Proton R3 Suprima S Launched To Attack MSS 2014

Proton is preparing for the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) 2014 with the introduction of its new Proton R3 Suprima S. The new addition to Team Proton R3 is set to help them defend their title as MSS Champions, after having won the competition for the past three consecutive years.

The new Proton R3 Suprima S is powered by an R3 Campro CPS 1.6-litre 16-valve engine paired with a close ratio F41 five-speed manual transmission; delivering 178hp at 7,500rpm and 224Nm of torque from 4,000rpm. As a track-specific vehicle, the R3 Suprima S gets a lightweight body that’s reinforced with a six-point roll cage. In addition to that, the R3 is fitted with 15-inch wheels with Hankook Ventus semi-slick rubbers, R3 custom brake cooling ducts, and aerodynamic enhancements which include an R3 front splitter and side skirts.

The Proton R3 Suprima S will debut at the MSS Championship alongside the refreshed Proton R3 Satria Neo and Proton R3 Prevé race cars. The MSS 2014 season will begin on March 28th and finish at the Sepang 100KM Race at the end of the year

Thrilled by the PROTON Sales Carnival’s successful visit to Terengganu, where the R3 Suprima S was launched, Dato’ Lukman Ibrahim Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROTON commented “We are truly heartened by the growing support shown so far, exemplified by the increasing number of visitors to each carnival and the number of bookings we have been able to secure.”

“The Melaka carnival saw an 83.6% increase in bookings from the first carnival with 727 bookings made in three days, from 396 in Shah Alam, while the Penang carnival also saw a 21% increase in bookings with 879 cars being booked, making it a total of 2002 bookings from the three carnivals,” he added. The PROTON Sales Carnival will be moving on to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from 21st to 23rd of February, 2014.

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Perodua introduces RM1,000 rebate

Perodua has introduced a special sales scheme for the disabled as part of its corporate responsibility initiative. The scheme will see the carmaker offer a RM1,000 rebate to assist the less fortunate. The rebate will be applicable for all models, and on top of any ongoing promotion.

“This means if we are running a promotion featuring a RM2,000 discount, a disabled person is entitled to an additional RM1,000 rebate on top of what is being offered. Those wishing to apply are encouraged to visit any of our 182 Perodua sales outlets nationwide,” said Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh, Perodua president and CEO.

To be eligible, customers need to fill up the necessary documents (available at any Perodua showroom) before submitting them to the Ministry of Finance and Royal Malaysian Customs Department for approval. Perodua sales advisors will be on hand to assist the form filling procedure. The scheme runs from now till December 31, 2014.

On another note, Perodua will launch a new model in the second half of this year. With its exterior designed in-house by P2, the new model will be built at the new Perodua Global Manufacturing plant located next to its existing Sg Choh facility. Perodua introduced the Alza facelift in January

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Nissan Almera Nismo Performance Package

The Nismo Performance Package consists of a bodykit (RM3,600), a set of 16-inch alloy wheels (RM2,800) shod with 205/50 ContiMaxContact MC5 tyres (RM1,600), an exhaust claimed to reduce back pressure (RM2,000) and a series of suspension upgrades (RM3,000).

You can buy the parts separately, the Aero Package only – bodykit, wheels, tyres – at RM8,000, or the whole kit-and-caboodle (Performance Package) at an eye-watering RM13,000. There is no saving to be had in choosing either package, so you might as well just pick out the parts that you want individually.

For what it’s worth, though, it does at least look pretty enticing. The bodykit starts with a jutting front apron, under which sits a large splitter finished in metallic grey with a red pinstripe. This grey and red theme goes around the car, through the fatter side skirts and the large rear diffuser design. Topping it all off is a sizeable grey lip spoiler on the boot lid.

Unlike full-on Nismo cars like the Juke, these parts have been added on, rather than becoming an integral part of the design. Even so, it works well, sharpening up the Almera’s slightly pudgy looks without adding even more visual heft, a pit which other bodykits for B-segment sedans fall into.

Enhancing the look even further are the gunmetal grey 16-inch alloy wheels, which feature a diamond cut finish on the lip and the tops of the spokes. But the real head-turner effect can only be achieved with the suspension kit, which drops the car by a full, juicy 30 mm. One caveat, though – at this ride height, the car will end up scraping its enormous front splitter over larger speed bumps and steep parking ramps, so it pays to be extremely careful.

