New Proton doing well

[Cheekg98]

New car boosts M'sia's Proton Sun, Sep 09, 2007

AFP

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9, 2007 (AFP) - Malaysian automaker Proton's latest car Persona has become its fastest-selling model from the last two decades, boosting the troubled company, a report said Sunday.

 

Since its launch in the middle of last month, some 14,000 bookings have been placed for the four-door saloon, the New Sunday Times newspaper said.

 

"So far in terms of response, it has beaten all other models (in Proton's stable). The figure of 14,000 is a lot," Syed Zainal Abidin, Proton Holdings Bhd's managing director, was quoted as saying by the daily.

 

The Persona, which replaced the 14-year old Wira model, has been touted as the car that will change Proton's fortunes.

 

But it faces stiff competition from top sellers like Perodua's Myvi, the Toyota Vios and the Honda City, which are in demand and command a better resale value.

 

The Persona is the fifth new model launched since 2000. It joins a stable that includes the Waja, the Savvy, the Satria Neo and the Gen-2.

 

Proton has been criticised for a lack of enough new models and poor quality. The firm last year lost its status as Malaysia's biggest-selling automaker to homegrown rival Perodua.

 

Proton, launched in the mid-1980s to showcase Malaysia's manufacturing ability, has been unable to cope with a wave of competition since the government began cutting protectionist measures several years ago.

 

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently said that Volkswagen was studying Proton for a possible strategic tie-up that could revitalise the Malaysian carmaker.

 

For Proton, a deal is expected to boost its efforts to reclaim the top spot in the domestic car market and help it get a foothold in the lucrative European market.

[Tsr729]

how does Persona looks like?

[Ara84]

juz a GEN2 wif a boot. tats all.

[Zann]

It looks like this:

 

http://paultan.org/archives/2007/08/15/pro...-sedan-details/

[Tsr729]

haha okok so lame sia

[Tsr729]

haha okok thanks for e link bro

 

i link it for ppl like me hu dunno how it looks like:

 

http://paultan.org/archives/2007/08/15/pro...-sedan-details/

[Kyousuke]

I'll choose this over any China made cars anytime.

[Hotsoup]

If the price is on par or near a Japanese car, I dun c why Singaporean would go for a Malaysian made vehicle

[Picanto]

i think the pricing is close to the korean cars. most would go for a korean car if this is true.

[Erayvne]

dont quote me on this, but i read somewhere that its 50+k sgd, at that amount, i would take any other jap mades.

[Vroomtattat]

kraccCCCK.. ..Pui

 

potong salah . ..

[Mmatrix]

eeew

[Porche]

50k plus is more ex than a old sunny or lancer...korean are much more better than them

[Gantan88]

The persona looks quite good in pictures....

 

May have other judgement if i get to look at the real car...

[Porche]

the design is nice but price and reliability is a issue..but at that price can get Avante, Latio, Vios....

[Gantan88]

That is quite true.... if u put all the car side by side, i'll still rank the Personal the last...

 

But.. wondering.. is the engine Lotus tuned?

[Porche]

tuned liao maybe also got prob...they juz put the badge there, dun knw got or not...remember everything boleh over there

[Jack_jack]

That is quite true.... if u put all the car side by side, i'll still rank the Personal the last...

 

But.. wondering.. is the engine Lotus tuned?

 

If the same old Cam-Tak-Pro engine is Lotus-tuned, then Lotus must be doing a very bad job at it. It still has little low-end torque and a whole lot of harshness when revved hard.