Proton Prototype (before launching model)

HangPC2 · Post time 3-1-2008 01:23 PM

2008 Proton Saga

Credit

ydingo (lowyat.net)

rambutan · Post time 3-1-2008 01:47 PM

YG NIEH DIER HANYA KALERKAN INTERIOR SAVVY JER.. AKU RASA BLM PUNYA LAIN SKIT.. RADIO DIER BUKAN CUSTOM MADE KATERNYA... AIRCON BULAT, STERENG NEO, PANEL CAM PERSONA... LAIN2 CAN SAVVY.... KATER ORG LAA...

mesomeone · Post time 3-1-2008 02:50 PM

Originally posted by adorascal at 2-1-2008 19:27
sape2 blh comfirmkn aku brapa hrga BLM ni on the road
aku nk kuar pi booking ni hehe
fuel camana plakk??
klo dpt save mcm savy xpe dh hehe

price dia dalam RM30K - RM35K. - harga nih mmg nak tapau myvi, viva savvy and SLE. FC dia???? campro 1.3 save minyak ke? lahap sikit kut

[ Last edited by mesomeone at 3-1-2008 02:51 PM ]

adorascal · Post time 3-1-2008 06:48 PM

aku dh tgk price list klo auto dlm 38k manual 35k
beza solid n metalik dlm rm550 so korg pk la sndr
apa pn proton ni cam biasa n sedia maklumla
klo 1st badge ni yg aku sndr xbrapa pecaya sgt hehe

HangPC2 · Post time 5-1-2008 12:20 PM

2008 Proton Saga

Saga Bumper Swap

Saga Ah Beng Style

Credit

ydingo (paultan.org)

HangPC2 · Post time 5-1-2008 01:26 PM

Post Last Edit by HangPC2 at 3-3-2010 19:40

Proton to launch new model mid-January

04-01-2008

by Lim Shie-Lynn

Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd new sedan will be launched in mid-January with a pre-launch campaign at selected locations in the country from this Saturday.

Proton said it would demonstrate a stage-by-stage build-up of the model, named BLM, for the public to have a sequential view of processes involved in developing a car.

The pre-launch embience campaign would be staged at Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara (from Jan 5 to Jan 21), Queensbay Mall Penang and Plaza Angsana in Johor Bahru from Jan 8 to Jan 21.

The stage-by-stage build-up shows the model key selling propositions, namely its reinforced chassis, fuel-efficient integrated air fuel module technology, strong body structure for occupant safety and its spacious interior, it said

Proton also said that its team would demonstrate the car features at the three malls on selected dates.

The new sedan would also be boxed up and sent on a Road trip around the country, specifically to rural areas and townships. To view the car, Proton said Malaysians could peek in holes drilled into the boxes.

We believe many of our customers would be interested to see the car take shape before their eyes. For the peek campaign, we have had tremendous encouragement from the public who were curious when we did something similar for Persona, its managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamad Tahir said in a statement on Jan 4.

Instead of being stationary at selected venues, this boxed up sedan will be mobile, providing easier access to our consumers in smaller townships, enabling a wider reach in terms of creating awareness and interest in BLM, he added.

The 1.3-litre BLM, opened for booking since Jan 1, is priced between RM30,000 and RM40,000. It would be available in seven colours Zircon Green, Metallic Black, Solid White, Mountain Blue, Genetic Silver, Chilli Red and Granite Grey.

- The Edge Daily -

HangPC2 · Post time 5-1-2008 01:27 PM

Malaysian PROTagONist

(an interview with Thai Proton distributor, PNA)
-bangkokpost.com

ALFRED THA HLA

Proton aims to prove itself in the Thai market with its national car programme along with ultra-low pricing strategies. Quality, durability and value will be decided by the customer

Long before Thawatchai Jungsanguanpornsuk was born, his family-run business of peddling two-stroke motorcycles in Udon Thani had already been operating over half a century ago.

Today, the motorcycles are a reminder of the origins of the Phra Nakorn Automobile Group (PNA) which has ventured into the automobile business with an annual turnover of about B16 billion, according to Thawatchai.

Not a typo, punch in the calculator and it reads 16,000,000,000 - a result of selling a slew of makes such as Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Fiat, Isuzu, car rentals, the Bang Chan General Assembly - and most recently adding to its vehicle portfolio, the Proton brand.

Today Thawatchai, 41, sits as managing director of Phranakorn Auto Sales (PAS), an affiliate of PNA that handles Proton, part of Malaysia's national car programme which spawned from Mitsubishi DNA and stem-celled by Lotus technology.

Proton was introduced to the Thai market at last year's Motor Expo and has identified 20 principal dealers with integrated sales, service and spareparts operations to be completed within this year.

Proton's product line-up for the Thai market includes three hatchbacks: Savvy 1.2-litre (B399,000), Neo three-door 1.6-litre (B499,000) and Gen-2 five-door 1.6-litre (B549,000).

"We will definitely expand our Proton product line this year. Last year's 1,050 units in bookings at the Motor Expo surpassed our target of 800," he said, adding that Proton was currently developing E20 test procedures.

