Familiar sight in a foreign land? I was greeted by the Proton Gen.2 and Persona at the start of my Auto Guangzhou walkabout. Well, they weren’t officially Protons, but rebadged versions under the Europestar brand by Youngman Automobile Group.
Both the Gen.2 and Persona are called L3 and wear “Engineered by Lotus” emblems. Videos of Lotus sportscars sliding around were also playing at their stand. This is by far the most blatant attempt to ride on Lotus’ brand power I’ve ever seen and naturally, there are no mention of Proton whatsoever. Youngman does however name drop well known suppliers such as Bosch, Pilkington, Blaupunkt, Siemens and Posco.
Besides the standard Campro powered L3 models, Youngman also showed a kitted up “GT” version of the sedan. This white example had a “wide body” design with plenty of air intakes on the bumpers, wheel arches and bonnet. Red Brembo brakes can be seen behind the BBS rims and there are quad pipes, two on each side. A huge carbonfibre-look wing sits on the boot. “Lotus Motorsport” stickers complete the look. Quite crude and not a pretty sight in my opinion.
Live gallery after the jump.
[zenphotopress number=999 album=1831]
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
it seems like the personal is kinda over done by them… =.=
not a good looking car anymore..
eyesore! eyesore! looks seriously worse than Malaysian AhBengs!…
Youngman should’ve asked R3 to do the styling of Sports version!
what a hideous disgusting car…even the standard one is a whole lot better than this idiot youngman thing..
its possible those accesories are supplied by Brother’s…. LOL! cabouutttt…
hahaha, ya i think it’s possible
laugh now. laugh as much as you can. see who got the last laugh when China takes over the auto industry of the world. remember you laugh when Hyundai and KIA came to Malaysia with the Coupe that wanted to challenge a Ferrari? That was just less than a decade ago. Are you laughing at the new Sonata? Don’t you want a KIA Cadensa?
Laugh more, because instead to thinking how to work with the Chinese like what Proton to trying so hard to do, you are laughing. If made in China is so bad, isn’t the iPhone4 made in China? Isn’t Facebook is trying so hard to penetrate China market?
Laugh out loud now, because very soon, there isn’t anything else to laugh.
So did the Kia Coupe ever challenged the Ferrari?
And I still do not want a KIA (In Malaysia anyway). I am having one… and regretting it. Servicing is bloody expensive and their SC is not trustworthy. I have to always double check what they recommend. Imagine this…my KIA Picanto service cost is about the same as my Honda CIVIC service cost.
Own a KIA brand and regretting it..sell it last year..:(
please…
even though the statistic don’t lie..
everyone knows that China produce the worst quality product in the world. not to mention the most hazardous certainly.
Does Melamine-tainted milk products sound familiar?
more than six children died and 300,000 were sickened after drinking baby formula contaminated with melamine. so, nothing to proud of..
The Chinese car industry is a joke. Most of their car designs are unsuccessful copies of German, Japanese or American and also our MALAYSIAN PROTON CARS FOR GOD SAKE! (although with permission, it still ugly). The safety and reliability ratings are extremely low(none) – basically all Chinese cars are coffins on wheels. There is nothing to laugh at all. it just PURE human rational thinking. For the record, KIA, Hyundai and numbers of Korean brands still consider the crappiest car in here beside the Chinese marque.
what’s the point of mentioning HYUNDAI and KIA..? they are KOREAN made cars.. NOT FROM CHINA.. eventhough they have the same mata sepet.. they are not from the same country.. get proper facts arr dude..
I wonder who was laughing.
hahahahahahaha…am i laughing??
Johan,
Agree with you. That youngman cars way too “ahbeng”. Well, it is the land or ahbeng.
Been to China twice, Zhuhai, Guangzhou to be precise. Saw one midnight blue gen2 at the airport, just like mine.
Nothing to say but a firm reminder, the Giant has awaken.
Their fast train project would eventually left TGV, Shinkansen, etc far behind. Just wait for its documentary aired.
Some says, if you can make something that China don’t have and sell it to them, you’ll be rich in no time. They had enormous markets! The problem is, what did they don’t have?
If Proton can penetrate that market by mean of this extravagant “ahbeng” looking cars, congratulations, I am pretty much sure you got your first step right. But, another form reminder, they a very “good” biz man……….
Few years back when their ship building industry booming, a Malaysian Chinese ship owner played by the builder. His nearly finished ship sold to others and replaced with the one that take another few years to complete. What count is money!!!!!!!!!
Anyone ever wonder why Guangzhou auto show and Zhuhai air show? Why not Beijing auto show / air show?
Guangzhou was among the first (if not the first, not so sure) open market area in China. Now they had a lot of wealthy biz man/woman. My tourist guide told us, most the retiree bought house (very expensive, comparing to house in KL) there. They got money don’t they?
