four wheels, both driver and passenger airbags, and remote trunk opening.

Proton New Sedan 1.6 High-line (M) AT – RM 55,800.00

This would be the first Proton sedan with a standard driver airbag on all models except for the baseline model for budget-conscious buyers!

In related news, Proton has reported 200 bookings for the Proton New Sedan in the first two days of the pre-launch booking period.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Proton has put up a teaser video of the Proton New Sedan up on it’s website. It shows the new front grille of the sedan clearly, and from what I can tell so far it looks exactly like the one we saw previously on a set of 3D renderings!

Have a look at the video after the jump.

Video: Proton New Sedan Teaser – English

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Proton has started putting up a teaser promotion for it’s new sedan on it’s website. We call it the GEN2 Sedan, however it looks like the new Proton sedan might most likely be called something else altogether.

Click here to check out the teaser. There’s not much information there really, other than a shadowy outline of the car which we’ve seen already in all the spyshots so far. However, if you click on the booking link, you’ll be able to see a list of colours available for the new car – Blueberry Tea, Iridescent White, Light Gold, Metal Grey, Solid Red, Solid White and Tranquility Black. You can book the car for a RM500 booking fee.

Prices:

Proton New Sedan 1.6 HL (M) AT – RM 55,800.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 ML (M) AT – RM 52,800.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 ML (M) MT – RM 49,800.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 BL (M) AT – RM 48,800.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 BL (M) MT – RM 45,800.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 BL (S) AT – RM 48,350.00
Proton New Sedan 1.6 BL (S) MT – RM 45,350.00

(M) – Metallic Paint, (S) – Solid Paint

Model range:

BL – 4 power windows, CD player and basic features.
ML – all BL features with additional alloy rims, foldable rear seats, MP3 player and electric door mirror.
HL – all ML features with additional dual airbags, ABS, EBD and standard Captor alarm.

All variants of the car will include an extended warranty package which provides warranty support and coverage for up to five years. The financing package for this car carries an interest rate of 4.1%. Delivery time from booking is approximately 4 to 6 weeks, and status of delivery lead-time will be communicated regularly.

The teaser page now has a preview of each model’s specifications and a simple FAQ. The FAQ states that the booking fee is transferable to another Proton car if the car has not been delivered yet. It also pegs the official launch date at 15th August 2007, so we’ll just have to wonder what the name of this new car will be until then. But everything seems to indicate it will not be called a GEN2 Sedan.

All of the information on this page are collected from Proton Edar’s teaser page and booking page for the new Proton Sedan.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

It seems like today is spyshot day. Spyshots of three new Proton models all at once? We saw what could be the new Saga replacement model or Proton BLM earlier, and the GEN2 Hatchback with CPS too. The next model that we’re anticipating Proton to launch is the new C-Segment sedan that we’ve all been referring to as the Proton GEN2 Sedan, though the lack of badging on the rear does not confirm this until the car is launched.

This white sedan was spotted near the HICOM Proton traffic light by a reader’s friend, who was kind of enough to send it in to me. It’s a pretty high res photo, so you can see some portions that I’ve enlarged after the jump. Do let me know if you want any other section of the photo enlarged, I’ll add it to this post.

One thing that we can observe from the many spyshots that are being captured is all these Proton cars are hitting the road for test drives more and more frequently than before, which means the cars are nearing production… I’m excited. Are you?

A very clear look at the new wheel design. It’s a simple 7-spoke design, nothing strange or bling here. Tyres are Goodyear tyres.

Boot looks like it has potential to be fairly large, I’d say at about 400 to 450 liters.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Reader acbc wrote in with these photos of the upcoming Proton GEN2 Sedan on road tests! It doesn’t look very much different other than the fact that it’s a GEN2 with a proper sedan boot tacked on to it, but of course this is not the final production model so we might see some changes here and there as a mid-life facelift. It looks very similiar to the 3D renderings posted in March. If you look closely at the front grille – is that a copy of Honda’s new floating grille design I see?

Photos also do not tell us what’s under the hood, so we might see the introduction of a Campro engine with the recently announced Variable Intake Geometry system developed by Bosch for Campro. These photos also do not tell us of the interior, which might have been improved, like how the Proton Savvy Facelift has improved on the interior with a more suitable color scheme. Or a glovebox might have been added.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.

Reader Khairil sent in these photos of what appears to be computer-rendered images of a possible Proton GEN2 Sedan. Styling of the GEN2 Sedan is pretty much similiar to the GEN2 5-door hatch in our market right now, with a different rear end. A similiar arrangement to the Proton Wira Sedan and Proton Wira Aeroback.

I am glad there are no strange bling bling turbine wheels on the sedan, instead there are some nice traditional 5 thick spoke wheels. I am not sure about the triple-surface design of the bootlid though, but then again these might not even be official shots of the GEN2 Sedan, but serves well to spur our imagination on how it would look like.

The Proton GEN2 Sedan will most likely be cheaper than the Proton GEN2 5-Door Hatch on our market, following the trend set by the Wira Sedan and Aeroback where the Aeroback was more expensive than the Sedan.

Remember Theophilus Chin’s Proton Satria Neo Sedan photoshop?

More photos after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 18:09:21 +0800.