Upcoming Perodua's MPV Isn't Actually MPV?

Perodua will not be calling its new MPV and MPV it seems.

It is more like "a car that can be an MPV when you want it". Reminds us of the Grand Livina actually.

Perodua has certainly moved on as the new MPV has a target of 90% local content, PLUS the MPV has many unique parts to differentiate it from its donor model.

According to Datuk Syed Hafiz, Perodua managing director, Daihatsu and Toyota will come out with boring design. Perodua tries to spruce things up with its own design and in the case of the new MPV, Perodua has come out with a higher spec vehicle than the Daihatsu Luminas itself.

The front end has changed (we get projector headlights and even HID on the high spec version), the rear door is unique to Perodua alone and the hatch has also been redesigned to accomodate a new tail lamp. The offset bee sting antennae remains though (cool eh?).

The headlight is really interesting. It has that "kink" design, a bit like the 370Z headlight, but not as aggressive. Suffice to say, the headlight will draw attention.

The Instrument Panel for the Perodua is sportier, and also more "cost effective".

Those HVAC buttons on the Luminas have been replaced with the ones you can find in the Nautica or the Vios (just like Toyota Passo Sette as pictured below). The covered storage area just behind the driver's remain. Sadly, the stereo repeater buttons on the Luminas' steering wheel have not been transfered to the Perodua. There is a HUGE Bluetooth button on the left of the headunit (you can see both buttons sandwiching the headunit here).

The gated gear does not make it, and you get a standard straight-line affair like the Myvi's.

An interesting note. The passenger side air bag uses a seamless airbag design, which means the airbag is hidden beneath the dashboard. Using laser cutting technology, you can't even find the lines where the airbag is located. This is certainly good as some CBu cars (Swift for example) can't even do this.

Gauges are located at the centre, but I notice the hood for the meter panel is a bit too low. Then again, the engine was not switched on and so it might be visible once the Optitron meter is turned on.

The second row seat slides forward and tilt, just like the Grand Livina's. It does not tumble, but it slides forward to give enough space for a giant like me to climb into the third row area. Frankly speaking, it is easier to get to the back in this MPV than in the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

The third row seat fits me, like a glove. You can seat 2 adults there, but it will be a tight squeeze. The second row seat can sit three adults, but make sure they are of Yani's size, petite. If they are like me, they'll curse you to death.

There is no third row aircond vent, but I think you don't need one as it is only slightly longer than the Myvi. Boot space is acceptable, but if you want to use all three rows of seat and go balik kampung, get a Thule.

Another surprise is the price. Perodua wants to sell the basic model between RM56k to RM60k. The high spec ones will be between RM66k to RM70k.

Interesting.....and although this car is orginally designed by Japanese, there are parts which we designed to make it better and having 95% of local parts certainly earns it a Made in Malaysia tagline.

The engine is a 1.5L steel block DVVT DOHC 16V engine, the one that sits under the hood of the 1.5L Avanza. The Myvi replacement (out in 2011) will also be using this engine.

Let's wait for its launch in November.

source: cbt.com.my

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Second Driver for Proton in IRC

PROTON has expanded its IRC line-up to two cars for the Barum Czech Rally Zlin.

Double British champion Guy Wilks and co-driver Phil Pugh will be joined by Frenchman Bryan Bouffier and Xavier Panseri in a second Proton Satria Neo S2000.

Bouffier - third in Zlin in a Peugeot last year - was involved in the early development of the Proton.

Chris Mellors, boss of the Proton MEM Rally Team, said: "We know Bryan very well. He drove for us in Antibes last year and I am sure he will do a good job for us.

"We are a new team with a new car and the data we receive from Guy and Bryan is vital as we continue to develop the Proton."

The Barum Czech Rally Zlin - round 8 of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge - features a total of 25 Super 2000 drivers, including 11 Peugeot 207s and five Skoda Fabias.

The three-day tarmac rally starts on Friday with a three-lap 9.36km super special stage in Zlin.

source: guywilks.com

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Proton Exora Reviewed: The best MPV in Malaysia?

After many months of waiting and being teased by taped-up test mules. rumour mill and Proton's pre-launch ads, Malaysia finally got a sight of the Exora after the homegrown MPV was launched by PM Najib on 15 April.