If you guys thought all China product cheap and lousy, think again. In Gongbei (Macau border) you can get fake iphone4 for about RM150, the ipad look alike would cost about RM450, depending on your bargaining skill/luck. Original iphone4, ipad? Higher price tag than us! Of course, it still sell!
Paul,
Using Lotus brand sound blatant, but maybe, a necessary move. However, perhaps, they should use “softer” tone.
After all, none of their cars can compete with the legendary handling of lotus tuned Gen2 and persona.
I shot video L3 showing of its handling on tv screen in Guangzhou airport. Not a very good quality but i’ll do. Will upload and put up its link here soon.
Go Proton.
the back of iphone says designed by apple in california, assembled in china. so those chinese jz manufacture, they can’t design.. jz look at the car pictures above. frickin awful that my eyes are bleeding!
ya. when izzit it will come?when u died izzit? we can still laugh now. what
lol, and ppl tot only msian know how to rebadge eh??
You what they say about imitation being the best form of flattery. This is one good example of it. On hind-sight, Proton should be proud of it.
the brembo disc and bbs rim must be the imitation one rite??its china anyway..everything is imitation…..
dont forget if not for china, today u wont be able to afford many things that u had all taken for granted.
see…in china u got BBS + Brembo ma… here, proton give u jrd + balakong brek…. ha ha ha ..
Nonsense. On the contrary, R3 uses AP Racing whenever they put bigbrakekits.
Is there a R3 Gen.2 or Persona?
yes, there is R3 gen2 launched somewhere in 2006
its a persona
i think the brembo brake is too much. how fast can the car go anyway. damn.
That’s for going downhill on a winding road … ;-)
if i’m not mistaken R3 tuned version of Gen2 is called Gen2 MME, there’s also Waja MME. not sure about persona, though.
Are u sure those are ori?
the sprayed caliper says it’s Brembo, and the BBS is just a center cap….hahaahha… it could be anything for all you know. It’s China.
I dont think i gonna ride this one for sure…
Maybe the white paint has melamine and if they use leather inserts, be careful because Chinese leather conditioners have been known to cause respiratory failure
Balakong brek….caya sama lu.
Balakong brek your head la!
RON 97: you very like to bash everthing…rite? like hati nyamuk seberang laut nampak.. but bangkai gajah depan mata you buta….
China made Brembo, BBS.. I prefer ori Proton parts
btw,those brembo is just a brake caliper cover,i know coz i got one ;)
and the carbon fibre gt wing is just stiker
caliper cover apenye..ko nampak x ventilated disc kt dalam tu? Bute ke?
lol any machinary shop can do better cross drill than that.u don’t know ah?
hehe u can easily get the brembo cover at the acc shop. as for the ventilated disc tu peanut aje…even my neighbour got the self drilled ‘ventilated’ disc on his EX5! LOL
this is not genuine brembo..bro,lets face it..its china..anything can be imitate…haha..
Even Ferrari got “harass” as well.
so sad they not mention Proton name on our gen 2/persona..
i think proton doesnt mind that much. the wira and saga also didnt have licensed by mistubishi emblems.
what is more important, since China auto market is damn big…if youngman can get 2-5% market share is already very very good for proton. proton will just earn royalties.
2% out of 10 million new cars is equivalent to 200,000 units. easily triple than what proton is selling in malaysia anually (persona alone).
this is survival for proton.
but the cars rebadge by Youngman do look ugly. pathetic!
L3 = Lace, Losak, Lepair..
so lotus taking up proton’s base eyh.
irony
look like the made in china design is far worst than ours!
Goodness! talk about being ah beng.. but at International motorshow?
Lotus/Proton should sue them for contempt
well do unto others what u want them to do unto you.. or something like that..
so sad they not mention any Proton name on our gen 2/persona..
OMG!!!with this styling,proton@youngman can enter GT race
erm…can i say that this youngman is using lotus name just to attract buyers???….should be proton name be stated there rather then lotus…
and does putting that lotus name is legal???…means under lotus acknowledge…
yes.. it’s legal. they’re paying US50 dollars to Lotus for each car, just for the right to put the word ‘LOTUS’ there…
chaina suka kereta jenama eropah.. so mereka guna jenama europestar.. dan gunakan nama anak syarikat proton, lotus.. bizz punya pasal la ni..
oh my, can i pay USD 50 to put the lotus badge on my myvi??
thanx~~~
if they put Proton logo.. will affect the sales.. so they better put LOTUS..
Danny, did you ask why put a bookshelf on the L3? :-P
L :lol: L
youngman also gives u cheap fiber super low bodykit + stick-on bonnet scoop + futsal tiang gol-like rear spoiler…
The White color Lotus is so awesome!! well done Lotus engineering !!!
omg this made me laugh. subtlety isn’t their speciality i can see!
