Day 4 of Proton’s P3-21A build up showcase at the Proton Power of 1 event Bukit Jalil sees the front fenders from Day 3 removed but the addition of a fully uncovered headlamp, along with plastic supports in the engine bay. Wonder what will Day 5 bring us?
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After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.
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how long is the event? let’s try to speculate what’s next..
Strip tease by a fat and ugly and bulky woman
like a CRZ headlamp
more likely evolution of savvy head lamp
Day 5 maybe about rear lamp. hmmm…
btw p3-21 got no intercooler issit?
a car with low turbo boost / soft turbo (many examples include Saab, Volvo, and locally Ford Laser Lynx RS) does not necessarily need an air-to-air intercooler.
To understand why not, one must understand the function of an intercooler. it is there to cool down air intake temperature after heated by the turbocharger (up to 300,000rpm and heated by exhaust manifold) . A reduction of 10 degree C can prevent loss of 1HP of engine power.
The latest euro sold vehicle will all have intercooler, could it be an external unit or internal ones (like VW and Ford) because of emission control. They need to temperature in the combustion chamber to be lower to reduce NOx.
Exora Bold and P3 shares same engine and both are fitted with intercooler, blow-off valve and waste gate.
The BOV outlet is returned back to the air filter housing and reduced the hissing sound when BOV bleeds its excess pressure. To hear the BOV you need to open the air filter cover or remove the BOV return hose.
So,
Will I have a “cepuss, cepuss” sound with the presence of blow-off valve? Unfortunately CVT will not have gear change in order to enjoy that “cepuss” sound. :(
Can I put turbo timer to delay my car shutdown in order to IMPRESS patrons at Pelita (presumingly I park my turbo car in front of Pelita)? I think that’s possible.
Just try it during the test drive…. you will noticed it.
And no turbo timer needed. You’ll noticed the loud cooling fan sound replacing the turbo timer after you switch off the engine….
Of course you can, but you’d look ridiculous.
A turbocharged engine only needs to run at idle for a certain period of time after hard driving, allowing the turbo to cool down properly and the engine oil to circulate freely to avoid burning it in the turbo. Since the CFE has a low-pressure turbo (0.75 bar, whereas a standard Subaru Impreza WRX STI runs at about 1 bar) and clearly you’re only intent on driving it to the local mamak to show off your new turbo, it’s unlikely that you’d have the turbocharger reach a high enough temperature to require a timer. Hence, the timer would be rendered useless.
Also you’d look like douchey showoff.
Kamon proton.im sure ure better than this.at least the non rebadge car like this one or exora bold perhaps get good quality ust look at the interior.its drab.like really drab.maybe a touch of chrome here and there mesti nambak nice.maybe proton should spend an extra 50bux on it.maybe the kind of interior like we got from ‘proton’ inspira.i dnt know how many times should people repeat this.maybe proton need to merge with VW so we can get dsg on our proton ke hehehe. back the main story, the headlight is not bad( i bet kia and hyundai did this kinda busy looking headlamp decades ago).Well I’m just keen on how this thing looks since the fuss is really heating up( how many days event ni?).peace!
you realize what are you talking about?
Pening saya baca komen awak..huru-hara..
bro what did you have last night? thai song? or black label?
must be thaisong…nasty stuff…can destroy ur brain cell
one does not simply smoke and comment here
You must be one of those PPSMI products that failed. In the end both english nor malay noone can understand. bux? kamon? nambak? PPSMI level -99.
If you don’t comment, nobody will say you’re dumb.
Wise men speak when they have something to say, fools speak when they have to say something.
Why the headlamp got blink2 one…Like Ah Beng car lorh.
Proton not good on design the car, more like Kia Forte headlamp…
You guys want unique car buy Fiesta
you should get married to your fiesta because you like the voice command and feedback in your fiesta so much.
ford salesman detected!!
