Technician Is First Recipient In My PROTON Makeover Programme

SUBANG JAYA – PROTON Holdings Berhad revealed today, the first recipient of its “My PROTON Makeover” programme, targeted at rewarding PROTON car owners who have loyally supported the brand over the years. Fadly Hisham Roplay, 33, will have his 1992 Proton Saga completely reworked by the R3 unit of PROTON Motorsports Division.

“Fadly’s story about how his Proton Saga has impacted his life was quite an inspiration to us all,” said PROTON Group Managing Director, Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir who launched the “My PROTON Makeover” contest at the announcement of PROTON’s “Committed to be Better” programme in July. The contest is part of PROTON’s programme to acknowledge and reward faithful customers of PROTON who have fervently supported the national car maker over the last 26 years. “My PROTON Makeover” requires entrants to submit their story involving themselves and their PROTON car. PROTON will then identify the best stories or most heart-warming and reward five other winners with a complete car makeover. Entries for the contest will close on 28 December 2011.

“When we kicked off this initiative, Fadly’s name came up as a model example. The story of him and his Proton Saga was lighthearted and entertaining. But more importantly, it was really heartwarming to hear about much he loves his car and the memories that his family and him share with the car. For this, we truly felt that he and his car deserved a big ‘Thank You’ and reward,” Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal said.

Purchasing his Proton Saga in 1999 from its original owner in Kuala Lumpur, Fadly, a technician with an international electronics manufacturer, drove it back immediately to his home town, where upon arriving at the Sultan Azlan Syah bridge in Perak, shouted out “Welcome to Kuala Kangsar!” to the car, as described by his mother who was travelling with him.

“He has such an attachment to the car that only he can describe best,” said his mother, Puan Hamiah Abdullah. “He once brought us down to shop in KL, and had his car towed by the traffic police as it was parked illegally. After frantically rushing to the impound and paying the fine, he ran over and hugged the car! We couldn’t help but watch and laugh!” she added.

When asked, Fadly expressed great sentiments of the car. “One of my most memorable moments, or rather nightmare involving the car was when I drove my mother over to my girlfriend’s house for her to convey the proposal of marriage to my girlfriend’s parents. I was sitting in this car, outside the house, trembling!” he recalled. His car has played a major facet in his personal story, being the vehicle used on his first date with his then girlfriend, who has since become his wife and mother to his two children.

“This car and I have shared many stories together. We have been the brunt of jokes by my family and friends. My father-in-law has even offered to pay the down payment for a new car, but I politely declined,” said Fadly. “It is a bit of a relationship, where my car keeps me going and I also keep her going,” he laughed after revealing that thousands of ringgits have been well spent over the years to keep the car as road-worthy as possible and for the regular service maintenance.

Fadly’s 19 year-old Proton Saga will now be in the R3 workshop for four weeks, for a full rework, from top to bottom, front to back and inside out. Speaking on behalf of the R3 unit of PROTON Motorsports Division, Head of Engineering, Tengku Djan Ley bin Tengku Mahaleel said that the department is very excited about the project. “It’s not often that we are given freerein to do up a car like this. Considering the background of the situation, we’re really looking forward to giving the car an outstanding makeover as a gift for Fadly.” 

The fully reworked Proton Saga will be unveiled in September.

“My PROTON Makeover” is part of PROTON’s “Commitment to be Better” programme. For more information, visit www.protonVIP.com.

PROTON Offers Customers A ‘Money Can’t Buy’ Experience With The Transporter Contest

SUBANG JAYA - There are some things in life that money just can’t buy, and now, PROTON is offering its customers an exciting experience through The Transporter contest, which will see the Grand Prize winner “transporting” three of Malaysia’s hottest celebrities all the way to Singapore to enjoy the exhilarating 2011 Formula One Singapore Night Race together with them.

Launched last week, the contest will run till 24th August 2011, and the winner of this online competition will win an exciting 4 day/3 night all-expense-paid trip to watch the Formula One race in Singapore on 25th September 2011. As an added bonus, the winner will be tasked to accompany Malaysian celebrities Yasmin Hani, Jojo Struys and Diana Danielle.

Entering the contest is easy. Lucky customers who purchase a new Proton car or service their existing Proton vehicles during the contest period will be eligible to participate in the online contest by logging on to the contest website at www.protontransporter.com. All customers need to do is to fill in their details at the website and complete a slogan on why they should be The Transporter. The customer who fulfils the contest criteria, and produces the most creative slogan will be chosen as The Transporter.

Ten consolation prize winners will also win themselves exclusive Lotus-Renault Grand Prix merchandise and a pair of tickets to watch the 2011 Formula One Singapore Night Race.

The contest signifies PROTON’s collaboration with the Lotus Renault Grand Prix (LRGP) team which is competing in the current season of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Iconic sports car manufacturer Lotus, which is wholly-owned by PROTON, is the title sponsor of the team. The contest is also a part of PROTON’s many customer hospitality programmes planned during the Formula One season in support of Group Lotus.