Proton should consider change name to Lotus-P or something, as long the brand Lotus comes first, then proton owners may feel better !! maybe just stop using the name Proton altogether. Even in Taiwan they advertised potong savvy using Lotus name lol…
China made Brembo, BBS.. I prefer ori Proton parts though..
My god..!
Totally unacceptable.. what have the chinesse done to the car?
On international motorshow, the car seriously and stupidly look ‘ah beng’..
Quad tail-pipe? is there a V6/V8 under the hood?
aiyaahhhh..why there is no amoi pix?? even if there is, i can’t see her face…paul, this is discrimination….you had the the thai’s girls pix last time when they did their autoshow, but why not for the china’s amoises???
Patience, my friend!
Why keep readers waiting danny boy lolz… insert few ah moi in coming autoshow writeup at least lolz…tat’s the best part of china autoshow tat’s why u like it so much rite? lolz
hahahah..danny maboiiiii!!!! looking fwd for ‘the’ updates
dear danny, it’s 6 o clock de, still no ah moi updates from china one? no point to keep it in ur hard drive for so long also rite lolz…jk
you aahhh..no gud la danny…why wait any longer?? or you are extracting all the gud one to yourself?? cannot be like that mehhh…
And, they are even hotter then Malaysia’s!
yeah man, where’s the ah moi, i guess they look hotter then this ‘l-a-u-t-u-s’!..
LOL :-)
Ah Beng motorsports..
my gosh!!! i think bodykit shop in malaysia are more better than this..hahahhaha
LOL…the car got ahbeng-fied kau kau. Quad exhaust? F*cking awesome!
This is so called AH BENG’s car.. with Lotus emblem.. malaysian can do it too…
This, giving some Chinese company to use Lotus on re-badged Proton car which turn out hideous is okay compared to giving Team Lotus proper support with free advertisement to about 500 million people around the world every other weekends.
Oh, I forgot China have about 1.2 billion people and everything is good.
Sigh…
The front look so sissy. Like Halo Kitty.
Ah beng could do way better than this.
Proud to be Malaysian!
Epic fail!
Champion ah beng car. I thought I saw one of this in Jinjiang. My impression for China is the stlying has moved on. Probably not in car industry yet. No1 car market in the world need to do better than this.
been to beijing for two months…everywhere I see AudiA8/TT, Benz E or S class, BMW 5 series…but last weekend saw a persona rebadge to youngman.
yesterday newspaper did mention youngman plan with lotus but nothing about proton…lets face it…even proton is 25yrs old… no one at China will know Proton….Lotus was known partly due to James Bond movie. For them…if they need to buy a car from Malaysia…then why not get something from Korea who have big plants at China or VW.
since at china…even if go by percentage, rich man are small quantity but its still a huge number !…which explain why Benz is ramping up at their china and germany plant to fulfill order from China.
people will not pay interest to Proton….that’ make them put the lotus name in…but yes…it still look cheap.
Never mind the name as long as the money keep flowing into Proton’s coffer.
hope this is the case and it didn’t ends up nasty in lawsuit, if not mistaken proton ends up in lawsuit with another china company…. hope it won’t be like money malaysia who pay for proton car ends up used to cover all the court case.
its basically a cut throat business here with a big growth rate for car…. if not mistaken beijing already have 4 million registered car and estimate like 6 million car roaming around….this morning while going to work…. there’s a huge fleet of new car on the highway to a destination to hand over to their new owner….there’s Toyota Crown/ Peugeot 408/ Citreon C4 but well ….no proton.
here most of them opt for european car….be it VW/ Skoda/ Peugeot/ Citreon/ Benz/ Mini/ Bimmer/ Smart
and we can’t bash china brand too much as they are buying some european tech in via Volvo and Rover….Rover is basically known as Roewe now and its a nice looking car with an obvious Rover DNA in it (read thru Wiki some copyright issue forbid SAIC of china using Rover name)
http://www.roewe.com.cn/roewe550/
Perfectly slap on your (Proton) face
Clap Clap
uhm, no. Most countries have never heard of the Proton brand. So when they see this they wont know its a rebagded Gen2. no harm done.
not tring to be racist or anything but all the bodykits looked that it just came from ‘Kedai Abang” next door
when this like this happens then ppl will appreciate proton n r3 lolx
mah eyes!!!
if like this we lucky they don’t mention proton, lol
Did we sell the car to them as Proton or Lotus? Maybe we are getting more $ by using Lotus?
*Two Thumbs Up* How does it feel now Proton, feel the pinch now?
what pinch bro?
Commission goes to proton, without Proton getting a bad name.
