Rejuvenating an old car - repairs on a Proton Wira 1.3 M

Different people buy cars for various reasons - for many a car is an extension of their self image - representing their lifestyle. Almost everyone I talk to has a dream car - one they aspire to even if they cannot afford it. However, there are also a lot of people for whom a car is just a machine useful to get from point A to point B. My dad happens to be one of them. He has been driving the same Proton Wira 1.3 manual transmission hatchback for more than 8 years now and asked him whether he wanted to update to a new car. He was not really keen.

He calls luxury cars, houses on wheels because with the price of some of the cars, you can actually buy a house.

He is really fond of the car and I am not surprised. The car has only done 127,800 Kms and recently had timing belt in the engine changes. He proudly mentioned that the car has not broken down even once and starts up immediately.

However, I was sure that the aging car was bound to have some problems and this was confirmed when I recently had it serviced at the local Proton Edar service centre near my house (SENAXIS Sdn Bhd). One of the tyres needed to be changed immediately as it was nearly bald. They also pointed out that several parts need to be replaced and even suggested that it be better to actually buy a new car. However, my dad was not having any of it - his reasoning was that the estimated total cost of the repairs was about RM1000 but to buy a new car would cost at least RM45000 for the Proton Persona 1.6 M version. This was because he does not want a small car and does not like the look of the Saga. I guess he does have certain preferences.

Anyway we decided to go ahead with the repairs and overall a total of 27 parts were replaced (big and small) and the overall damage came to RM1642.80 including tyre allignment (RM40), labour (RM250) and 6% tax (RM15).

The major parts included:

1. Insulator assys x2 = RM188.24
2. Rubber bump x 2 = RM151.56
3. Link control assy LH and RH = RM127.53 x 2
4. Shock absorbers assy RR, RH and LH = RM102.12 x2
5. Strut FR suspension LH and RH = RM185.07 x 2 (the costliest parts).

Other minor parts included rubber bumps, pads, tyre nuts, bushing coils, rubber stabilizers.

I know that official car service centres are more expensive but I choose to go there because I wanted genuine parts.

Do you think we could have got them cheaper elsewhere?

Anyway, I think we have extended the life of the old car for a few more years.

Proton Surprima S Standard launched

Proton Holdings Bhd today unveiled the Suprima S Standard model and made it more affordable with prices starting at RM69,438 for solid colour and RM69,888 for metallic painted cars. That's nearly RM7000 cheaper than the executive version which cost RM76,760.05 (Metalic) and RM76,410.05 (Solid) respectively.

However, in making this car more affordable, a number of safety features present in the Executive variant have been removed. The new car model has only 2 air bags - the side and curtain airbags have been removed. It also loses the TC (Traction Control), ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and hill hold features.

I wonder whether their ad may be misleading as removal of all these safety features may result in different NCAP ratings. Fortunately ABS With EBD is still present. The touch screen and GPS are gone as well and the steering wheel does not have paddle shifters or radio controls.

The headlights are no longers LEDs but the normal bulbs and you would have to adjust the side mirrors manually. Sometimes I am amazed when I remember that these features were standard on my old Volvo S40 which was more than 10 years old.

What message is Proton trying to tell its customers?

This will definitely not improve the perception that most consumers have about the national car brand.

Don't get me wrong. I have been a long time supporter of Proton and I even did my MBA dissertation on the national car. They have come a long way but is still in no position to compete with other brands if the Government policies were removed.

The new car is still not which I call "affordable" cheap and we recently bought the Proton Preve Premium version with all the features - all the bells and whistles - at almost the same price. With the cars getting cheaper and the variety of choices in the market, I forsee Proton coming up with a number of promotions to try and get rid of unsold stock in the near future.

The engine is still the same CamPro 1.6 Turbo engine with 7-speed ProTronic CVT. The car runs on 16" alloy wheels fitted with 205/55 tyres.

This new variant is available in five colours: Tranquility Black, Solid White, Genetic Silver, Atlantic Blue and Fire Red.

Buying a car with a budget of only RM65000 ++ in Malaysia

I was thankful that once we came back to Malaysia, a lot of people have been helping us out, especially our parents. Initially, we used my mother-in-law's old Proton Wira and later on was my dad's old Wira, which I am still using. Since both my wife and I are working and not at the same place, we needed to have two cars as I could not send and pick here up from her office. We start looking around for cars here and we decided to live within our means and set out a budget of RM 65000 for the new car. My wife also had one condition - that the car must be automatic as she was still recovering from her leg fracture. We also did not want a small Perodua car and we came up with a list of cars (in the so called popular B-segment) which we could buy with our limited budget, namely:

1. Honda City (starting at RM75800)
2. Toyota Vios (starting at RM73213)
3. Nissan Almera (starting at RM66827)and
4. Proton Preve (Starting RM61471)

Looking at the list, we realised that we could only afford the Proton and if we wanted a better car, we would have to increase our budget.
After driving a Volvo S40 in the UK for several years, we were not really looking forward to driving a Proton. However, the more research I did about the Proton Preve, the more impressed I was with the model. We went to see it at the Proton showroom near our house in Taman Megah, PJ and we decided that the Proton Preve Premium version was what we wanted. However, it was still beyond our budget at around RM72K (approx. £13650).