“Through this campaign, we hope to support Group Lotus in its sponsorship and involvement in Formula One, and at the same time our priority is to provide our customers with a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of the F1 fever, something which money just can’t buy. It’s also our way of thanking our customers for their support and loyalty towards PROTON.” said PROTON Holdings Berhad Group Managing Director Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

LRGP is currently fifth in the Constructor Standings of the 2011 Formula One season.

Interested parties can log on now to www.protontransporter.com for the chance to witness the exciting 2011 Formula One Singapore Night Race while being in the company of celebrities!

Best Selling SAGA Now Even Better - New Proton SAGA FLX 1.3L To Provide Greater Fuel Efficiency With CVT

SUBANG JAYA  – PROTON Holdings Berhad launched the new Proton Saga FLX 1.3L today; a new model enhancement to its Proton Saga model, which provides consumers with greater savings on fuel consumption and smoother drive with the use of Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) technology.

The Proton Saga is the best selling model in Malaysia from January to June 2011, contributing towards making PROTON the overall market leader in Malaysia in the first half of 2011. Since its introduction, the new generation Proton Saga has been well received by the public, winning Frost & Sullivan’s Best Model of the Year 2009, Best Passenger Car of the Year 2010 and recently, Best People’s Car Award – the main award at the Asian Auto – Auto Industry Awards 2011. The car boasts an outstanding sales record, with over 250,000 units registered and over 300,000 units booked since its launch in January 2008 until June 2011.

Now, with the new Saga FLX 1.3L, the best selling model got even better. Following PROTON’s earlier announcement in June declaring the successful development and integration of the CVT technology with its CamPro engine, the automatic variant of the new Saga FLX 1.3L utilizes the CVT, as opposed to the conventional Automatic Transmission (AT) gear. 

“The new Proton Saga FLX is the product of PROTON’s continued commitment towards providing better performing cars to our consumers. This is yet another milestone in our quest to continuously improve our range of products to cater to the needs of today’s market,” said Dato' Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, Group Managing Director of PROTON Holdings Berhad.

“Because of the lighter built of the engine, along with the ‘stepless’ gear transition that the CVT provides, the Saga FLX delivers a fuel consumption drop of four percent in an urban driving environment, with consumption dropping up to 10 percent when driven on highways,” said Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal. He added that this transmission change improves the drivability and responsiveness of the car without compromising its power.

“The utilisation of CVT technology has a far reaching impact to the consumer. Other than the fuel saving, the smoothness and reliability that CVT provides allows the engine to run at an optimum level, thus resulting in less engine fatigue and improving its long term durability.”

The Proton Saga FLX 1.3L Executive variant comes with a list of added features, notably driver and passenger air-bags along with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD).

“It is PROTON’s intention to provide not only an affordable car to consumers, but also one that possess the technological advancements and safety features that our customers will appreciate,” Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal expressed. “We are committed to providing our consumers with better driving satisfaction and safety confidence.”

The Proton Saga FLX is available in a new colour - Elegant Brown, in addition to the existing options of Tranquility Black, Genetic Silver, Solid White and Blue Rock. It is priced between RM 38,598 and RM 44,998 and is now available for bookings and can be viewed at all Proton showrooms nationwide. 

For further information, customers can visit, www.proton.com

MONTHLY PERFORMANCE OF THE PROTON SAGA - 2010/2011

COMPARISON BETWEEN CVT AND STANDARD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Proton R3 Satria Neo – short test drive impressions

We are back from a short test drive session of the Proton R3 Satria Neo, which happened at Proton’s testing ground in Shah Alam. Unlike the RM115k limited edition Lotus Racing Satria Neo (back when Proton and 1MRT were still on friendly terms), this version is much more accessible at RM79,797 but will still provide enthusiastic drivers with plenty of smiles.

To keep the price down, the R3 Neo doesn’t include the Lotus Racing Neo’s headline Ohlins suspension and AP Racing brakes, which were inspired by the real Lotus cars. The modded Campro CPS engine is the same. As we found out, the changes don’t detract from the fun factor and performance of the LR Neo, which makes it the better buy. There are even some improvements thrown in.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

This R3 Neo isn’t an afterthought or a development of the Lotus Racing Neo, although that limited edition came out first. On the contrary, development of this car started three months before the LR Neo was launched, which translates to early 2010, explains Tengku Djan, head of R3. After that, the idea of a Lotus Racing Neo came along, and R3 had to rush that car out within 6-7 weeks.

So we are actually looking at the final fruit of R3′s tweaking of the Satria Neo. In a nutshell, the R3 Neo is powered by the exact same engine as the LR Neo, which is the Campro CPS unit upgraded to make 145 hp at 7,000 rpm and 168 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. The stock engine makes 125 hp and 150 Nm. No Ohlins coilovers and mega AP brakes here; this car comes with R3 specified suspension and stoppers.