(assuming of course they copied parts WITHOUT permission)
oh gosh..went to youngman’s web site and I found this:
“China Youngman Automobile Group Co., Ltd. cooperated with U.K. Lotus for sedan products. Lotus Motor Company was founded on Jan. 1, 1952 and is world famous sports automobile manufacturer, which together with Ferrari, Porsche are called the top three sports automobile manufactures and enjoy quite great reputation. Lotus Motor Company owns world’s leading automobile design technologies, especially for whole-vehicle and powertrain, in which aspects Lotus has rich experience and professional technologies. On Beijing International Motor Show held on Nov. 18, 2006, China Youngman Automobile Group Co., Ltd. grandly introduced Lotus science and technology and jointly established R&D center with Lotus. ”
no Proton name at all???
can they even do that? …
i mean, which part of “jointly established R&D centre with Lotus” can you see from that car? ampaian baju like spoiler?
clap clap. Its a commercial world, advertising in Lotus got more potential sales than advertising in Protong.
We have to put ourselves in Youngman’s shoes. You want to setup business, baru masuk, nak introduce barang baru, takkan nak pakai nama protong yang kurang glamer dgn emblem thundercatt. Mesti lah pakai nama gempak mcm Lotus. Hahaha.
i think, Proton should just change its name to Lotus. Everybody wins that way.
i think that car can fly..huahahahaha..
kind of funny front look…
but widebodykit might just get proton some idea to produce GT3 spec. gen2/persona :D
Poor Proton, always a joke no matter where they are.
Youngman should change their name to Ah Beng.
This is what China capable of doing TODAY. Think about what will happen TOMORROW.
Today: They photocopied P1, Honda and other models.
Tomorrow: They build a photocopy machine… Who knows?
I do admit the styling was dated & the CF wing looks so~so plus some mod is unnecessary e.g. thousand of tailpipes.
Just imagine if they started to learn how the engine works, the combustion etc. What will be thier creation next? Interior quality might still below par but how about performance?
Do P1 have any deal on this? Pergi cepat kumpul duit. We are waiting for the Satria Neo R3. Muhahahahah!
Wow….this car can make you laugh and cry at the same time!!!….the rear spoiler looks like somewhere from the kitchen cabinet…not a pretty sight to end 2011…Please don’t try this at home or anywhere!!!
Look at the Gen-2 rally car!!
the bumper is going to drop!! please fix it b4 showing lah!!
hahahahaha
even malaysian ahbengs wayyyyy better..
pop up the hood then can see what? proton campro definitely
Oh no !! they so misused LOTUS name.
Colin Chapman will be crying at his coffin when he sees this!!!! Blasphemy to the Lotus name!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHH! classic!
daylight robery..
i still think that the best looking modified proton is still the green satria neo with the carbon fibre hood, it really looks good in real life =0
should the China company state the name Proton instead rather than handling tuned by Lotus??since the car came from our own Malaysia factory right?the idea came from Malaysia engineer?or i’m being lost here?
~Just Wondering~
overdo it design…and cheap Blembo brake i think…buy ori 4 safety…
Proton has R3, I have L3: Lace, Lally, Lesearch.
good one bro… hahahaa….
dude, that was so lawak gila babas
‘Lace’ would make this car ‘girlish’. thank god they didn’t put lace all over this car….
really sick design
Ah Beng, you really spice up my boring day today! ha..ha..ha..laughing till broke my tears!
LOL!! hahahahahaha….. You made my day!
Sucks BIG Time..Waou Lau Weih..~!
eye sickening.
why still going on with the copycat thing?
it’s okay to copy and then put some improvisation in it. but this?
i’m gonna puke, like HELL.
oh God, some one should burn that car down. its a disgrace to proton. it a good thing they did not mention proton lol.
Look, this is absolutely unacceptable…
Those of you who are laughing at this car are just laughing at yourselves.
Hmmm… let’s just see why:
1. All of us Malaysians, that is you and me, have for more than a couple of decades been paying EXORBITANTLY high prices on all types of cars due to our tax structure that protects Proton.
2. Many of us also support Proton by buying Proton cars, usually not by choice, but because that is the most affordable option available.
3. Like it or not, Malaysia can live without supporting Proton but Proton could not survive without the support by the Government and the people of this country all these years.
4. Why have I been supporting a car manufacturer with my hard earned money and taxes, only to find some other manufacturer in China blatantly riding on the Lotus name, and cheapening the brand in the process. A great brand which is owned by the company that you and me have supported for so long.
5. Heads should roll. What idiot let this happen? How could this be allowed as part of the manufacturing contract… there surely must be limits of what you can and cannot do with the Lotus name!
WHAT KIND OF CRAP IS THAT??? WORSE THAN KAMPUNG MODIFIED!!!HOW CAN THEY SIMPLY PUT THE BRABD NAME THAT CREATED BY LATE COLIN CHAPMAN???SHAME ON THESE PEOPLE!!!!
awesome design!