SORRY NOT MY CLASS USE A CHEAP CAR LIKE FIESTA….SORRY
even lexus ct200h got the blink2.. why not complaint???
Coz Lexus is premium brand and made in Japan so we love it :)
c..that’s the problem..learn to love ur country bro..but i dunno if u love to live the sceptical thinking forever…nuff said..
that blink2 one is called daylight led..audi, lexus also got one. trend nowadays is having those “blink2”
budak ni salesman ford..mmg aku da agk drp awal..
Xpon dia ni sbnrnya da terbeli fiesta,pastu nyesal bila tgk p321a ni.so mulala mencarut yang bukan2.kesiannnnnn
i’m not a fan of Proton but these lousy SD/Ford salesman/buggers always making rounds on any pending car launch.
funnily though, these buggers are nowhere to be seen after their product launch.
bug off la, snots!
kakakakaka…
fiesta driver try to get more friends…
you try to lobby ppl for the Fiesta Club President ka?
that’s it? only a headlamp in 1 day?? beautifying the package means only a headlamp????? come the final day of the event and the car magically completed?
does the headlamp features the most advance technology today?.. no, i don’t think so.
people will buy the car just because of the headlamp?.. no, i don’t think so too!
it must be really crazy for proton team to emphasize too much about the headlamp when there are many other headlamps that are more technologically advanced (BMW) and beautiful (BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Audi.. etc)
they should show more things which are not be ‘visible’ in the final product so that people will know about the hidden features. for example, why can’t they show the curtain airbags or emphasize all the safety features? you don’t have to show the headlamp because visitor could see it in the showroom and they will see it everyday if they buy the car!
otherwise, emphasize more about other features like steering wheel with paddle shifter, the gps unit, or any other spec that could actually make the car more impressive and desirable.
personally i think they should have “build” it more… so many days already and it doesnt look build at all!
if you read the article again your will see that proton deliberately took.off the front fender…there is no intention from proton to show the completed car by the end of the show…not until offcial launch by 1Malaysia PM…
Politics in automotive industry.. sigh.. i see this aint going well.
How is this politics? The car hasn’t been launched because it isn’t ready, plain and simple. I spoke to one of their staff yesterday and they said that they’re preparing the plant for mass production before they launch the car.
By the way, this will be the first Proton with LED daytime running lights. It will also have bi-xenon projector headlights.
wah dude, you so intelligent one lah. wow, i never notice that, headlight for a day? woah, sharp eye you have there. you able to outsmart p1, maybe you should run your own carnival eh
What MoFaz’s saying is true. Don’t you think that it’s too much to just show a headlamp for the next day? People have been waiting since the beginning of the assembly and yesterday was only for headlamp? Unless the technology for the headlamp is novel, then it’s ridiculous.
If the headlamp that can adjust the brightness according to the background lighting condition.. or perhaps it can change colour for better contrast.. or it’s very low in energy consumption, etc. – then it’s ok to just highlight on headlamp for the whole day.
P1, don’t be lazy, tell the potential buyer the technology that you have integrated in the car. People need to see it in action, maybe show the difference between the high tensile and the conventional steel during a crash – not just some words.
Bro,
You have to consider the uncles, aunties, pakciks & makciks prospect buyers, who don’t really know what is 138hp & 200Nm torque, intercooler, CVT, multi-link beam and Bosch VSC.
These are among the pencen target group who just take out their 100k/200k EPF money who might buy for their “Hari Tua” or maybe for their daughters.
Expect what the young chicks will say,
“Eii, cantik gila la lampu dia! Macam Golf TSi la! Nak! Nak! Nak!”