"We don't have the actual E20 fuel to test yet, but our Proton products are compatible with E10."

Sales target this year is set conservatively at 3,000 units despite sources claiming inventory as low as 10% due to a lack of aftersales network.

Asked to comment on possible image problems affiliated with build-quality and durability of Proton vehicles, he said:

"The quality has advanced when you look at our line-up. The design is good and compatible with mainstream competition. And engineering from Lotus in the cars' handling and interior has improved quality levels tremendously."

Proton has benefited from Lotus technology in the suspension and interior, which according to Thawatchai, is not a marketing gimmick. Lotus and Proton share the same Malaysian parent company.

And will the low prices compromise quality? Thawatchai stressed that the only reason Proton is enjoying ultra-low pricetags is due to the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) tax privilege.

"The price of Proton is low because of Afta which allows us to be 20-30% lower versus our retail competition."

The Proton Savvy is actually roughly the size of an Ecocar in the Thai market.

"Savvy has no competition. It's a new segment because right now we don't have 1.2-litre engines in the market. That will change in the future when the Ecocar project begins, but the Proton Savvy is the first."

Shifting gears to a more sensitive nature is a stigma that has dogged PNA on matters of after-sales complaints and not looking after customers in the past. Simply put, this "selling-only" attitude could affect progress made by PAS and the Proton brand.

"Let me put it this way. Our B100 million Chevrolet service centre is the largest of its kind and the biggest investment made by any Chevy dealer. We are constantly at the top of customer satisfaction appraisals when it deals with Honda and Isuzu brands. Our focus is on after-sales and our customers are usually satisfied with PNA."

And what about marketing, which could be termed as PNA's forte, judging from the steamy front page pictures in Thai language dailies of Caucasian female presenters for European marques in PNA's portfolio at previous motor shows?

"Each brand has its own unique marketing, its own character and different strategy. The Proton brand will rely heavily on Lotus technology which will portray it as a sporty brand with appealing design with affordable pricing."

The presence of Proton amidst the approval of the Ecocar project, fuel price hikes and a B-car production surge by Thailand's "Big Three" has not diminished the hopes of the Malaysian national car.

"The market, political situation and fuel prices, have some side effects. But Proton's fuel efficiency and low prices suits the situation in the medium term.

"We will launch two more products this year and another in the following year. They will branch out into two totally different segments."

Proton's 3,000-unit forecast for this year will expand to about 8,000 vehicles and 35 principal dealerships five years from now.

It's a conservative target, according to Thawatchai, but definitely a force to be reckoned with especially if you are a mainstream Japanese brand.

Price is attractive as it is plain to see, while the customer will be the litmus test of whether Proton can deliver on quality and aftersales.

Selamat datang!

HangPC2 · Post time 6-1-2008 05:44 PM

Post Last Edit by HangPC2 at 3-3-2010 19:41

BLM coming in bits and pieces

Sunday January 6, 2008

PETALING JAYA: The large crowd that turned up to view the much-anticipated, latest Proton model here yesterday, got the bare bones literally of what they came for.

Proton just put the car frame on display.

It is just a teaser, a promotion gimmick, said Proton Edar Sdn Bhd Kepong branch manager Chin Wui Meng, adding that the BLM (base line model) has so far received 1,804 bookings since Jan 1.

Although it has yet to be officially named, the people have confidence in the Proton brand name. The BLM would replace the Proton Saga and Iswara, he added.

Skeletal display: Prospective buyers looking at the car frame in a showroom in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya yesterday. Last week, the press was given an artist impression of only a small part of the car (below).

In its price range of RM31,500 to RM40,000 the BLM is the most affordable, comfortable, practical and stylish model produced by Proton, he said at the model's promotion at Mutiara Damansara here yesterday.

He said the promotion would be held in four phases with the chassis, body structure, interior and finally, the complete unit on display until the official launch in mid-January, either at the Dataran Merdeka or KLCC.

He added that the BLM was a local-based model along the lines of Gen-Two and Savvy, as compared with the Waja, which was the last of the Mitsubishi-based models.

Chin also said the new model introduces the Intake Air Fuel Module (IAFM), making it more powerful and fuel economical.

Another special feature of the BLM engine is its service interval at every 10,000km, unlike other cars at 5,000km.

Chin added that today, another part of the car would be unveiled at the promotion in Mutiara Damansara.

Lecturer Razali Ayub, who owns a Proton Savvy, said he was looking forward to testing the BLM after having learnt of its upgraded engine.

It could be of a better quality. Otherwise how could it provide a warranty of up to 100,000km or three plus two years ? he said.

Introducing only the car frame, however, has not failed to draw the inquiries.

The booking fee is RM500 and the waiting list ranges from two to four months.

- The Star -

HangPC2 · Post time 6-1-2008 05:50 PM

Post Last Edit by HangPC2 at 3-3-2010 19:43

Proton 'BLM' - what to expect

Motor Trader Feature

December 04, 2007 06:10 AM Author: Chips

In about six weeks from now, Proton is expected to launch a new model, its second brand new sedan in less than a year - a sign that the new management at least knows what the Malaysian buyers really want. Though criticised by certain quarters for having put Proton into the red, the fact remains that the new management came in and had to contend with many issues that were not of their doing, among them three new hatchbacks launched after the Waja which failed to make an impact on the market and sent Proton sales into a decline.