I’ll book 3 of this model for crash test
They just need to add some neon lightings and huge ass subwoofers with techno songs. LOL.
lotus wanna-be?… but proton don’t wanna-be??
macam satu ini??
Is that a Lotus insignia sitting on the front grill?
Like that also can ah.
looks cheap and nasty…
everybody now becomes Master Of Rebadge … what a wonderful life
Why not suing them instead of suing Tony Re-badged Lotus F1? The L3 GT looks really awful. Making Persona and GEN2 owner another twist and shame. I would rather take the ORI version on the road than these. Don’t bring this car to Malaysia road else I don’t know where the owner is going to look for spare parts…..
Only the sportrims nice..lol..
Screams “IM A COMPENSATING WANKER” like no other.
I wonder what kind of cars would Africa come up with if they had an automobile industry.
Pypon says:
28/12/2010 at 2:46 pm
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Are you aware of the real situation abroad? Ask your friends/relatives staying in any of our neighbours (Indo, Thai, Sg). Cars are relatively reasonably priced here in Malaysia…even foreign makes despite the tax. Are you aware that, for example, Protons are more expensive in Thailand compared to malaysia, yet they are still cheaper than all the japanese and continental makes? (Hence their rapid growth there since being introduced).
Sure cars may be a little cheaper in the states/aust/uk/etc. But dont forget that they have very severe income tax (30%++). Also note OTR prices are not reflected online on those websites. Malaysian prices include insurance, tax, plates, etc.
Cars are relatively UNAFFORDABLE because malaysian incomes are relatively low.. to the tune of 1/3rd (PPP Adjusted) that of developed nations. However, one can argue that after only 2 generations (~60 years), a majority of malaysian families have cars…. something few developing countries can compare to.
expensive means expensive la~ dude
Sorry laa Ezra, what you are saying that cars are cheaper in Indonesia and Thailand is absolutely incorrect, go check out the prices then you can talk with any authority… (btw, by coincidence the guy sitting next to me in office is Indonesian and he says our prices are high.
What are you saying “a little” cheaper in the states/aust/uk/etc? Go online, check out prices yourself lah. You can see MSRP at http://automobiles.honda.com/cr-v/price.aspx
If “a little” cheaper for you means RM70k less than the price in Malaysia you are correctlah.
Tolonglah Ezra, we are not yet high income economy but it’s a fact we pay car prices HIGHER than high income countries. So for the same amount of money I get an inferior car, less power, less comfort and worse still LESS SAFETY… you still want to discuss??
There is no cheap or expensive car prices. If cars are expensive in Malaysia, everybody will be driving P1 or P2 but you see imported cars outnumber P1 & P2 in total on the road.
You must start examine yourself. If your income level can’t afford you an imported car, it is YOUR problem and not everyone else problem.
If you keep thinking that for the same amount of money, you can get better car outside Malaysia.. go live in that country and enjoy the taxes and road facilities.
Korean and Japanese carmakers were protected for 40 or 50 years.. if we don’t protect Malaysia with local made cars.. in the future you think Japanese and Korean car makers won’t hit us with high prices knowing that we have nothing to bargain.
In fact, local made cars stabilized imported car prices by forcing foreign car makers to lower prices and earning margins.
Funny,
Quoting Boo:
“You must start examine yourself. If your income level can’t afford you an imported car, it is YOUR problem and not everyone else problem.”
– Look, with that the kind of arrogance, my fellow Malaysian is doomed. If my family and friends all compromise driving inferior car for the same amount of money, then it becomes a problem for all of us – do you drive on your Benz or BMW ALONE ON THE ROAD?; but I guess it’s it’s okay for YOU because YOU can afford better. Who gives a sh*t about everyone else that has to make do with a Proton right?
“If you keep thinking that for the same amount of money, you can get better car outside Malaysia.. go live in that country and enjoy the taxes and road facilities.”
– I have been a Malaysian expat living in another country and have repatriated bucketloads of cash pumped back into the Malaysian economy… but you know what? me, my family and my friends in Malaysia pay taxes, tolls, HIGH tax duties, as well as APs – which all adds up my friend.
I don’t know about you, but I feel I deserve to drive a good car at an okay price… and refuse to have my choice dictated to me or rammed down my throat. I want to be able to CHOOSE what car I want to drive with my hard earned money.
Don’t you see what’s happening? Expensive prices, people stretching their loans for way too long 9 year terms, meaning upside down loans (owe more than value of car), what is going to happen?
When Proton was in its infancy, YES we needed to protect, but now the more we protect, the worse it will become. Sampai bila nak manjakan anak? If you don’t let it compete NOW, when the time comes, in no time the Chinese makes will beat you, swallow you and spit you out.