Touted as the 'first wholly Malaysian-made MPV", the Exora took only 18 months to develop from design to production, a record for Proton.

For a competitive price of RM 70,000 - RM 76,000 (manual version available around RM60,000) you'll get seven seats for an MPV that's longer and wider than the Toyota Innova, Avanza and Nissan Grand Livina. It's powered by the 125bhp Campro CPS that already sees service in the Waja, Gen-2 and even the Satria Neo, paired with a gated shifter. Nevertheless, there is also a manual variant. Outputs match anything that rivals can muster with 125bhp but a closer look at the numbers show a power and torque curve that is very peaky.

While this isn't critical in a passenger car, however it can severely affect performance in an MPV especially when it's carrying a full load of passengers and luggage. The gearbox meanwhile is the four-speed automatic that you'll also find across the Proton range. Needs to remember that Proton hardly had a choice in the matter of finding the suitable engine for this MPV. Buying in an engine from a foreign partner would have added on a considrable cost and to make one will cost Proton a bomb.

Design is simple and quite pleasent to the eye. Although, you can see the "Grandis effect" on the design, this Exora is a car that you can say neither beautiful nor ugly. The dashboard is built properly (maybe Proton's first proper dashboard for a long time). The steering is nice as well as the easy-to-read speedo. But, there is complain which accuse the dashboard that isn't really match the modern look of the exterior.

As for seating layout combinations, the Exora does pretty well in this regard too, with six different seat folding configurations. Granted, with the rear seats up, there's little cargo space, but with the third row seats fully flat-folded and the second row stored forward the load-carrying space becomes very convincing. Ingress to the third row is by means of a single-lever seat-folding mechanism on the second row, and in use getting in and out is accomplished easily enough.

Standard equipment across m-line and h-line include ABS with EBD, immobiliser, Bluetooth and MP3 capable stereo with steering buttons, electric folding wing mirrors and LED tailamps. The H-Line adds on leather upholstery, an overhead DVD player with LCD monitor and SD/MMC/USB ports, sat-nav, cruise control and tited glass. On the outside, it is a recognisable lamp and a rear spoiler.

The Exora comes in six colours , Ginetic Silver, Tranquity Black, Haze Blue, Solid White, Gaia Blue and Pyrite Brown. The Gaia and the Pyrite are the newcomers for Proton range.

In a nutshell, the Exora really is a genuine MPV with an amazingly pleasing balance of space and efficiency. You will also find that the Exora is really a Proton's hard work in order to achieve success and dodge all the bad says towards Proton quality problem.

click here to view more photos of Proton Exora

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Sepang F1 GP to Get Earlier Race Time Next Year Avoiding the Rain

It has now been confirmed that in 2010, the Malaysian GP will instead begin at 4pm, even if Sepang International Circuit boss Razlan Razali said organisers would have preferred an even earlier new start time.

"Of course, it would have been even better if we stuck to the time we've always had," he told Singapore'sToday newspaper.

"We are not keen on a night race but we now have a good compromise and are happy it won't start later," he added.

In April of this year, the Sepang track event had to be curtailed shortly after half-distance with only half-points awarded, with torrential rain and fading light blighting the race that began at 5pm to better suit the European TV audience.

In the weeks prior to the race, fears that Malaysia's daily early evening rains would wash out the race had been widely discussed. The realization of those fears prompted the schedule change.

source:

f1-live.com

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8 Years old Proton Arena/Jumbuck Comes to An End Making Ways for the New Generation

Proton has announced that its current Jumbuck model will be phased out over the next few months ahead of the launch of an all new model Jumbuck.

Proton is in the process of developing a new model Jumbuck, targeted at the current market leaders which will take advantage of the latest technology in terms of safety, structural integrity and powertrain and will be a Proton-developed model, sharing a platform with an existing passenger car model.

John Startari, Proton Cars Australia Managing Director said the next generation Jumbuck will be a leap forward for the model, utilising new technology as it leaves the ageing 1990s Mirage platform.

“The current Jumbuck has been great but it is in the final phase of its life and a new model is well overdue, it has been a great ute but there will be a new generation model to replace it,” Mr Startari said.

