VIDEO (Proton Saga TV Commercial)

 

New (Proton MPV)

The Proton MPV is a Compact MPV produced by Malaysia car manufacturer Proton. It is another new model from Proton. The development of this MPV starts from zero and it will be the first Malaysian design MPV. The roof's rear section doesn't have a slope as most MPV nowadays have it to increase space for the third row. Proton may use Campro 1.6L engine to power up this MPV as the fuel consumption also is better than bigger one. Some spyshot from the internet shows that Proton did try their engines on other company's MPV[2].

Proton MPV Naming Contest
Proton announced a contest called the Proton MPV Naming Contest to find a name for the MPV. The contest closed on September 30, 2008

External links

http://paultan.org/archives/2008/12/02/spyshot-2009-proton-mpv-sheds-some-of-its-disguise/

First generation (SAGA)

Saga (1985–1991)

1. The Proton Saga was launched in September 1985 by Malaysia's then Prime Minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad. Before the production of Proton Saga, a contest was held to choose the name of the first national car, and the name Saga was chosen from the winner of the contest, Ismail Jaafar,^[1], a retired military soldier. When asked why he chose this particular name, he replied as "saga" (Abrus precatorius) is a type of soft, fragile but productive seed commonly found in Malaysia, and that the Proton Saga 1.3 litre engine "is as strong as the saga seed".

2. The first Proton Saga that rolled off the production line was presented to the Malaysian National Museum as a symbol of the beginning of the Malaysian automotive industry. Tun Dr. Mahathir also used a new Proton Saga to drive off the Penang Bridge to showcase its outstanding safety features and amphibious abilities during the opening ceremony of the bridge on 14 September 1985.

3. Early Saga models were powered by SOHC 8-valve 4-cylinder petrol engines sourced from Mitsubishi, available in both 1.3- and 1.5-litre displacements. Both engines were available with a 5-speed manual transmission, but a 3-speed Mitsubishi Tri-matic automatic was available with the 1.5-liter engine in 1987.

4. In 1990, the line-up was revised with the introduction of 12-valve Megavalve engines, which increased power ratings to 75 bhp (56 kW) (from the original 70.5 bhp (53 kW) in the former 8-valve (Magma) version^[2]) for the 1.3-litre engine, and 90 bhp (67 kW) for the 1.5-litre engine. On domestic models, the Saga also gained the "Megavalve" moniker. Minor exterior modifications included a new grill and wraparound black trim pieces. In addition, rear seat belts and a third brake light were fitted as standard.

Second generation (2008–present)

On January 18, 2008, Proton unveiled the successor to the 2007 Saga, which was planned to be phased out in June 2008. Retaining the Saga name, the new car is an indigenous design, essentially based on a stretched Proton Savvy platform. The new model is an in-house design developed in collaboration with Korea's LG CNS and Lotus Engineering. This model enables the Malaysian company play to its strength in the home market i.e. the three-box sedan. The Proton Saga is not planned for U.S. launch but will be sold throughout Southeast Asia, in China, India and Australia

1. As of February 2008, approximately 23,000 customer bookings had been made for the car since its launch and the corresponding waiting time for delivery during that same period stretched up to 5 months.^[6]

Specifications

1. The Saga comes in 3 different specifications with the choice of manual or auto transmissions starting from the base specced N model to the fully kitted M model. Aichi Kikai supplies the 5-speed manual while Mitsubishi the 4-speed automatic. The basic N model retails from RM31,500 to the RM39,800 high specced M model. The new Saga would be the cheapest Proton once the RM26,999 original is retired. Proton dubs the new Saga as "The People's Car".

Engine and Performance

1. The new Saga is powered by the same 1.3-litre Campro engine (which was co-designed with Lotus) that is fitted to entry-level Gen-2s. The engine is rated at 94 hp (70 kW/95 PS) at 6,000 rpm and 120 N·m (89 lb·ft) at 4,000 rpm . However, it has a new Integrated Air-Fuel Module (IAFM) which varies the airflow into the engine to improve efficiency, smoothening out the problematic dip in the torque curve in the lower and middle rev ranges. Its output matches that of a 1.3-litre in the Satria Neo. Power delivery characteristics in both cars are remarkably different. The torque could be felt after 2,500 rpm and all the way to 4,000 rpm. The car feels peppy to drive and acceleration to highway speeds is good. The 5-speed manual from Aichi Kikai is not geared towards the ultimate refinement at cruising speeds, but it does offer a good spread of torque everywhere, not to mention good overtaking power anywhere from 80-120 km/h. Suspension setup consists of MacPherson struts and a stabilizer bar up front with a torsion beam in the rear. Its Lotus designed torsion beam suspension enables it to turn in sharply, hold its stance well through corners, understeering to a sizeable extent. Fuel economy is very good, ranging from approximately 6 L/100 km (47 mpg_-imp/39 mpg_-US) for the manual transmission to 6.2 L/100 km (46 mpg_-imp/38 mpg_-US) .^[7] for the auto and is considerably less when traveling at 80 km/h (50 mph) in fifth. Top speed is around 160 km/h (99 mph) and 0-100 km/h time is about 13 seconds. The electrical system has also been updated with coil-on-plugs instead of the traditional ignition cable system, eliminating power loss. Drive-by wire throttle however is not available.

Awards

1. Since the official launch of the second generation Proton Saga in January 2008, the car has won 3 major automobile awards. Autocar Asean, the Malaysian edition of the longest running car magazine in history has awarded the new Saga "Winner of the Small Sedan/ Hatchback Category" for 2008. Shortly after that, the car was voted as the "Best People's Car" at the Asian Auto - VCA Auto Industry Award 2008^[8]. In November the same year, the new Saga won yet another major Malaysian automobile accolade when it was declared the "Winner of the Entry Level Car Category" under the New Straits Times/ Maybank Car of the Year Awards for 2008.^[9]

References

• http://blog.autoworld.com.my/index.php/tag/proton-saga/
• New Proton Saga: Test Drive

Proton Malaysia

Older Proton logos used for domestic models were based on the blue canton of the Malaysian flag and its contents, including the enclosed Islamic crescent and Federal star.

1. Proton is the Malaysian national automobile manufacturer (Malay acronym for PeRusahaan OTOmobil Nasional, 'National Automobile Enterprise'), which was established in 1983 under the direction of the former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Proton Holdings Berhad, the holding company, is listed on the Bursa Malaysia.
2. Based on technology and parts from Mitsubishi Motors, production of the first model, the Proton Saga began in September 1985 at its first manufacturing plant in Shah Alam, Selangor. Initially the components of the car were entirely manufactured by Mitsubishi but slowly local parts were being used as technologies were transferred and skills were gained. The 100,000th Proton Saga was produced in January 1989.[1]
3. Until the end of the 1990s, the car's logo featured the crest from Malaysia's coat of arms, featuring a crescent and a fourteen-pointed star. The new Proton logo features a stylized tiger head. In 1993, a model called Proton Wira was introduced based on the Mitsubishi Lancer/Colt. More than 220,000 units were sold between 1996 and 1998.[2] Proton Perdana, based on the Mitsubishi Galant/Eterna, was first produced in 1995, intended for higher end market. The Proton Waja (Proton Impian in UK), which launched early 2001, is the first car model designed internally by Proton.