Proton Inspira

Proton Inspira Spec & Test drive





At a glance, there’s almost zero difference between the Inspira and Lancer save for Proton’s unique front end design, which is of a V-shape as opposed to Mitsubishi’s trademark trapezoidal “jet fighter” grille. Besides the obvious fact that the change is needed to differentiate the cars, Proton deliberately wanted to move away from the Lancer “too aggressive” look, according to the engineers.



At the rear, you’ll find 2.0 P or 1.8 E to mark the variants, the latter available in both manual and CVT versions. As mentioned in our preview drive, P stands for Premium and E stands for Executive in Proton’s new naming scheme, P being the higher spec. There’s a chrome strip at the bottom edge of the boot, like on the Lancer EX. The Proton’s bumper is unique as it has a black painted “diffuser style” design, as opposed to the straightforward item on the Lancer. The reflectors sit within the black area.

Like the Lancer EX, the Inspira wears 16-inch wheels with 205/60 rubber. With the Proton, you get unique Continental Comfort Contact CC5 tyres with compounds that were specifically developed for the car. The rim design looks much better without the black disguise tape on the pre-production cars. Suspension tuning also differs from the Lancer.



Inside, the differences are minimal. The three-spoke steering design has a Proton badge of course, and the instruments look the same. However, we just noticed that the “left speedo, right tacho” layout of the Lancer has been reversed for the Inspira, which has its rev meter on the left side. The multi-info screen is the orange one as per the Lancer sedan, not the full colour version on the Lancer Sportback. The wood trim in the P spec Inspiras are dark brown coloured (Lancer EX has greyish wood) while the 1.8 E gets a matte silver trim that’s nice to touch. All else is identical to these eyes, including the grade of plastics.

The 4B10 1.8 litre pot found on the two Executive variants offers 140 hp at 6,000rpm and 177 Nm at 4,250rpm, while the 4B11 2.0 litre block in the Premium has 150 hp and 197 Nm at the same rpm as above. Performance-wise, the 1.8 manual has a claimed top speed of 202 kph and a 0-100 kph sprint time of 10.0 secs, while that of the 1.8 CVT is 191 kph and 11.4 secs. As for the 2.0 Premium, it gets to 198 kph and does the century sprint in 10.5 secs. As for kerb weight, the manual rolls in at 1,300 kg, while the 1.8 CVT and 2.0 P are 1,325 kg and 1,335 kg respectively.



Four colours are available for the Inspira, and these are Plum Red, Solid White, Genetic Silver and Tranquility Black. In terms of specifications and equipment levels, the Inspira gets a fair bit of kit, though the 2.0 Premium version does naturally get more in the way of added gear.

Nonetheless, all three variants come with dual SRS airbags, leather steering wheel, front pre-tensioner seatbelts, ABS with EBD, immobiliser and alarm system, central door locking, Isofix point, reverse sensor, solar and security tinted film and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

Other items on the features list across the board are trunk lid remote release, front fog lamps, welcome home light system, driver’s side anti-trap/auto up-down power window, height adjustable driver’s seat and a MP3/Bluetooth-enabled CD player audio system with Arkamys 3D DSP.

As befits its Premium suffix, the Inspira 2.0 gets a number of differentiation points and features compared to the two 1.8 Executive models, and these are:

* Cruise control (with steering wheel-mounted switches)
* Column-mounted paddle shift controls
* Automatic climate control
* Auto headlamp and rain sensors.
* Body kit and rear spoiler.
* Leather seats and door trim finishing (the 1.8 versions are in fabric)
* A GPS navigation system.

Peninsular Malaysia Prices

* Proton Inspira 1.8 M/T – RM78,999
* Proton Inspira 1.8 CVT – RM84,999
* Proton Inspira 2.0 CVT – RM91,999

East Malaysia Prices

* Proton Inspira 1.8 M/T – RM80,999
* Proton Inspira 1.8 CVT – RM86,999
* Proton Inspira 2.0 CVT – RM93,999

Langkawi Prices

* Proton Inspira 1.8 M/T – RM71,999
* Proton Inspira 1.8 CVT – RM75,999
* Proton Inspira 2.0 CVT – RM82,999

Good News ! Proton to offer hybrid car below RM100k

good News To Hbyrid Car Lovers

PROTON Holdings Bhd is looking to offer its first hybrid car at a competitive price of below RM100,000, Advisor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

Expected to be commercially launched next year, Proton is said to be developing hybrid as well as electric engines with British company Frazer-Nash Research, South Korea's LG and its Britain-based subsidiary Lotus.

Dr Mahathir, who is former prime minister, said the development of hybrid cars was part of Proton's initiative to move into green technology.

"We have now frozen the design and in the process of improving the performance of the car. We will make an announcement very soon," he told reporters after handing over Proton's 25th Anniversary edition cars to the first nine buyers in Petaling Jaya.