The new Jumbuck/Arena will be based on an existing passenger car platform. It would make sense for Proton to base the new Jumbuck on the Exora’s platform and they’ve actually hinted at this during the Exora’s R&D showcase earlier this year. The rendering you see above was provided by Proton and shows what a new Jumbuck/Arena based on the Exora could look like.

The Exora’s platform was designed to be modular and flexible with even the option of changing the rear torsion beam into a multi-link setup for more versatility in tuning the suspension behaviour for passenger car usage.

While details of the new Proton Jumbuck are still yet to be announced the car will still be powered by a small economical four cylinder engine but will have the benefit of both a manual and an automatic transmission option.

Along with this there will be increased levels of safety including multiple SRS airbags, ABS anti lock brakes, Lotus tuned ride and handling and the latest crash protection technology in terms of progressive deformation crumple zones and integrated passenger cell design.

source:

paultan.org

autodeadline.com.au

themotorreport.com.au

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Proton Exora Should be on Thai Roads by Year End

National car maker Proton Holdings Bhd plans to launch the country's first multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the Exora, in Thailand before the end of this year.

Managing Director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin said the model was well received in Malaysia, since its launch on April 15, and was also enjoying roaring sales in Indonesia since its debut there in July.

"Insyaallah, this November or December, the Exora will be introduced in Thailand, thanks to buyers and the media which have been complementing Exora's good features," he told reporters after launching Proton's Merdeka celebration here today.

The programme, beginning tommorrow until September 15, would see various Proton models, including the first Proton Saga and the latest Exora taking part in a nationwide road convoy.

Syed Zainal said, todate, Proton received 18,000 bookings for the Exora while 10,000 of the MPVs were already registered in the domestic market.

In Indonesia, Proton received 1,200 bookings for the MPV, out of which 230 units have already been delivered.

He said Proton was targetting vehicle sales of 150,950 units for the financial year ending March 31, 2010, and planned to sell about 36,000 units of the Exora in the current financial year.

For the financial year ended March 31, 2009, the company sold 141,000 vehicles.

"We are now trying our best to increase production capacity to meet market demand and reduce the waiting list," Syed Zainal said, adding that the company's current monthly output of the Exora stood at 3,500 units.

The model was awarded the Malaysian Vehicle Assessment Programme certification by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), scoring four out of five stars for safety assessment.

Syed Zainal said the accreditation was expected to boost public confidence in Proton cars.

On the company's first quarter results, Syed Zainal said,"If you look at sales performance, obviously this is a very good number."

"We are in a much more solid and stable footing now. Given the current scenario in the global automotive industry where many companies are going through turbulent times, we, as a small company, are able to adapt and rebound very quickly," Syed Zainal said.

Proton is expected to announce, next week, its financial results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2009.

Meanwhile, Syed Zainal said Proton has, todate, issued almost 17,000 discount vouchers after the government introduced the auto scrapping scheme in the recent mini-Budget.

Under the scheme, owners can trade-in their cars, which are 10 years or older, for a RM5,000 discount when they purchase a new Proton or Perodua vehicle.

"This is a very good programme as we have seen its effectiveness in Germany, Italy and France. We hope the government would study the benefits of the programme and perhaps extend it in the future," he added.

click here to view more photos of Proton Exora

source: bernama.com

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Proton R3 Malaysia Team Officially Launced

Proton R3 Malaysia Rally Team was Wednesday unveiled to Proton advisor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, marking its comeback to the coveted FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship since its last participation in 2004.

The team will run one of those new Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 rally cars and it will be piloted by Karamjit Singh and Jagdev Singh as driver and navigator respectively.

Dr Mahathir, on seeing the Proton Neo Super 2000, said he was overwhelmed by the car, describing it as "excellent".

“It has been quite a while but we’re now ready to return to the rally motorsports arena. With the Neo S2000 and our long time associate Karamjit, we are sure that we will put up a strong challenge in this championship. What the car has achieved thus far while still in the developmental stage has been extraordinary,” said Proton chairman Dato Mohd Nadzmi.