Local made cars stabilize imported car prices??? I don’t know about, but I thought the GLOBAL MARKET does that already?
Pypon, recheck those prices with OTR costs as they are not advertised that way online. Ask your friends/relatives in those countries about the real OTR price. I completely agree that cars are unaffordable and that foreign cars are even more unaffordable due to the tax structure of this country.
Boo makes a very good point. The malaysian car industry right now is at a similar stage to the Korean car industry ~15 years ago… Korea used to make really crappy cars… but Kia and Hyundai slowly cleaned up their act… much like proton after the new CM took over. They are now trying to keep up…and the recent EV push seems to be in the right direction.
The idea behind having a local automotive industry is simple – it keeps revenue circulating within the economy. The US government doesnt bat an eyelid at spending billions on the space program. Why? Because money is recirculated within the economy. The same thing can be said with Proton. A few hundred thousand cars a year is alot of resources/money recycled into the local economy instead of the capital flight that is involved with buying foreign cars.
I hope proton will become more competitive in the future. They are doing ok in Thailand without protection…and I hope that in the coming years tariffs will continue to decline as they have been in the past years.
“Ini local car aku yang ketiga dah… aku bangga dapat support industri kereta local aku… hah? betul ke dengan harga sama, aku boleh beli kereta model . Fuyoooooo”
“Alaaah… takpelaah…. takpela aku beli BMW bayar tax mahal2, bayar AP lagi… kan boleh dapat 9 tahun punya loan, tak payah bayar downpayment pulak tu sebab salesman kata nak adjust sikit….takpelaaaa walaupun besok nilai kereta aku di bawah settlement loan tak lama lagi pun gaji nak naik lagi pandai2 lah aku cari jalan keluar bila aku nak upgrade nanti… ”
back to topic:
Just because the money circulated into the local economy it is good issit?? What???? now you think the US is the best economic model issit? Just because the US doesn’t “bat an eyelid” you think IT DOESN’T HURT the US economy? I hope you are not working for a bank or working on a capacity to advise anybody on financial matters…
I personally have invested enough in our local car producers, I have paid my dues, in fact we all have. Proton have to be able to compete NOW, not later, not in a few years, not 10 years, but NOW. We have all bankrolled design engineering, motorsports ventures, rally expeditions, BADGE engineering… what else more???
Sit down, think clearly and write down who benefits from the protectionism, it isn’t just your average Proton employee… just think about it…
Pypon,
People with low esteem and sick in the mind like you will keep saying that Proton cannot compete and Proton sells inferior cars.
Just look at China, Europestar L3 sold more than Mitsubishi Lancer EX and Toyota Vios per month. People actually believed that Europestar L3 is made in Europe and as good as a Lotus car because it is Lotus Engineered.
You know what.. Proton has to work harder than established brands.. As rebadging is an expensive option for Proton.. even some locally designed/made components from Inspira model will have to be exported (sold) to Mitsubishi Thailand. Mitsubishi can then learn from Proton and easily claim as theirs.
On protectionism, Malaysia govt must corner the auto market whatever it can to protect their investment in Proton and our money invested in Proton.
I believe Proton has been building the right formula.. it just a matter of time it finds its cash cow (cars) for world car mass production.
With Lotus in F1 and future 1.6 turbo 4 cylinder engine development for F1 2013.. I believe Proton can benefit from Lotus input in future models.
But is Malaysian public willing to pay more for higher quality Proton model or people will still stick to old lousy Myvi which the company is not going anywhere but to your neighborhood??!!
Who cares about the Malaysian market? Proton cars can’t even beat P2 Myvi in terms of sale.
Don’t blame the Chinese for riding on Lotus brand. Lotus engineering has a better reputation. It is not that Proton is not good. It takes time to earn a reputation.
Do you know how big and competitive is the China auto market? In future, 90% of the world cars will be made in China.
The bodykit is nice.. Proton should have come out with a Proton Persona R(racing) or Campro turbo to help them sell.. but Proton is too slow. The rear spoiler is overdone.
people buy myvi cos many other people drive it on the road but they didn’know how rubbish myvi is. after buy then regret.
My Myvi clocked 130k km. No power window failure. No parts failure. No problem. Nothing. What’s the fuss?
heh i owned myvi before, manual transmission feel like driving a bus..so not fun to drive.. i wonder how come many people like myvi..so funny lei..hahaha
nobody buy myvi and regret, but a ton load of ppl buy proton, then regret.
yea really? better buy mitsubishi or proton badge.. and part if accident more cheaper
P2 got unfair advantage…….many people know it is actually a Daihatsu which is part of the Toyota family which is infamous for recalls n famous for reliability.