"The price of a hybrid car will be slightly higher than an ordinary car because the batteries are so expensive. In the case of a well-known car maker, the hybrid car will be three times higher than ordinary cars.

"Our cars, I think will be below RM100,000," he said.

He said Proton would be putting its three hybrid cars to participate in a race in Britain on Nov 6.

Meanwhile, Proton Managing Director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir the company would set a test fleet of about 50 hybrid vehicles for use by the government before the launch of mass production.

He had earlier said that the company was producing the Exora hybrid version in Britain for testing and research.

A vehicle with hybrid technology means it has two sources of power -– petrol and electricity.

Today’s hybrids combine a petrol engine with one or more electric motors.

The fully-electric hybrid drivetrain consists of an engine that recharges lithium ion batteries, which, in turn, power an electric motor responsible for driving the car.

Honda Malaysia yesterday announced that customers could purchase its new Civic Hybrid at on-the-road price of RM108,980 in Peninsular and RM109,980 in East Malaysia, which is RM21,000 less than the current Honda Civic.

Last week, UMW Toyota Motor cut the Toyota Prius on-the-road price with insurance in Peninsular Malaysia to RM139,900 from RM175,000. The price in Sabah and Sarawak is about RM141,500 due to higher logistics costs.

This was in line with the government's decision to extend tax incentives for hybrid vehicles until Dec 31, 2011.


sources -- BERNAMA

New Proton Inspira

Here it comes, the new Proton Inspira ! The latest news is the price will be ranging from RM 80k-95k depending on the variant chosen. There is 1.8 Manual, 1.8 Auto and 2.0 Auto.

For this rebadge, the news is that Mitsubishi doesn’t allow any changes to be done on the engine(4B series) and ECU. Also seems that Proton have changed the suspension setup with Lotus handling, i wonder how that would feel.

Will be going to showroom when it is available, and there are 4 colors to choose; black, white, red and silver.

Personally i’d go for the 1.8 Manual, turbocharge it, and drop in an evo X bodykit, sweet !

Fuyyohhh...

Proton inspira

Finally The Inspira has arrived!



Proton has unveiled that Proton Inspira will be the official name for its Proton Waja replacement model, which has until now been only referred to by its internal codename, the Proton P3-90A.

The Proton Inspira is developed from a Mitsubishi Lancer with the choice of a Mitsubishi’s 4B10 1.8 liter engine with a 5-speed manual, a Mitsubishi 4B10 1.8 liter engine with a 6-speed virtual ratio CVT gearbox, or a top of the range 2.0 liter 4B11 engine with the same CVT transmission with added steering column paddle shifters.

At launch, the Inspira will have about 26% local content at launch, with the aim of raising it to 40% within the next few months and straight up to 65% within a year from the launch date once the local vendors have been fully prepped. It is built at Proton’s MVF plant.

Available in red, white, black or silver, the new Proton Inspira is now open for booking at any Proton dealer with a deposit of RM1,000. As an appreciation to early birds, Proton will be offering a 2 year (50,000km) free service package worth RM1,658 including parts and labor to those who take delivery of their brand new Proton Inspira for bookings made by the 15th of November 2010 that are delivered before the 31st of December 2010.



The tentative pricing starts from RM79,888 OTR for the 1.8 manual up to not more than RM95k for the top of the line. The 1.8 CVT will be somewhere in the middle. The official pricing will be unveiled at the official launch by the 10th of November 2010.

The photos above and after the jump provided by Proton is the only thing we can show you for now as there is an embargo that we must respect and official images will only be provided closer to the launch date in early November 2010.

Proton recalls 04-08 Gen2 & Satria Neo

Proton has announced a recall of its Proton Gen2 and Proton Satria Neo cars made between 2004 and 2008 due to a clock spring malfunction. Although the ammount involved is only 2% of the 660,000 cars produced and sold within the past 4 years, Proton want to make sure their car is safe for their customer.

All labour and parts related to the replacement will be provided at no charge at Proton Service Center nationwide. For more information and clarification, Proton owners can call 1-300-880-888 or contact their local dealer.

The New Proton Waja

Long - waited Proton Waja will be arriving soon




Is this the most talked about Proton Waja 2 that the whole Malaysia is waiting for? Is this the elusive so-called second generation of Proton Waja which is based on the well-known Mitsubishi Lancer? I don't know but chances is that we Malaysians will get to see this Proton Waja Lancer very, very soon as it was spotted in Penang earlier last month (August 2010). Moreover TV3 also did some coverage about this new Waja 2 Lancer today (3rd September)!


This Proton Waja Lancer is actually a replacement model to the old, won-out looking boxy Waja. It is about time that Proton come out with a new model for their Waja line up. Before we proceed to the real Waja 2, let's look at the ideal Proton Waja Lancer which was conceived by Theophiluschin. If I am not mistaken this conjured Waja Lancer is actually fusion of the current Mitsubishi Lancer with our Proton Waja and Proton Persona. That's why his creation retains the boxy feel of Waja and the elegant grill of Persona. And of course this Waja Lancer spots the unmistakable fierce front light of the Lancer.