We were very fortunate because Proton suddenly announced a Merdeka/ Hari Raya discount of 5% across their complete range of models. This suddenly brought the Proton Preve Premium version within our range at around RM68,000 (solid colours) and really great value as it has loads of features not present in the basic Honda, Toyota and Nissan models. This includes a Turbo engine, touch screen with built-in sat-nav, 6 air bags, push button start, automatic lights and wipers, etc.. The offer also included 3 years free service and range of gifts including free in-car wifi hub with access for a year, free SmartTAG, full tank fuel, etc.

So that's the story in brief about how my wife ended up with a Proton Preve 1.6 CFE CVT Premium car powered by the Campro CFE 1561cc turbo engine with 7 speed ProTronic transmission and mounted on great looking 17" alloy wheels with 215/45 R17 tyres.

Watch out for a more detailed review of the car later.

(updated 22 October 2014).

The Proton Iriz - pictures

Had the chance to try out the new Proton Iriz a few days after it was launched. There were three variants at the showroom at  Taman Megah, PJ, near my house in Malaysia.

Quite impressed - Proton has indeed come a long way.

The green one is the manual variant.












There was an automatic white car outside (for test drive). Loved the sound of the exhaust. They have tuned it to sound like a much more powerful sports car.







The grey one is the premium variant with six air bags, rear cameras, touch screen GPS, turbo engine and loads of other extras.

The second generation Proton Perdana

The second generation Proton Perdana was unveiled last year and is only available exclusively to Malaysian Government officials. The car is available in 2.0 and 2.4 litre models and according to reports, is based on the 8th generation Honda Accord.

Saw one a few days back in PJ and it really looks nice.

Stuck at traffic lights when I took this picture.

2014 Proton Perdana Front Three Quarter CC BY-SA 3.0
Paul Tan paultan.org's contribution to Wikimedia

Proton Iriz Active concept car

Proton has come out with a concept called the Iriz Active. It was unveiled on the 28th of this month by Chairman Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Alami Proton.

Supposed to be a crossover model.

Launch of the Proton's compact car - Proton Iriz in Malaysia

Malaysian car company is launching their new compact car the Proton Iriz today. Blogger Paul Tan is streaming the launch live.

Even before the launch of the car, it has received five-star rating in Adult Occupant Protection and four-star rating in Child Occupant Protection by the New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries (Asean NCAP).

The car will come in 3 Trim lines and 8 variants and in 7 colours.

Prices of the car (on-the-road) will be between RM42,438 and RM62,888.

Wanted - a small car for city driving in Malaysia

Wanted a small, affordable second car for city driving in Malaysia.
The maximum budget is RM 40K (approx £7298).

If I had that budget here in the UK, I would probably go for a second hand car and would have several options.

However, in Malaysia there are only 2 options available, namely the Perodua ViVA (Yes! That is how the name is written) with prices starting from RM 24,936.45 (for the ViVA 660 BX - Manual, solid white colour) and the Proton Saga with prices from RM 33,426 (for the Saga SV Manual, solid white colour). The SV stands for Super Value.

Dimension wise, the Perodua ViVA (3575 x 1475 x 1530) is slightly smaller but taller than the Proton Saga (4278 x 1680 x 1520).

Looking at the websites of the two Malaysian car companies, I am quite impressed with the information provided from engine specs in detail to the various accessories available.

Though there is nearly RM 8000 difference in prices between the two cars, the Viva seems quite underpowered even for a city car with an engine displacement of only 659 cc. If I choose the ViVA 850 - Manual (847cc), prices goes up to RM 32,756.45.

I am not too concerned about the maximum speed but I am definitely interested in the fuel efficiency.

The Perodua website does not tell us anything about the fuel efficiency, other than mentioning that the cars have been equipped with "Dynamic Variable Valve Timing (DVVT), Double Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) and Electronic Fuel Injection  (EFI)".

The Proton Saga has a CamPro IAFM, 4-cylinder, DOHC 16V 1332cc engine and according to their website, the fuel consumption at @ 90km/h (approx. 56m/h) is 5.7 litres.