Rallying has done wonders for Subaru and Mitsubishi in their brand building efforts and Proton is also using the rally scene as a platform to showcase their cars, namely the Satria Neo Super 2000. The Neo will race at the Rally of Malaysia this weekend, and will move on to Indonesia on the 3rd to 4th October and then the China Rally on the 14-15 November.

source:

paultan.org

bernama.com

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Merdeka Mellennium Endurance 2009 Report

The 2009 Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race lived up to its thrilling expectation of being the first MME with a smaller field of cars - 43 to be exact compared to the 70 over cars that previous editions of the MME used to feature. The introduction of the Sepang 1000KM race successfully increased the standards of the MME with regards to the cars and competition.

It was the Petronas Syntium Team that really stole the show. Starting the race from lower down the grid, both the car’s made their way up the field and by the third hour had a commanding lead

in the Class O category and had the overall lead as well.

Driving a BMW Z4, drivers Tatsuya Kataoka, Manabu Orido and Johan Adzmi snatched the first place from their team mates Nobuteru Taniguchi, Masataka Yanagida and Fariqe Hairuman in car number 28 when they (car 28) had a puncture with less than 20 minutes left on the clock dropping

to second place. “It was a real honor to be able to race with the two experienced Super GT drivers (Tatsuya and Manabu) as they thought me a lot through the race,” said Johan, the youngest on the podium that night. “Our strategy was to take it easy on the car and complete the race and tha

t’s what we did and it pulled through for us.”

The biggest upset fell upon the defending champions Team Porsche Club Singapore. Their car first stalled at the start and failed to start the formation lap, this resulted in the team losing their p

ole position and had to start the race from the pit lane as the last car. The team later stagged a brave fight up the pack and were in second place when disaster struck again in the form of a rear suspension failure which forced them to pit 45 minutes into the race. They later finished the race in third place with six laps down over the winning team. A rather remarkable comeback for the Singaporean team.

In Class A1, the Radical SR8 of Fugazi Racing lived up to the teams e

xpectations and proved to be reliable over the course of the 12-hou

r race only showing minor problems in the final 3

0minutes when Alex Yong came in for a driver change and a refuel. The car’s starter had a problem and this forced the team to pit in for about eight minutes for a new starte

r. The team completed a total of 284 laps with a best time of 2:11.151 and were one lap ahead of the second placed J’s Racing Labs Honda S2000. With drift king Keiichi Tsuchiya behind the wheel in the closing laps, the team were confident but chasing the Radical pr

oved to be a little too much to accomplish. The team ultimately finished the race with 277 laps and a best time of 2:27.263. A good 16 seconds down on the Radical’s best lap.

And finally in class A2 winner is team Type R racing headed by Wong Yew Choong, Soh Kee Koon and Lai Wee Sing finishing the race with 279 laps under their belt. “Thanks to my team for preparing the car, it was reliable throughout the race, we didn’t have to worry about that factor at all throghout the race, wong said. The race started with 46 cars, 15 in class O, 10 in class A1 and 19 in class A2. 17 cars did not finish the race with the last car completing only 140 laps in the 12 hour race.

For full results: click here

source: zerotohundred.com & malaysiagp.com.my

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MME: Pole Position for Team Porsche Club Singapore

Defending champion team Porsche Club Singapore is set to start the tenth edition of the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (MMER) tomorrow 8 August, on pole position, ahead of 43 cars.

“Good effort by the team, the car is fantastic,” said Darryl O’Young. “I can see the Mosler is going to be the biggest trouble for us this year but it’s a 12 hour race and the key to the car is its reliability.”

Second driver Craig George Baird says the team has been making small changes on the car throughout the three qualifying runs which last 30 minutes each.

“Tyre wear is the thing we are looking at right now and I have to add that this is my first time working with the team and I’m impressed with them,” Craig said.

Fastest qualifier in class A1 is Team Fugazi Racing in Radical driven by Alex Yoong, Faisal Zelman and Wira Dani starting on grid 11 even thought the car have been weighed down with weights to qualify it into class A1.

“The car is definitely different from the MSS Radical that I’m used to, the extra weight changes how the car handles and brake,” explained Wira.

Alex Yoong says that they have to be flexible in order to be able to get through the extreme conditions they will have to face while racing in MMER.

Third driver Faisal feels that he can adapt fast to not let the fact that he is still getting used to the open top race car.