Come on! Headlamp is part of the car and it contributes beauty, of course they can give you ugly headlamps and just grab whatever they can from their vault, but this is by far the best looking lamp they have. No one is asking all to agree but just my humble opinion. Give them a chance since we have given so many, doesn’t hurt for one more.
and the headlamp suppliers in m’sia usually made the headlamps that can “masuk air”… malaysia really boleh
only headlamp? that’s it? this is pure gimmicks. no inputs in terms of engineering at all!. they treat Malaysian like how TV stations serving Malaysian with crappy maharaja lawak, akademi fantasiaL, ghost dramas, and shitty Malay comedy movies that’s not funny et all. no wonder Malaysian mentalities stuck in 3rd world.
Mentality much like yours because u r implicated as well, being a Malaysian.
Have u ever read a physics textbook without falling asleep? I would assume Proton wants to keep it simple n not throw in all the engineering jargons. if not nobody would bother reading the explanation. for a typical consumer as long as it looks good and its practical, nobody cares about the engineering feat. the crowds are not scientists mind you.
i dont expect them to spur all physics equation… they should at least tell what the benefit of owning p321a such as safety features, FC, etc. not just telling this product makes you stylo, great style of headlamps, drive like a boss, sigh.. remind me the typical cigarette ads back 10 years ago.
Almost the entire engineering exhibit is dedicated to showing off the new features of the new car, like the CFE engine, ultra high-strength steel construction, ESP, keyless start and the new instrument panel. In fact they brought a team from Bosch over to demonstrate the benefits of ESP, along with a simulator.
Stop treating Malaysian public like they are stupid. They can understand engineering jargons for cars. Or it’s time to educated them.
and mind you, you don’t need to be a scientist to know the engineering specs of a car.
with educated customers, are proton afraid they wont be in customer shopping llist?
Of coz la you stupid!!! Thats is just the day-to-day making of the car….. all the engineering jargons about the car was there around the area… from the engines to the suspensions, meter cluster, materials and everything… r u that blind that u cannot see those? Baka!!
u think 1st world countries dont have such things on their TV?
Agree with you bro! sadly that’s wut happening.. unfortunately not just here, but our education system is very exam and memorising oriented. We need change, “reformasi!”
P1 should exposed the public with the technology and engineering. Spark the interest among the young generations for invention and innovation. Make them understand the basic principle. I’m not physically available to go there, but I’m wondering whether they even explain turbo technology (the core selling point for P321A) to the audience?
They did. They had several engines on display, including one that was partly disassembled and reassembled throughout the event. The staff explained the technology (turbo, intercooler, variable-valve timing) very well, which was pretty impressive.
Thanks Jonathan for the response. I’m glad they did! I wish to be able to go there, but geographically not possible without too much cost.
Paul,
What do you think of rear seat recline feature like new City? I think better to have the feature by shaving 4-6 inches from the steel. Comfort for passengers
Paul,
Dont say its a plastic support
It is a light weight composite
More convincing
Yes it is plastic. No need to use LWC etc. That portion only to support headlights, grille, condenser and radiator. The support is not req for front impact so cheap plastic enough. Light weight and less cost.
actually I do agree with J on the LWC term.. i think the plastic support referred by paul is technically known as front end module (as explained by p1 engineers during the po1 event).. the same concept use in exora.. it’s not just merely plastic.. if you cut the structure and see the cross section it’s actually a composite of metal binded with plastic thru insert molding process.. quite interesting.. sadly not much appreciated..
Excuse me….is that TIMING BELT inside the round black box beside the engine???
If it’s the same engine as the campro which probably is then it runs on a timing belt. A minus point right? While others are moving chain. There is always a risk when using timing belt, one needs to ensure the right time to change and also a qualified mechanic to do it or else too tight or too loose will create belt problems.
not belt problem but a DISASTER to the engine…
What next? Tail-lamp??? After that radiator/aircon??
I bet this new PROTON is worth to buy!
The last day on Day 5 they will pasang the the tyres and… thats it fot thebsoft launch this time. Wait 3 months for the next ‘pre launch” and another 1 month for ‘pre Hari Raya launch’ and another 2 months for ‘pre 2013 New Year launch’ and then ‘pre Chinese New Year launch’ Then finally they will launch it on March 2013.
syok sendiri lah ini proton. other cars dont even need this kind of gimmick to sell well. try beating kia forte koup sales.
well..easy…….prftt~
kia forte koup eh? the one that cost 100k++ one? surely this car can beat that sale in no time.
