Proton’s opens Gallery of Inspiration at COE – new interactive space has old cars, VR, Starbucks cafe

Proton’s opens Gallery of Inspiration at COE – new interactive space has old cars, VR, Starbucks cafe

Have you been to Proton’s Centre of Excellence (COE) in Subang along the Kesas Highway? More than just a big showroom and service centre, the place is also Proton’s HQ and there was a display of past models in the lobby, a mini museum of sorts. If you’ve seen that before, things have changed, a lot.

Launched today, Proton’s new “Gallery of Inspiration” is modern and spacious, and very interactive. It seems like the entire ground floor of the COE has been revamped, although the canteen overlooking the service centre and the showroom portions are actually unchanged.

There are six areas to this new brand gallery, and you’ll start off by registering at the new front desk. Here, you’ll notice a new dark look dominated by grey tones. In front of the counter is a podium for the hero car of the moment, which will be Proton’s latest model – currently, it’s the X50 SUV. To the right of the reception counter is the “Inspiration Lounge” with an open area and two rooms for special guests.

To the left of the reception is the main event, the Experiential Zone with six sub-sections. This was where all the heritage cars were parked tightly before, but it’s now a spacious place with just one car – the original 1985 Saga in red. Here, you can look at static display boards to learn about the significant moments of the company, with nostalgic old pictures.

The milestones listed span Proton’s incorporation phase, growth phase, enhancement phase and the current transformation phase that started in 2017. The red Saga is next to it, and behind the car is a big screen playing testimonials and Proton stories. Next to it are touchscreen panels that give an overview of the carmaker today, from models to company values.

It’s not all reading and watching though – the connectivity section has booths with the actual ‘Hi Proton’ voice command system and screen that you can try out for yourself.

Next to it is a powertrain section featuring actual engines. Each of the three engines currently featured – the X70’s 1.8T, the X50’s 1.5T and an upcoming new 1.5T mild hybrid with BSG (belt starter generator, click the link for the full story) – have an rotating iPad with AR (augmented reality) function. Point the tablet at a particular section of the engine and an explanation pops up.

Lastly, the VR simulator, which has two seats. Sit in, put on the VR (virtual reality) headset and drive through a virtual city with autonomous driving features. Experience the future, basically. The virtual city is very local, and car fans can have fun playing spot the car models – the range of non-Proton cars in the city are wide and very realistic, but it’s super strange to have a KL without any Peroduas!

After the fun, sober up by checking out the serious business stuff at Proton’s business overview and network area. There’s a cool-looking world map feature wall with a list of all the countries Proton has entered in the past – you’ll be surprised. What’s more impressive is that there’s a Starbucks outlet next to the world map, called Proton Cafe.

Proton Edar CEO Roslan Abdullah said that Proton Cafe is run by a new subsidiary called Proton Global Services, and the sales arm will be expanding this concept to Proton dealerships, so you can expect Starbucks coffee in your local 4S in the near future.

What’s a brand experience without the heritage models? Red Saga aside, they’re still around, tucked away in a separate wing that you won’t miss as you’re heading out (for car fans, it’s the first thing you’ll see as you walk up from the carpark). Included here are a Wira that reached the North Pole, Putra, Satria GTI, Waja in F1 livery, Perdana V6 (Alfa facelift) and concepts of the Satria Neo, Persona and Preve.

Check out all of the above in our live gallery below, and when you’re free, head to COE and check out the Gallery of Inspiration and experience the interactive parts in person. It’s open to the public every Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm. If the partner isn’t interested, at least there’s a Starbucks to chill and wait.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • tricycle on Nov 26, 2021 at 12:25 pm

    Supernice!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
    • Roti john on Nov 26, 2021 at 1:50 pm

      What a waste of money! Proton should have allocate this budget to develop a Game-Changing car instead

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 15
      • Albert Einstein Senior on Nov 26, 2021 at 5:15 pm

        Roti john,I fully agree with you.
        Just when P1 is seeing some improvement in profits,they will come out with the racing outfits,cafes,all those “cool” menus.
        Imagine,a covid patient just out of 100 days ICU,and start a John Trovolta dance party straight away.
        P1,you just came out of ICU not very long..stop all these wastage,n concentrate on bringing new blockbuster models to repay loans.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 13
        • History Bender on Nov 26, 2021 at 7:11 pm

          What do you mean? Proton is loan free ever since a huge part got sold to Geely.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 3
          • Geely’s 49.9% share is slightly less than half & is not a huge part.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
          • yawnz on Nov 28, 2021 at 2:21 am

            Buying out 49.9% at once is HUGE.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
          • jusknittin on Nov 29, 2021 at 3:32 pm

            “Geely’s 49.9% share is slightly less than half & is not a huge part.” A sole shareholder holds 49.9% out of 100% and the other 50.1% is split amongst other shareholders is not a huge part? Maybe if you make a pie chart out of it you’ll see how big 49.9% percent is.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • That 49.9% is still a few hundred millions tho. No chump change bro.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
          • History Bender on Nov 30, 2021 at 11:03 am

            Take that 49.9% & bend it further to 66.7% or more & that will be HUGE!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
          • PlainBS on Dec 02, 2021 at 1:11 am

            Whether it is 1 million, 1 billion or 1 trillion, 49.9% is always less than half of 100%.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Raja Celup on Nov 26, 2021 at 3:12 pm

      No inspiration at all when just rebadge from others.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 8
      • History Bender on Nov 26, 2021 at 7:12 pm

        You’re talking about P2? That is in another tered.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
      • tintur palo pagigiliman on Nov 26, 2021 at 10:45 pm

        I think you were looking for a different article. Maybe different article about a brand that starts with “T”?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Rakyat Malaysia on Nov 26, 2021 at 12:25 pm

    Kegemaran rakyat Malaysia. Dulu kini selamanya

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • PlainBS on Nov 26, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    Hahaha, what a rainbow fart from Proton

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 5
  • AzmirMS on Nov 26, 2021 at 12:52 pm

    Pity its only open on weekdays, should think about opening it on weekends too.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Protonomore on Nov 26, 2021 at 1:05 pm

    Is that the only Starbucks in Malaysia ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Nov 26, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    improve ur aftersales first

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 5
  • anonymous_c on Nov 26, 2021 at 3:48 pm

    Did Proton ever sold that Putra with GTI wheels?

    Proton should continue to work on updating GTI wheels for Satria Neo but it looks like Ray wheels.

    Heritage builds branding too, that Waja with Petronas livery ages very well

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Proton lover on Nov 26, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    Nice picture of the 3-millionth Proton Saga in silver colour, complete with a nice autograph on the bonnet saying ‘Lulus’ with a very noticeable door gap at the side door

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Please.... on Nov 27, 2021 at 5:07 am

    Drive the display cars around or replace the brake disc so there are no rust on it then coat it with at least wd-40. Makes a tidier display model.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Destine to bungkus

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 4
 

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