At the launch of the 2016 Proton Persona yesterday, the national carmaker put extra emphasis on the new model’s safety credentials, highlighting the aspect repeatedly. Proton also displayed a cutout of the new B-segment sedan outside the launch hall, and here’s a gallery of it.
UPDATE: The cutout is now at the Proton showroom in Mutiara Damansara, should you want to have a closer look
The cutout served to highlight the body structure of the new Persona, which utilises hot press formed (HPF) steel, a process that was first used on the Preve. The heating and subsequent rapid cooling results in high tensile steel, enabling Proton to build stronger, yet lighter cars – this Iriz-based Persona is around 20 kg lighter than the old one, despite having a stronger and safer body.
ASEAN NCAP has awarded five stars to the new Persona, applicable to all variants – Standard, Executive and Premium. In the Adult Occupant Protection test, the Persona is rated at 14.07 points out of a possible 16. In the Child Occupant Protection test, it’s 82% compliance. These are the exact scores obtained by the Iriz (see result sheet below) – the safety body did not crash test the Persona as it’s deemed a variant of the five-door hatchback.
“Although the Persona is an extended rating, ASEAN NCAP had verified the results by examining the crash data from the development test by Proton at MIROS PC3 and comparing it with Iriz’s crash data,” said ASEAN NCAP chairman Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon.
All variants of the Persona come with ABS (with EBD and brake assist), electronic stability control (ESC), hill-hold assist and Isofix child seat anchors (with top tether). The airbag count stands at six for the Premium and two for the Executive and Standard.
Proton has also released a video to underline the strength of its HPF steel. The clip, which is embedded above, features our bomba boys and their tools – including a sledgehammer, grinder and the jaws of life – versus two kinds of steel, regular and HPF.
For more on the new 2016 Proton Persona, check out our walk-around video tour, full launch report and preview test drive report.