How many Kia Forte Koups have you seen on the road today?
Exactly.
Plus, why are you comparing a four-door sedan to a coupé?
see how Koup beats the much bigger Cefiro…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_51yD3bj5c&feature=share
give credit where its due la!
Bro, I’m giving credit whenever it’s due. But seriously, just a headlamp??? They gotta do better..
Showing the headlamp alone for day-4 is very disappointing…
abang, diff segment lar..
This is not persona replacement as the price is around RM70k plus. More like waja replacement.
proton just present it striaght away. why bit by bit macam orang zaman kuno.
What’s the point of introducing a new car when the Campro is a really outdated engine. This engine seriously feels rough, noisy & not refine. What PROTON is actually doing is as though HONDA is slapping in a TURBO on their B series engine (DOHC VTEC) & sell it to the masses now.
They seriously needs to replace that sick old engine. PROTON supporters please don’t tell me that it takes millions to develop a new engine. As a car manufacturers, it is their duty to introduce new engine every once in awhile. If they can’t do it, they shouldn’t be producing car after over 25 years.
Ordinary consumers wouldn’t know much about engines thus there are still many who is still jumping into the PROTON bandwagon.
I agree that they must build an engine to gain the most efficient out of a turbo based concept but I do not agree on every car manufacturers should introduce a new engine once in a while. It’s not cheap to do so and why break something that works (you think honda introduce new engine that’s similar to the old 1 often?)
Yeah….no wonder vios using a new engine everytime they introduce new model
Toyota corrolla introduce 6 engines variant in the US. The 2.4 liters is only RM 55
k
have u read?? They used Turbo 1.6 CFE Engine.. do some study first b4 u talk, so u don’t sound like an idiot :)
Gosh! I guess you are the one that should be doing some reading. The Turbo 1.6 CFE is derived from the Campro engine. It is basically a Campro but with added turbocharger. The main powerplant is still a Campro.
hello little one, maybe you should wait until you grow-up before commenting about engine….
engine development, as you said yourself is not cheap. campro costs about RM1bil. they were developing 3 range of engine; small, medium and big engine (SENG, MENG and BENG) but they had to drop MENG and BENG due to high R&D cost and low market utilization / income projection from these engines. only SENG managed to get through and it’s known as Campro today.
yes it costs lots of money, time and effort, otherwise Toyota won’t be using the same Vios engine in 20 models. yes it costs lots of money, that’s why Chrysler, Mitsu, and Hyundai developed GEMA engine together instead of building their own. Proton and Mitsu mentioned that they will jointly develop a new engine in Malaysia… we just have to wait for now.
25 years and Proton only have one engine which they can call their own. It is pathetic and shameful.
Proton built their own engine after 15 years, not long after they acquired Lotus.
did you know how long did Hyundai took before coming up with their very own first engine? their Alpha engine was the first to be designed in Korea, in 1993. that’s 26 years after Hyundai motor was founded. Kia was already almost 50 years old at that time.
i have no issue about proton having only 1 engine for now. i don’t expect much from small-scale manufacturer like proton. the engine is already very versatile to have different setup such as 1.3L, 1.6L, IAFM, CPS and now CFE. you think it’s an issue because you’re expecting too much. maybe you were expecting proton to produce a powerful engine like ferrari but you didn’t think why proton didn’t make it… if you give them RM1bil, of course they would build it for you.
perhaps you should also ask why Perodua doesn’t produce their own engine after 20 years?
That will be in Japan….not Malaysia…the proton and mitsubishi JV engine….
please read previous PT articles about Proton – Mitsu.. don’t simply assume. it was stated that the engine will be developed in Malaysia.
and will be built at new factory in TM if not mistaken…
It’s “their duty”?