Proton Satria Neo CPS

Satria Neo CPS

The Campro CPS engine is finally in the Proton Satria Neo, something that many have been eagerly waiting for. The CPS is essentially a Campro engine with a few updates and a variable valve lift system called CPS as well as a variable intake manifold (VIM) system. These additions help push up power to 125 PS at 6,500rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, figures which are up from the standard Campro’s 110hp and 148Nm.

The car’s front and rear track has also been updated. While the Proton Satria Neo had a front and rear track of 1,470mm for both, the Satria Neo CPS H-Line has a narrower front track at 1,467mm and a wider rear track 1,483mm.

We didn’t managed to get hold of a Proton engineer to ask this question but we did manage to ask a member of Proton’s Race Rally Research (R3) team who said the change was made because Proton found the standard Neo suffered from slight oversteer, so this change was made to induce a slight understeer to improve handling. Anyway either way as a result of the large wheel arches, the wheels looks kind of lost inside them at certain angles.

As for aesthetics, as you can see there’s a new bodykit and more prominent flared wheel arches that are inspired from the old Satria GTI’s design. The alloy wheels are of the same 16 inch size as the M-Line but feature a different design that looks like a carbon copy of Advanti Racing’s MEDUSA designbut without the two-tone design – perhaps it’s licensed or “inspired”. On the interior, the dashboard is now of a darker shade with red lighting on the various air conditioning controls and auto gear position indicators, has a different door trim design, some new trim around the gear shifter area, and leather seats in a black and red combination similiar to the GEN2 CPS.

The following are the prices for the new Proton Satria Neo CPS, available in only two colours which are unique to the CPS – solid white and tranquility black.

Proton Satria Neo CPS M/T (white) – RM 57,313.00
Proton Satria Neo CPS M/T (black) – RM 57,763.00
Proton Satria Neo CPS A/T (white) – RM 60,313.00
Proton Satria Neo CPS A/T (black) – RM 60,763.00

Proton Waja

 

Here’s some fact about Proton WAJA

The Proton Waja is a saloon car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton, first released in August 2000. The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car, with a chassis derived from a Mitsubishi Carisma and a Volvo S40. The name Waja, which means "tough (as steel)", reflects the strength of the steel used for the Waja compared with the previous models. The name was chosen partly to counter the perception in the domestic market that Proton cars were less strong.^{[citation needed]} In the United Kingdom, the Waja is sold asProton Impian, "Impian" being another derivative of the Malay language, meaning "dream".

The Proton Waja is the first model designed in-house by Proton. The development of the Waja began at the end of the 1990s together with the Campro engine, however the development of the Campro engine was still in progress at the time of its launch and therefore Proton had to source the 4G18 engine for the Waja from Mitsubishi,^{[citation needed]} before switching to Campro engines in 2006. It was launched in August 2000 together with the introduction of Proton's new corporate logo. Early batches of the Waja had some serious quality problems due to some component vendors and suppliers skipping quality checks to rush for the huge early demand.^{[citation needed]} However, the quality of the components were strictly improved years later in 2005.^{[citation needed]}
The Waja was facelifted twice since its debut in August 2000. The first minor facelift was in mid-2006 which only involved rear lights. The 2007 Proton Waja with a more substantial facelift was launched on January 19, 2007 together with the facelifted Proton Savvy. For the 2007 Waja, it was given a new grille which was nearly identical to the Savvy. The 2007 Waja also includes both ABS and air bag as standard for the Malaysian market, which were previously optional equipment. At the end of 2005, Proton additionally introduced another variant of the Waja, known as Proton Waja Chancellor, to be used by representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the meeting of ASEAN leaders in the KLCC, shortly before its launch in 2006. The Waja Chancellor has a longer wheelbase and a 2.0 L V6 engine similar to that used in Proton Perdana V6, also sourced from Mitsubishi. By 2008, an updated Waja was launched with an improved Campro engine and a new center console with a new 2-DIN Clarion audio set.
Waja sales in the UK, where it is rebadged as the Impian, did not begin until April 2001, and it has continued virtually unchanged ever since. The Impian is only available with right hand drive while left hand drive models are available elsewhere in Europe as the Waja. Sales have not been strong,^{[citation needed]} as it was behind the best of the competition at its launch and virtually all of its competitors have been replaced since. Its decent ride and handling, generous equipment levels, competitive asking price and comprehensive aftersales package are perhaps the only things that keep it going with British buyers.^{[citation needed]}
On December 5, 2008, Proton announced^.that the next-generation Waja to be based on the Mitsubishi Lancer platform. The Lancer-based Waja is found to be on test.

Meet Proton Persona, Malaysian Executive Car

 

Searching for sedan within your middle budget?

Proton persona is the best answers!

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.

The interior has been thoroughly reworked and  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.

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 systemyet, 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.

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.

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