So if you had RM 40000 to spend on a car, I would definitely recommend the Proton Saga.

Proton UK to release newer models

Looks like Proton, the Malaysian car manufacturer is set to release 3 new models in the UK after a long gap.

No information about the price or when they would be released but their homepage shows the Preve sedan and Exora compact MPV models, saying "New products coming soon".

Via Paul Tan.

The new Proton Preve

The Proton Preve was launched today in Malaysia by the Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. There are 3 different variants of this sedan, namely, the Executive, Executive CVT and Premium with prices ranging from RM59,540 (approx. £12,222) for the MT Executive solid colour) to RM72,990 (approx. £14,984) for the premium (metallic colour version) The 1.6 CVT Premium version has a turbocharged 1.6 L CamPro engine which takes the car from 0-100 km/h time of 9.6 seconds and a maximum top speed of 190 km/h. I was a bit curious about the name as it sounds like Perv (not a good meaning) but later on found out that it means 'to prove'. Watch the official ad.

Future of Lotus uncertain after takeover of Proton

DRB-Hicom Bhd's recent takeover of Malaysian car maker, Proton Holdings Bhd. has resulted in an uncertain future for Lotus Group International Ltd.

Khazanah Nasional Bhd. which is the Malaysian Government’s investment arm, sold its 42.7% stake in Proton to DRB-Hicom for RM1.29 billion ($414 million). An additional 7.7 percent stake was bought in the open market which gave DRB-Hicom a majority stake in the company.

Proton bought Lotus Group International Ltd in 1996 but the subsidiary has yet to make a profit. News reports indicate that sales have collapsed in the UK.

The rumours that the new owners of Proton might sale off the company have hit morale at the British HQ though Dato’ Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, head of DRB-Hicom, has dismissed these rumours. Read the full report here.

Proton Satria Neo Rally Car in Japan

Malaysian car maker PROTON and Japanese Manufacturer Carrosser Co. Ltd. (CUSCO) has formed a partnership to sell the Proton Satria Neo Group N rally car in the Japanese domestic market.

The pictures here are from a Shakedown event last month at the Maruwa Autoland Nasu in Togichi.

Five Japanese professional drivers, from various racing backgrounds, were invited to test drive the cars (Group N Rally car, Neo Standard and the Neo Concept car) and share their experience with the media present.

The cars were put through the paces and covered over 250km on gravel roads in 2 days without any mechanical issues. Overall the Neo was rated as having very good handling and balance when driven at high speed, by the experts.

At the same event, the Neo raced a Mazda 2 rally car and the Proton car beat the Mazda, clocking in a time of 1 min and 19 seconds, ahead of the Mazda by 6 seconds over a 1km stage.

PROTON and CUSCO will be participating in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship 2011 under the Junior Trophy category. The category will be introduced for the first time this year in the APRC, to increase opportunities for young talented drivers within the Asia Pacific region.

Sorry about the low resolution pics. Will try to get some higher resolution pics later.

2 Lotus F1 teams

Latest press release from Lotus.

Group Lotus plc and Genii Capital are joining hands and we will soon see the Renault F1 Team renamed as ‘Lotus Renault GP’ from the start of the 2011 racing season onwards.

Group Lotus plc will acquire a major equity stake in the team from Genii Capital. Genii, an investment holding company with a portfolio of automotive technologies, bring non-F1™ technologies such as lightweight braking systems, variable compression engine technology and on board software systems to the partnership. In addition to this, Genii is also offering Proton the ability to leverage on its existing business relationships in Russia and other parts of the world, as a means to expand Proton's global reach. Through Genii, Proton can also potentially access advanced automotive technologies by virtue of Genii’s association with Mangrove, a venture capital group.

However, I wonder where that leaves Team Lotus (also powered by Renault) led by AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.

Some quotes:

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar:

"I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1™. We’re well aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1™ and I’m delighted to be able to formally clarify our position: We are Lotus, and we are back.”

Dato' Sri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, Chairman of Proton, Lotus majority shareholder:

"We know that Group Lotus has much to offer Formula 1™ and vice versa. After careful consideration, we believe this arrangement will be fruitful, both from a commercial and marketing point of view."

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Proton advisor and former Prime Minister of Malaysia:

"This is an exciting development which delivers strategic benefits to both Group Lotus and Proton. I fully support the partnership."

Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault:

“This multi-partner alliance will bring a new dynamic to the team and enable it to compete with the sport’s best from next season.”

Gerard Lopez, founding partner of Genii Capital:

“For Group Lotus, access to Formula 1™ opens up new marketing opportunities and a major platform for business exchanges and development. In this regard, Genii Capital possesses shareholdings in, and direct access to, cutting edge companies in the automotive industry. Our tie-up with Group Lotus and Proton, which will enable its future road car ranges to take advantage of significant new technologies, is a natural step.”