Anyway, the recalls did not really affect the Malaysian market. The models here not so high tech.
People are indirectly buying a “Toyota.”
Lol…..am I the only that notice the kit is done ala m3 gt3….
Cant blame the chinamans for this dorky looks, big competition btween other OEMS requires blatant looks for attention plus this car doesnt look like international autoshow-ish. this car suits more for pertandingan bikin kereta balakong.
euw….. that’s all I can say.
Boy racer to the extreme… The return of The rice racer???
Copy Mitsubishi Lancer in the first place & now got copied back . :)
they rebadge the lancer…..and they under licensed their design to the company….copy ishh….you think this is kerepek industries ke?…boleh copy-copy…..heck even kerepek industries can be registered and be protected under copyright laws….you know what copyright law is?
gen2 was indeed designed by lotus
how can proton engineers regress and produce crab like saga blm few years after gen2
we know that proton owns lotus, but it seems like youngman is “abusing” the “lotus” name here.
If they’re taking this car to a track for a race, then it does make sense. For a street use, that is utterly rubish and stupid… However, the body still needs some things to be redesigned.
Yer ugly!
aku rasa…bahagian depan sudah cantik…lampu dan bumper mmg kena…cuma hoof depan =(….bahagian blakang…spolier rendahkan…bumper blakang perlu yg sederhana…nie gile sgt…dan sport rims mmg ngam…haha
COOL DESIGN!!!!!!!
COOL DESIGN!!!!!!!!
i just notice.. quad pipes?! hhahaha.. and bonnet air vent.. this is as if there is a huge engine displacement… i wonder how it would run on the highway.. the constant high volume exhaust sound but the car still crawling next to you on the north south highway… causing you to slow down to allow the car to go as far ahead as possible to avoid looking at it any further and hearing the atrocious “fart’ that it releases…
this one like shit http://paultan.org/photo/index.php?album=guangzhou-2010-youngman-l3&image=dsc_0841b.jpg
lol fail
Ah Beng’s favourate…Better go for audio show..^^
China Design FAIL…
i think near future proton will enter the Chinese market….Proton should enter only with the R3 MODELS… imagine PROTON enter with the Satria Neo CPS R3 turbo + SAGA FL Campro Turbo + Emas R3 + Persona Replacement R3 and Exora R3..hmmmmm…maybe Proton can capture the young chinese dude who loves street racing… :-p
Only the RIMs are nice..
Can they actually use lotus sticker/name?
Where the 100hp sticker?hihihi
China’s Ah Beng is not too bad! but Malaysia’s Ah Beng does it better!
Europestar L3 stand at No. 108 and sells more than Toyota Vios & Mitsubishi Lancer EX in China.
Largest market means bigger competition.. below is the list of 1 month’s sales of passenger cars in China, MPV & SUV aren’t included.. look where they stand:
1. Volkswagen Lavida 25.072
2. FAW Xiali N3/N5 24.253
3. Chevrolet Cruze 23.843
4. Hyundai Elantra Yuedong 21.780
5. Volkswagen Jetta 20.272
6. BYD F3 20.251
7. Buick Excelle 19.159
8. Volkswagen Santana (Vista) 17.937
9. Volkswagen Bora 17.878
10. Toyota Corolla 17.720
11. Ford Focus 17.139
12. Chevrolet Sail 16.469
13. Honda Accord 15.806
14. Chery QQ 14.956
15. Toyota Camry 14.519
16. BYD F0 13.807
17. Honda City 13.795
18. Volkswagen Polo 13.741
19. Nissan Bluebird Sylphy 12.978
20. Great Wall Tengyi (Voleex) C30 12.394
21. Volkswagen Passat (Lingyu) 11.979
22. Toyota Corolla EX 11.842
23. Hyundai Elantra 11.711
24. Buick Excelle XT/GT 11.671
25. Buick LaCrosse 11.266
26. Citroën C-Quatre 11.171
27. Kia Forte Furuidi 11.115
28. Volkswagen Sagitar 10.992
29. ChangAn Benben Mini 10.537
30. Skoda Octavia 10.502
31. Hyundai Verna 10.313