This particular unit has also been kitted up with additional Nismo accessories, such as the carbon-fibre wing mirror covers, bucket seats, an Alcantara and leather trimmed steering wheel and Nismo-badged front mats and kick plates. The interior upgrades in particular really liven up what was decidedly a cheap-feeling, albeit very spacious and intuitive cabin

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Perodua GMA Space previews new Viva interior

Perodua’s focal display at KLIMS13 may be the Global Model Sedan (GMS) Buddyz concept, a design study exploring the potential of going down the four-door sedan path, but there are equally interesting items on show at the automaker’s stand at the event.

The GMA Space (Global Model A Segment Space) looks unassuming enough, being a doorless shell showcasing an interior package presented in a monotone scheme. Don’t let the approach fool you though, because this one essentially previews the Viva replacement model‘s interior.

The company touts the study’s form as one providing ample luggage and cabin room, and based on sight alone, the volumetric scope looks much improved over that in the Viva. The dashboard line flow is kind of intriguing too – think Daihatsu Ayla and you’ll see some familiar elements and design cues.

So, does this mean that the VRM will be based on the Ayla (and Toyota Agya) and not the Mira e:S? The scope of the concept’s cabin seems to suggest so. We’ve seen what an approximation of what the VRM will look like if it’s indeed the Ayla that provides the donor design – Theophilus Chin rendered the VRM last month, using the Agya as the basis.

The successor to the Viva is set to be launched in the late third quarter of 2014, and will feature an aluminium engine. It’ll be built at Perodua’s new factory, which is located adjacent to its existing plant in Sungai Choh, north of Rawang. The facility is scheduled to become operational next October.

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Perodua Myvi 1.5 F.E.M. special edition

Myvi F.E.M

Perodua revealed a special edition Perodua Myvi 1.5 F.E.M. this evening at Publika, KL. The acronym stands for Female Empowerment Movement, a ‘girls-only club’ that offers rewards and privileges for lady owners/drivers of Perodua cars. Member benefits include a birthday gift, invitations to workshops and trips plus special discounts.

Only 60 units of the Myvi F.E.M. will be made available, 20 each month from now till February 2014. The car can only be purchased by F.E.M. members on a first-come-first-serve basis, which means that to be eligible, one has to be a woman aged 18 and above, plus an owner or driver of a Perodua car.

Based on the Myvi 1.5 SE, the Myvi F.E.M adds on RM4,000 worth of features at no extra cost to the ladies, which means it’s priced at RM56,027 OTR with insurance.

The F.E.M. comes with black leather seat covers (with red stitching and F.E.M. logo on the front seats) and door cards, leather-wrapped steering, a multimedia system with navigation and reverse camera, solar security film, unique F.E.M. carpet mats and a red container.

The latter goes well with the red accents on the steering wheel (bottom part and 10-2 position) and centre console, which is not too dissimilar to the Sport line treatment in BMWs. We figure that there will be some guys who fancy the red-trimmed cabin of the F.E.M. but dudes, you will have to go through your wife/sister/girlfriend first!

The Myvi F.E.M. is only available in (solid) Ivory White, with floral-themed stickers on the rear wheel area and the bonnet. The driver side door has another sticker with F.E.M.’s tagline – Love, Believe, Transform, Hear Me Roar. Elsewhere, the tailgate has a F.E.M. emblem. All are stickers, so ladies, if they’re not to your 

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Perodua Alza facelift officially revealed

Perodua New Pacelift

Yes, we showed you the car unwrapped yesterday, but today is the day of the Perodua Alza facelift’s official launch, and here are the full details, specs and pricing from the event at 1 Utama.

The compact three-row MPV’s proven mechanicals are unchanged, so under the hood is the familiar 3SZ-VE 1.5 litre engine with DVVT. With 104 PS and 136 Nm of torque, the 16-valve DOHC unit is paired to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic.

The Alza has been around for over four years (launched back in November 2009, 167k sold to date) so a fresh face is welcome. The MPV looks more like the current Myvi now, with a more sculptured front bumper, a thicker grille and a reshaped lower air intake. The headlamp cluster loses the orange-coloured “eyebrow” signal lamps above the main projectors.