The S4PH powerplant has been given a host of upgrades to reach this state. Reprofiled camshafts that increase valve lift and overlap helps breathing, aided by a K&N filter in a carbon air box. Lightweight adjustable camshaft pulleys reduce inertia and enable fine tuning of valve timing.

To match all these is an R3 ECU calibrated with revised fuel maps and a focus on performance. There’s also a 4-2-1 R3 exhaust system similar in design to that found in the LR Neo, except that it’s in full stainless steel and without ceramic coating. Mated to the engine is a close ratio five-speed manual gearbox – there’s no auto option. 0-100 km/h is done in 9.2 seconds, top speed is 205 km/h.

For the suspension, R3 ordered a few settings from the OE manufacturer before finally deciding on this set. The springs are shorter and their rates firmer than the standard Neo CPS. As for what they were looking to achieve for the handling, drift master Tengku Djan said that R3 wanted to “bring back a bit of the old GTI feel”, referring to the old body Satria GTI and Satria R3. Ride height is 10 mm lower than the Neo CPS.

Brakes wise, the R3 Neo uses performance pads that have an operating temperature of up to 400 degrees C and increased fade resistance over the standard car. The calipers are stock.

The Satria Neo is already one of the most sporty three-door hatchback designs around, and the R3 Neo takes it a step further. Only available in “Fire Red” with a black roof and bronze accents, it looks fantastic in the sunlight. Not sure about you, but I never really liked the LR’s green and yellow theme – this looks much better in my opinion. Also nice are those six-spoke 16-inch R3 alloys in gunmetal.

Unlike the LR edition, the R3 Neo uses the standard Neo CPS bodywork, with additions such as a front splitter (reduces undercarriage turbulence and increases downforce, according to R3) and a new design spoiler, which is more subtle than the standard car’s and improves aerodynamics. There are R3 logos on the sides of the wing. The rear bumper is stock, although the trademark central exhaust tip is different.

I stepped in the car expecting the typical Neo reception of zero headroom (I’m not that tall at 175 cm, but we’re required to wear helmets when driving at Proton’s oval) and looking through the top quarter of the windscreen, but was pleasantly surprised to find that there was room to spare.

I was then told that the seats are new – the rails are in the same place, but the seat base goes deeper now to free up some much needed headroom. You’ll also notice that the seat backs are more shapely compared to the old chairs – there’s added thigh, hip and shoulder support here.

The steering wheel is wrapped in “Trivel Fibre”, which is an Alcantara type material, and has a red centre marker, just like in Renault Sport cars. The panels around the audio buttons have the carbon fibre look. There are lots of panels in red to match the exterior and like in the LR Neo, the gear knob is a chromed ball. The aluminium pedals are identical as well.

We weren’t given much time behind the wheel, but enough for a good impression. Flex your right foot and the louder exhaust note is immediately noticeable. The R3 Neo pulls away cleanly and smoothly, without being bogged down by any holes and trenches in the torque delivery. But it’s not particularly strong below 4,000 rpm, which is the point the high lift cam profile comes into play.

As expected, from here, the engine gains a second wind as it charges towards redline, which is 7,500 rpm in the R3 Neo (cut off at 7,800), although the unchanged meter panel will show that you’re already swimming deep in the red sea. Once in the zone, the tacho needle gains urgency that’s previously unseen, and there’s no slowing down because the Variable Intake Manifold (VIM) changes to the short runner at 5,500 rpm.

The R3 Neo, like the standard car, is meant to be revved all out for enjoyment, and with the short ratio gearbox, it’s extremely effortless to get there – it’s time for the next gear before you know it. The sound is more towards boomy than VTEC screamy, but it’s fun nevertheless.

We also tried out the R3 Neo over a section of crests and dips to check out the primary ride, which it passed with admirable composure. Rolling over thin metal strips saw the Neo cushion away the impact instead of reacting with a bounce or shimmy. We’ll never know how it feels like on a poorly surfaced B-road with these examples, but I’m betting it’ll cope well.

Doing the slaloms at 70 km/h revealed a slightly different character from our limited Lotus Racing Neo experience (never got to drive it on public roads). While the green car gave hints that it likes to dance around the cones, rear end edging out a little, the R3 Neo felt less active at the back. More like a normal road car, in other words, albeit a grippy one that corners very flat. Turn in is sharp, and steering feel is good. Can’t wait to drive it on the road.

We did some braking tests as well, and while this car doesn’t have the stupendous stopping power of the LR Neo’s AP Racing brakes, it’s more than good enough, and there wasn’t any fade although I wasn’t the first to do the test. The LR edition is probably the most over braked car in the world, so we’re just reverting to the real world – no big loss.

The R3 Satria Neo serves up good looks and good vibes for the enthusiast driver. It’s quite good value too – 80k for 145 hp can’t be found elsewhere (correct us if we’re wrong, new cars only) – and has new features that the wider market appreciates such as a push start button and a 2-DIN touch screen ICE system with GPS.

It’s not perfect though – just as I was getting tempted, the Neo’s long and heavy free swinging door slammed on my hips upon exit, not for the first time.