“It’s so different from racing in the saloon cars that I raced with.

Not far behind is class A2 car on grid 17, team Honda Malaysia Racing Team piloted by Aaron Lim, Eddie Lew and Rueben Wong in a Civic type R.

“The car performed consistently good throughout practice and qualifying, last year was a bad year for us and I hope things are different this year,” said Aaron.

Rueben is enthuthiastic about the race and really looking forward to the race tomorrow.

44 cars will be fighting to be the winner in the tenth edition of the MMER tomorrow 15 cars in class O, 10 in class A1 and 19 in class A2.

Apart from the main race, race fans can also catch the Petronas Formula Experience, Classic car race and the Aston Martin Cup.

Off track attractions includes programs for the kids such as colouring contest ages 4 to 12, kids traditional dance competition, showtime with Fatin Nurafifah and quizzes with loads of prizes to be won.

For the fruit fanatics don’t miss this chance to sample some local fruits and there will also be food tasting booths at the Mall Area.

There will also be special vehicles on display such as the Petronas tanker, Fire Department and Police vehicles from the fast Mitsubishi EVO “Helang” and bikes.

To add more excitement 57 cars from four car clubs such as Lotus Car Club Malaysia and Waja Club will park their cars for display at the mall area.

Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race 2009 Starting Grid:

1. (11) WS Mok/DH O'Young/CG Baird

2. (69) T. Sugden/M. Choo/Jazeman J.

3. (50) F. Yu/R. Dean/A. Li

4. (33) Mokhzani M./S. Herverger/T.Hammam

5. (6) Dilantha M./NP Albon/J. Lee

6. (15) N. Taniguchi/M. Yanagida/Fariqe H.

7. (28) T. Kataoka/M. Orido/Johan A.

8. (55) TL Siu/YL Siu/K. Sawa

9. (37) M. Cini/D. Grant/P. Hill

10. (4) T. Coronel/T. Kinoshita/H. Haane

11. (9) A. Yoong/Faizal Z./Wira D.

12. (13) A. Kirkwood/Rizal R./Faizal H.

13. (2) Ashraf D./S. Lian/J. Mitchell

14. (1) M Helmi/Adam I./Fahmi I.

15. (77) PS Tan/R. Marsden/D. Bilski

16. (88) IR Geekie/YW Cheung/WK Luk

17. (27) E. Liew/A. Lim/R. Wong

18. (19) TP Chin/KK Lee/J. Zhin

19. (64) J. Umemoto/K. Tsuchiya/H. Kubota

20. (51) TJ Chin/E.Yeo/Firhat M.

21. (95) T. Ichishima/N. Hattori/ H. Yoshida

22. (32) M. Eddy/G. Johnson/D. Foire

23. (18) Erwin A./Erwan A./WH Tam

24. (21) YC Wong/KK Soh/WS Lai

25. (46) AH D'Silva/Melvinder S./Fahrizal H.

26. (16) I. Lee/Rhommell S./J Augustine

27. (22) W. Quek/S. Yamazaki/R. Wee

28. (45) Keifli O./Halim M./Zaid S.

29. (39) K. Masataka/S. Yamazaki/R. Wee

30. (99) F. Yee/Romie A./A. Bakar

31. (5) K. Hiranaka/H. Yoshimoto/K. Matshuura

32. (53) M. Ridzuan/M. Nazir/Khairul A.

33. (12) P. Ng/KH Khoo/ M. Chye

34. (73) A. Hakim/A. Nabil/Zakaria R.

35. (30) KB Oh/SC Low/L. Vorosmarthy

36. (66) M. Chua/J. Chua/R. Cheung

37. (7) . R Mardiah/M. Akid/WJ Tan

38. (23) KW Chong/K. Lee/KC Chua

39. (70) J. Chan/M. Arif/M. Syahrizal

40. (3) V. Leong/A. Heng/B. Bertrand

41. (65) HT Mak/ MH Lai/ KT Lau

42. (8) P. Ma/C. Jones/M. Lee

43. (44) M Konopka/F. Engstler/M. Kano

44. (38) D. Wall/B. Maer/D. Wall

source: malaysiangp.com.my

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