Tell that to Volkswagen, whose engines date back to the ’70s, albeit heavily modified over the years to accept new technologies such as direct injection, turbochargers and superchargers.
As long as the basic configuration is the same, the basic engine block design itself doesn’t need to be changed. And hey, at least it’s better than Toyota using the exact same engine (1.5-litre inline-four with VVTi) in the Vios since 2003.
this shows how many months you have not read Paultan.org … READ: CFE ENGINE
Bro, they make a lot of changes for CFE. I don’t remember the source, but somebody did post a link of Lotus magazine that explains what are the new things of the engine.
I prefer P1 to focus on hybrid technology for now instead of developing a new engine. Or maybe it’s just me..
Apparently Proton isn’t going down the hybrid route as a range-extended electric vehicle is much simpler to engineer and produce.
That’s interesting… care to elaborate more on this.
In a parellel hybrid (i.e. Prius, Insight et al.), there is a lot of work required to connect the electric motor and battery to the engine and gearbox. The ECU also has to be configured to coordinate the operation of the two powerplants so that the switch between electric and petrol power is as seamless as possible. In a range-extended electric vehicle, however, the electric motor is the main power unit, always on and connected to the wheels via a single-speed transmission. All the computer needs to do when the battery runs out is to switch on the petrol engine and keep the revs at the most optimum level. Also, an REEV is more future-proof.
crystal clear! appreciate that.
Proton owns Lotus ,Lotus use Toyota engine or develope their own engine……….Which tells you a lot abot Proton engines………..
Rear lamp sucks
This car would be the best car until up to RM130k car segment will all the features and performance tat it has to offer. This time..proton would be in the upperhand compared to expensive japs and even korean cars.. i believe that most bashers here have just bought new car in recent years and get frustrated as this Proton is now getting in the leaf.. As of on paper features the most the high line with 7 speed with turbo.. The torque figure of this proton is now in the another league..they can chase VW cars.. To cut short.. This car is awesome with low price tag… At last we malaysian get best value car for the money..
Yeah keep dreaming…. you probaby can’t afford anything else other than a Proton..
Chase VW cars? LOL. Even a Saga FL can chase certain VWs. But there are so many other factors to consider. How about build quality? Handling? Safety? Reliability? Design? And if you care about showing off, how about prestige? Proton cannot guarantee any of these things. I bought a VW last year, and trust me, I have NO REGRETS when I look at this new Proton ;)
That’s how long it takes to build a P3 at Tj Malim :-P
KIA K5 HEADLAMP..OPSSS ^-^
NO, k5 more slicker
Wake up proton! do not waste your company resources for all the efforts of showing new model. Your PR dept shall think of something concise and get to the point directly. To much trouble to readers or visitors will only make things worst. For me, i will think the event shall not last or drag until 3 days to review a new model to the public! The longer u drag, the excitement become lesser.
Well you’re entitle to your opinion, somehow teaser is good to built the curiosity, but it can be a double edge sword as two things people look at in teaser, surprise or disappointment. You’re right about the drag, but if it’s a surprise with a wow factor then it is worth the wait, but if it turns out ugly and disappointment after the curtain has been drawn then they would probably get a slap in their face.
I kept wondering why would Proton launch Inspira when they going to have P3-21A. So I went to the event to look at the P3-21A. Judging from the chassis I think the P3-21A is smaller compared to Inspira. The height is almost the same but the width does look tighter. Looking at the driver seat, the space between the driver seat and the rear seat looks tighter too. Moreover the rear seat cushion is not fitted yet. The design is kind of compact width with comfortable height. Looking at the engine bay, the space between the holder of the stabilizer bar does look shorter. The engine bay is definitely more compact compared to Inspira. I should have used my measuring tape to measure the car! LOL
Indeed, it’s smaller — the Lancer/Inspira is a size larger, because it’s meant to compete with the Civic and the Corolla. This new car is meant to go toe-to-toe with the Vios and City.
highly possible MMC will rebadge P3-21A to market as 2013 all new Lancer.
anyone seen MMC rebadge Exora to what JDM model yet?