32. Nissan Teana 10.108
33. Nissan Tiida 10.076
34. Audi A6L 9.358
35. Geely Freedom Ship 9.290
36. JAC Heyue/Heyue RS 9.171
37. Mazda 6 9.139
38. Mazda 3 9.003
39. Soueast V3 Lingyue 8.626
40. FAW Besturn B50 8.564
41. Geely Emgrand EC7 8.521
42. Citroën C-Elysée 8.464
43. Chery Fulwin 2 8.223
44. Buick Regal 8.106
45. Chery Cowin 3 8.027
46. Chevrolet Lova 7.998
47. Honda Civic 7.966
48. Volkswagen Magotan 7.736
49. Geely King Kong 7.676
50. Kia Cerato 7.453
51. Chery Cowin 2 7.409
52. Ford Fiesta 7.021
53. Chevrolet Spark 6.967
54. Geely Vision 6.822
55. Haima Family 6.710
56. ChangAn Yuexiang 6.583
57. Chery A3 6.502
58. Roewe 550 6.461
59. Suzuki Big Dipper 6.419
60. Geely Englon SC7 Seaview 6.258
61. Toyota Reiz 6.247
62. Volkswagen Golf 6.234
63. Roewe 350 6.050
64. Audi A4L 5.910
65. Brilliance Junjie FRV (BS2) 5.859
66. Peugeot 307 5.796
67. Suzuki Alto 5.548
68. Suzuki Lingyang (old Margalla) 5.327
69. Peugeot 408 5.186
70. Suzuki SX4 5.176
71. Chery Cowin 1 5.103
72. Suzuki Swift 5.063
73. Peugeot 207/206 5.027
74. Skoda Fabia 4.808
75. Ford Mondeo 4.740
76. Skoda Superb 4.708
77. Kia Rio 4.656
78. Great Wall Florid 4.374
79. Chevrolet Epica 4.138
80. Lifan 620 4.012
81. JAC Tongyue 3.982
82. Mercedes-Benz E-klasse 3.971
83. FAW Besturn B70 3.896
84. Brilliance Splendor (BS4) 3.874
85. Jiangnan Alto 3.776
86. Geely Panda 3.695
87. Brilliance Junjie FSV 3.683
88. BYD G3 3.616
89. Hyundai Accent 3.367
90. Mazda 6 Ruiwing 3.363
91. BMW 5-serie L 3.300
92. Nissan March 3.256
93. Hyundai Sonata MoInca 3.206
94. BMW 3-serie 3.200
95. Citroën C5 3.038
96. Mercedes-Benz C-klasse 2.986
97. Toyota Crown 2.924
98. FAW Weizhi 2.881
99. BYD F6 2.816
100. Hyundai Sonata NFC 2.728
101. Lifan 520/520i 2.603
102. Hafei Lobo 2.438
103. Honda Fit 2.393
104. Great Wall Hover M2 2.202
105. Dongfeng Fengshan H30/S30 2.106
106. FAW Xiali V2 2.081
108. Europestar L3 1.968
107. Volkswagen CC 1.915
109. Mitsubishi Lancer EX 1.909
110. Toyota Yaris 1.807
111. MG 6 1.789
112. Haima 2 Cupid 1.677
113. ChangAn CX20 1.607
114. Toyota Vios 1.554
115. Volvo S80 1.407
116. Honda Spirior 1.393
117. Hyundai i30 1.382
118. Geely Golden Eagle 1.236
119. Suzuki Liana 1.080
120. Kia Soul 1.014
121. Riich X1 1.009
122. Citroën C2 964
123. Mazda 2 905
124. Lifan 320 882
125. Chery A1 798
126. Riich M1 742
127. Honda Accord Crosstour 702
128. Geely Emgrand EC8 669
129. Cadillac SLS 612
130. BYD L3 591
131. Haima Prince 556
132. Volvo S40 531
133. Riich G5 509
134. ChangAn Zhixiang/CX30 402
135. Roewe 750 390
136. Citroën C-Triomphe 372
137. Great Wall Hover M1 346
138. FAW Vela 268
139. Mitsubishi Lancer 253
140. Great Wall Phenom 161
141. Haima 3 158
142. Buick Park Avenue 144
143. Brilliance Grandeur (BS6) 130
145. Chery Eastar 120
144. Hafei Saima 117
146. MG 7 113
147. Mitsubishi Galant 107
148. Shanghai Maple Marindo 102
149. Changhe Ideal 100
150. BYD F3DM 83
151. MG 3SW 67
152. ChangAn Benben Love/i 67
153. JAC Binyue 60
154. Shanghai Maple Serene 54
155. Great Wall Coolbear 52
156. Brilliance Coupe (BC3) 49
158. Shanghai Maple Hysoul 40
160. Shanghai Maple Hisoon 32
159. Kia Optima 28
157. Chery QQme 16
161. FAW Vizi 15
162. Hafei Saibao 9
163. Chevrolet Aveo 2
164. Geely China Dragon 1
165. Toyota Prius 1
feels like the name Lotus is being whored and degraded even more. this time even without the consent of the owner.
How much are they selling this Gen-2 in china????
for proton to really penetrate the market.. i think it is time for a large sedan car.. like a replacement Perdana… that would do the trick… and should incorporate newer tech like VW.. small capacity engine, but high power / torque output… taking notes from BMW entry into China…
AS UGLY AS PIG!!
cun !xD