Lotus inspired Proton car

Proton, the Malaysian car company recently launched the Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing edition. Meant to commemorate the Lotus Formula One racing team, the car wears the traditional Lotus green and yellow racing colours.

The car is powered by a retuned version of Proton's 1.6-litre CamPro CPS engine. Special features include the R3 Tuned Öhlins Coil-Overs Dampers and Öhlins DFV (Dual Flow Valve) technology. This 5 speed manual car has a maximum power of 145bhp at 7000 rpm and can go from 0-100Km/hour in 9.2 seconds.

The car is currently available at RM115,000 which is approximately around £23K. So far, there is no news of it being exported to the UK.

Dr. Mahathir talks about Proton

Dr.Mahathir bin Mohamad is the former Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is an advisor to Proton, the Malaysian car company which was also his brainchild.

Anyway, he recently wrote about Proton's progress in his blog and how he was surprised that the Lotus racing team was able to get their car ready in such a short time. They just debuted this season.

In case you were not aware, Lotus is owned by Proton and Lotus Racing is run by 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn. Bhd., a partnership between Government of Malaysia (through Proton) and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs. The Team’s principal is Tony Fernandes , CEO of Malaysian budget airline Air Asia.

The Proton Exora

Malaysian car maker, Proton has launched their MPV - the Exora. It is Malaysia’s first locally produced MPV.

It was launched on Wednesday by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The 7-seater is powered by Proton's own 1.6 Campro CPS engine linked to a 4 speed automatic transmission.

The MPV has a top speed of 165 km/h (103 mph) and is available in six colours - pyrite brown, gaia blue, genetic silver, tranquillity black, blue haze and solid white.

Prices start at RM69998 going up to RM75998 for the higher end models. Proton had accepted bookings since Feb 21 and it was reported that more than 2500 orders have been received.

Proton GEN-2 ecoLogic

Proton Cars UK has announced the launch of the GEN-2 ecoLogic range (Yes! That's how they write the name). Available in a hatchback or saloon version, the ecoLogic models are priced 10,995 and £10,795 respectively.The dual fuel models are able to run on either petrol or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

This is not something new for Proton in the UK as the Humberside Police have been running LPG-converted Proton vehicles for over 10 years.



The Proton ecoLogic GEN-2 has a 1.6 litre engine and is available in a sporty hatchback or saloon version, priced at £10,995(OTR) and £10,795 (OTR) respectively.

Both cars come with reverse sensors, air conditioning with pollen filter, electric front and rear windows, automatic central locking and alloy wheels. All customers can get a black leather interior on the GEN-2 ecoLogic hatchback absolutely free for a limited time only. This will be optional in the future and customers would have to pay £100 extra for it.

Since I didn't hear anything about this in the news, thought I should spread the news around. Read their press release here: Half price motoring with the new dual fuel ecoLogic.

Nobody has heard of Proton

I was quite surprised to find out that among all my PhD friends here at the Warwick Business School, there's only one guy who has heard about Proton, Malaysia's national car company.

A friend who's quite knowledgeable about cars told me that at one time there were a number of Proton cars on UK streets - mainly the Proton Persona (the Proton Wira). We do see some of them around in Coventry but I have never seen any of the newer models including the Gen 2, Savvy, Satria Neo or even the Impian. From my friends' reactions when I tell them about the company and the fact that it owns Lotus, Proton cars UK is obviously not doing a good job with it's marketing. From what I learnt from my sources in Proton, they want to concentrate on the domestic market which is what they should have been doing. I guess that strategy comes at a price. I am not sure about other foreign markets but when it comes to branding, Proton has a lot of work to do in the UK.

Proton recalls Savvy

Malaysian car manufacturer Proton is recalling its Savvy cars to address a possible wheel bearing problem.



According to the Proton press release: "This recall is purely a precautionary measure as the convenience and safety of its customers is PROTON's highest priority."

The company is encouraging customers to contact the nearest Proton Edar or EON service branch for an appointment to have their cars inspected. Not sure whether this recall affects cars in the UK.

Following the recall, Proton Holdings Bhd. shares were trading lower on the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) down 2 sen at 3.84 ringgit ($1.20).

Proton MPV spy shots

Received yet another set of spy shots said to be of an MPV under development by Proton, the Malaysian national car company.





The amount of spy shots coming out the company makes me wonder whether this is actually part of a clever advertising campaign to create buzz about the company. Either that or they are really sloppy with their security.

UPDATE:
Paul Tan alerted me to the fact that the pictures are fake. They are of the Mazda 8 MPV, with the Proton badge photoshopped on it.