My friend said it like this – think of Inspira as a Perdana replacement.
I would think that they’d discontinue the 1.8 model once this is launched.
The dimension or statistic of the car exterior somewhat misrepresent the actual dimension. Look at the bulging or flamboyant wheel arches. It contributed significantly to greater statistic dimension over the competition’s.
We should get interior dimension to see whether the actual measurement really big or otherwise.
I puzzled too why should Proton Preve should have 1.52m height- quite high though Pug 308 also have similar height. Based on p3-21A vs Persona last week , body roll almost similar between these two cars.
Having said that, P3-21A is the most affordable+amenities RM75,000 can buy. In my opinion, the engine also decent (based on Bold’s experience). Inokom Elantra 1.6 with slightly dearer price-tag maybe P3-21A close competitor.
Perhaps Proton should hire new Designer, not new Chairman or CEO or delivery boys.
The fault is not about management but design problem.
How to sell ugly products, betol tak?
Proton with design hebat macam Kia, Hyundai then slowly sales increase, profit naik and bring even better and beautiful cars.
This simple solution Proton cannot think of it kah?
how toyota can sell ugly vios? it is not just about design, quality matter too, btw proton is getting better, congrats…
Nothing exciting looks like kia forte so who is copying who now.
Price also similar to kia forte and kia is going to launch new forte soon.
Went to the Power of 1 event yesterday and talked to an engineer who said that the ESP can be switched off completely and that there is no in-between setting. He also told me that the new car has been built to achieve five stars in the Australian NCAP tests and a test will be organised once the car is launched there in August. However, the car might not be tested by the Euro NCAP because of the stricter test criteria introduced this year which places a much heavier emphasis on pedestrian safety. Another staff member told me that the car will be launched here no later than early May.
Daylight running lights only bah…not even have any swerving headlight tech. haih..nothing to show off la…forte lookalike betol….
Coming soon to aftermarket retro figment of dynamic headlights?? When people demand so much for drl thanks to Audi, the market is flooded with retrofit and add on overnight, soon it takes just a opportunist businessman to start the ball rolling where you can buy dynamic headlamps in accessory shops and auto marts.
Give it time — none of the car’s potential rivals even have HID headlamps.
Time = $$$
Questions:
1. No picture for side impact bars located for each door?
2. BCM (Body Control Module)? No mention about it even on spec sheet? New improve version from Exora or stuff like that?
Day 4 only about head lamps? No mention whether it’s a normal projector lamps or XENON. Proton should put on the rear lights too! Nothing special about as it is not ADAPTIVE or BI-XENON type!
I would assume, because the new car has automatic headlamps and wipers, follow-me-home headlamps, keyless start, automatic door locks, malfunction and intrusion alerts and many other things, I’d assume it would have a BCM, probably one even more advanced than the Exora’s.
If I was a billionaire…….I’ll buy up all of Proton shares at a premium, take the company private……..buy enough C4 and blow the entire factory to pieces. This will be my contribution to the good people of Malaysia who deserve more than a fake shit car.
For my deed, I’ll probably go to heaven when I die. …..sob.
Not a very nice comment to make! Ever thought of people working there supporting their family and children? You’re no different than those no brainer CEO that comes on board and take the easy way to show profits by cost cutting though downsizing, or selling off company assets.
You’re running away from a problem. Perhaps you should instead use your wealth to turn around the situation. Then you’re indeed a hero, not a coward!
I smell many people will buy the turbo version rather than the pathetic Campro IAFM 1.6,In my honest opinion although I’m not really a fan of proton the 1.3 IAFM is way much better than the 1.6 outdated one.Dunno why they don’t use the Cps over IAFM for the executive version.