At the back, the tailgate gets a black-painted strip adjoining the glass. The Perodua and Alza emblems sit on this strip. It’s a small change that delivers quite a big visual difference. The bumper gets vertical reflectors at the edges, following the style of the original Myvi SE. The Alza gets an SE variant for the first time and it wears a five-piece bodykit for a sportier look.

Safety-wise, the four-star ASEAN NCAP car is equipped with dual-airbags across the board, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, and ISOFIX mounts (second row) for child seats. The front brakes are ventilated discs while the rear brakes are drums.

Inside, changes include a black interior in place of the previous two-tone black/grey combo, a new instrument cluster design and a for the Advanced Version, a multimedia system with navigation and reverse camera functions, plus a roof-mounted monitor. You’ll also find a storage compartment under the new front armrest for the automatic variants. The third-row seats can now be split-folded.

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Perodua to launch “new model” second half

Perodua is set to launch a “new model” during the second half of this year, company CEO and president Datuk Aminar Rashid has revealed. He said that the model is a completely new model, and does not replace any existing Perodua vehicle in the current line-up.

At a Chinese New Year lunch with members of the media today, Aminar said that the “new model” will be built at the new Perodua Global Manufacturing plant located next to the existing Sungai Choh, Rawang facility, while its gearbox would come from the E-AT plant at the Sendayan Industrial Park, Negeri Sembilan.

“The new plant (at Sungai Choh) that we are currently constructing is physically (building and structure) almost 90% ready,” Aminar said, adding that he hopes the plant will be ready by the middle of the year. “We are also building a new test track, which is an extension of our existing test track, at a cost of around RM65 million,” he said.

The exterior of this “new model” will be designed in-house by Perodua – the design of the upper body is being worked on at present, Aminar said, adding that the new plant is focusing on QCD (Quality, Cost and Delivery) and this also involves the entire supply chain, including vendors and dealers.

The P2 head also confirmed that Perodua’s first sedan model, previewed by the Buddyz concept car at KLIMS13, will not be coming out this year.

Aminar added that the recently-launched Perodua Alza facelift has garnered around 8,000 orders as of last week. What has surprised Perodua is that higher-spec variants are more in demand, and the company is tailoring its production schedules to meet this demand.

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Proton looking at exports to drive profits

Proton is targeting to boost exports in a bid to stem falling profits due to dwindling local sales, the Business Times reported yesterday.

Despite the recent launches of two highly-anticipated models – the Prevé and the Suprima S – and the Saga SV and Persona SV value-added range, the company sold 138,753 units locally last year, down from the 141,120 the year before. Its share of the Malaysian passenger car market has also declined from 25.6% in 2012 to 24.1%.

Speaking to reporters at the opening of Lotus’ first 4S centre in Beijing, Proton executive chairman Tan Sri Mohd Khamil Jamil claimed that this was caused by stiffer competition from foreign carmakers but also public perception.

“Many urbanites are buying Proton cars as they believe in the product and technology. But still, there are people who say our cars are expensive as they are locally-produced. It is quite impossible to lower car prices with the rising costs of doing business,” said Khamil.

Khamil also hit out at the Malaysian buying public, saying that he does not understand why they are not supporting their own products. “Look at the Japanese and how they are supporting their carmakers. Another example is South Korea, which supports local players like Samsung and Daewoo.”

Squeezed out of their breadwinning local market, Khamil said the company is looking to cut costs wherever it can – including the standardising of car spare parts – which would improve its economies of scale, enabling itself to price its cars more competitively.

“Our profits are shrinking with rising costs. For the new Saga SV 1.3, the nett profit is below RM500 and it is shocking,” he added.

On the problem of public perception, Khamil said that the company must produce more value-for-money cars, adding more safety features. “Our latest technology focuses on passenger safety, such as the drop-down engine upon impact from an accident. This lowers the chances of fatality.”

“We have high-level engineers and designers working on Proton cars. Today, we hear fewer complaints about Proton cars.”

Proton is also eyeing its overseas markets to expand, an area which had been rather neglected in past years – while the company is exporting cars to 25 countries worldwide, sales in foreign markets are still below five percent.

In particular, the company is reportedly focusing on its key markets – the United Kingdom, Australia and Egypt. Australia has already received the Suprima S, Prevé and Exora, and plans to introduce new cars to the UK have been in place for some time.

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