As anyone who understands the industry and is involved in product development will tell you, new products cannot appear in the showrooms overnight or even within a year; the period of development for a new model takes a few years, longer if the platform also has to be developed. Fortunately, there exist two modern platforms  the first which started with the Waja and variations of which have been used for the Gen2, Satria Neo and Persona, and the second one which the Savvy rides on. A third platform is said to be under development for use by the next generation of the Waja and a MPV, possibly for launch in 2009.

Having well-engineered platforms is extremely useful and with lessons learnt from its Lotus Engineering subsidiary, Proton has been able to exploit the original Waja platform (which had been adapted from the Mitsubishi Carisma/Volvo S40 platform). While Proton models get criticised for all sorts of quality issues, ride and handling are one of the vert few areas that get praise.

So having good platforms saves money and time, and Proton has been able to bring the Persona  the successor to the Wira - to market within an impressively short time, and soon will come the BLM which is intended to take over from the 22-year old Iswara. Going by the success of the Persona and the fact that its average monthly volume has been higher than the Iswara, it is a sign that it is, as Proton MD Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin likes to say, The right car for the right target market at the right price. Not bad for an engineer who does not lay claim to being a marketing genius. He is very optimistic that the BLM will achieve the same success and has described it as Proton Asean Car.

So what do we know about the BLM so far? Pre-production units are already running around on roads for final real-world testing and there are many pictures on the Net, including some pictures from the design studio which show very clear shots of the car. Strangely, Proton has not kicked up a fuss about those 'unauthorised' pictures, unlike years ago when its legal department aggressively pursued the matter of Gen2 pictures appearing before launch and even going to the Police Commercial Crimes Division to demand action be taken to arrest those who posted the pictures, not to mention putting a full-page advertisement in the papers threatening action against anyone who possesses pictures of prototypes. A bit silly when you think about it because how would you know it is really a prototype if Proton wont admit it? Presumably, the new management has a more rational view of such things and perhaps understands that rather than present itself as a Big bully, it can instead exploit the spy photos to generate more interest and anticipation by the public.

Back to the BLM, it is known that it sits on a variation of the Savvy platform which was developed in collaboration with a Korean outfit consisting of ex-Daewoo engineers. This same company was also responsible for the Savvy though that was never widely mentioned. It would have to be an extended platform to accommodate the boot and before anyone suggests (as has been said of the Persona) that the BLM is little more than  Savvy with a boot, it is not as simple as that. The structure is different and heavier so it has to be carefully studied to ensure that its behaviour in a crash will be good enough to protect the occupants. Weight distribution would also be different and this affects handling, which means the suspension has to be re-engineered.

Some sections will be shared with the Savvy, reducing production costs. For example, the critical door openings are maintained (as can be seen from pictures). Many items under the skin would also be shared and this is how money is saved as economies of scale are gained. Perhaps finally Proton has settled down to making use of similar parts for more models rather than having unique parts for each model when the volumes are not exceptionally large to justify such an approach.

One interesting thing is the engine bay which was said to be unable to accommodate a Campro engine in the Savvy because it was Too small. Yet for the BLM, it is known that an Enhanced version of the Campro 1.3 will be fitted. Whether this will have the CPS (Cam Profiling Switching) mechanism remains to be seen, or it may just have the Variable Intake Manifold (VIM) which would still improve torque to some extent. So its probably a wider car as well and this is quite possible because Proton did develop something referred to as a Variable platform (Honda used this concept in its Accord in the mid-1980s).

Modular assembly requires additional space alongside the lines for the large modules, something which the old plant doing the Iswara and Wira did not have, having been designed in the 1980s

The BLM will not be built at the Tg Malim plant but at the Shah Alam plant which has been refurbished to do modular assembly. This makes sense since the cessation of Wira production and soon, Iswara production, would mean that the plant is redundant as the Waja is assembled in a smaller plant adjacent to the main one and all other models come out of Tg Malim.

It was not possible to do the Waja in the old plant because it was conceived for modular assembly and this requires more space alongside the lines because the modules are large items. Processes also need to be different and given that the plant was originally laid out for manufacturing processes in the 1980s, it would be hard to change it immediately without disrupting production. Ending Wira production provided that opportunity for refurbishment.

The price is still a big question mark and there is speculation that it will be between RM30,000 and RM40,000. Some believe that Proton will even push it down to RM28,000 although that could well be a very basic version. It has already been onditioning the market to accept low-priced Lite versions which omit certain features but enable those on a tight budget to still buy the car.

So while there is disappointment and disbelief at the way the Proton-VW thing ended, perhaps the company will show the Malaysian public that, even without VW, it can deliver new products that are well designed and engineered and most importantly, products which are not intended for a small segment of buyers only.

http://www.motortrader.com.my