| Dimensions & Weight | 1.3 GHS | 1.3 ZHS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission | 5MT | 4AT | |
| Overall length / width / height (mm) | 3760 / 1665 / 1550 | ||
| Interior length / width / height (mm) | 1835 / 1400 / 1270 | ||
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2440 | ||
| Track front / rear (mm) | 1455 / 1465 | ||
| Minimum road clearance (mm) | 160 | ||
| Kerb weight (kg) | 945 | 960 | |
| Seating capacity | 5 | ||
| Min. turning radius (m) | 4.7 | ||
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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".
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 drove a new Proton Saga with a flag across the Penang Bridge during the opening ceremony of the bridge on 14 September 1985.
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.
The Saga was originally offered as a 4-door saloon, followed by the addition of a hatchback variant, introduced in 1988 as the Proton Knight and was later know as Saga Aeroback. The Proton Knight was designed for the European market as the hatchback was more popular in United Kingdom.
In 1989, Proton sold the Saga in the United Kingdom with the slogan Japanese Technology, Malaysian Style. Since then, United Kingdom contributes most of Proton's export sales. The Saga name was not used and it was simply known as the Proton 1.3 or 1.5. The UK models reverted to the dashboard used in the Mitsubishi Lancer, complete with HVAC controls not found in the domestic model.
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.
PSA Peugeot Citroen may soon be adding a little Malaysian flavor to its French automotive cuisine. A company spokesperson has verified that the firs are in talks regarding a larger-scale joint venture.
The splendiferously-named Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohd Tahir, Proton's managing director admitted in a news conference that plans for some kind of alignment are fairly far along, but no details were provided about what sort of technology or vehicles may be shared.
PSA is no stranger to the joint-venture scene, as it already has arrangements with Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford.
[Sources: Business Times; CitySBP.ru]
This sporty Viva Elite would be well received by young professionals and young families seeking to project a different image. Viva was one of Perodua’s best selling models with 155,000 units sold since it was launched in May 2007.
77,000 cars sold by Perodua in the first half year, 53% comprised the Myvi and 43% Viva. Not yet found any promotion yet, like Merdeka promtotion. The 1-litre Viva Elite comes in three variants – the Elite (MT), Elite (AT) and the Elite EZi. Prices start at RM37,900 for the Elite (MT), RM40,900 for the Elite (AT) and RM44,900 for the Elite EZi.
As expected Perodua to sell more cars in the second half year in view of the coming festivities, lower interest rates and support from the finance companies. Perodua had been increasing its production from June to cater to the upcoming launch of its new multi-purpose MPV vehicle in November.
The Toyota Prius is now here in Malaysia, retailing for RM175,000 OTR inclusive of insurance for private registration. Might be too much for most of us to stomach considering this is supposed to include the rebate that the government is giving on hybrid cars, the same rebate that ensures the Camry Hybrid won’t be sold here in the near future as long as the policies stay the same as it is only for hybrids with engine displacements of under 2.0 liters. The Langkawi and Labuan prices are rather interesting though - its only RM127,408.45 and RM128,046.55 respectively for individual private registration. As previously indicated we are getting the model without the solar panel, and we are getting the 15 inch wheels instead of the 17 inch wheels. The construction of the 15 inch wheels are interesting - it’s an alloy wheel but it has an additional plastic cover on top to help with aerodynamics. No GPS navi or colour screen on the interior but there is a heads-up display function. Other equipment includes 7 airbags, ABS, EBD, traction control, stability control (VSC), Hill-Start Assist, brake assist, keyless entry and start, and an 8-speaker audio system.
For those who want to check out the Prius in better detail, there is a cut-body model showcased in the UMW Toyota Subang showroom until the 9th of August 2009, after of which it will be moved to Cheras from 10 to 16 and Penang from 18 to to the 31st. This model is said to be one of only two cutaway Prius models in the world - which basically means the Prius is cut to show you the inner components of the THS HSD system.
UMW targets to sell 100 units this year which is probably just about all the allocation they managed to get as there is a bottleneck in the Prius supply globally. For those who want to learn more about the new third generation Prius, you may read the related links below:
While the Proton Saga EV Green Propulsion Concept stole the lime light in University Putra Malaysia for the “Proton Exora - The Making” seminar, the national car maker also took to the opportunity to showcase the Proton Exora Prestige Turbo Prototype.
It is basically the Proton Exora Prestige Concept which was first previewed at the Exora’s official launch event, but now fitted with a prototype turbo powerplant.
The turbo engine based on the 1.6 liter CamPro powerplant was built in-house, without the input of Lotus. Which means, the engine mostly features aftermarket parts to turn it from a normally aspirated motor to a turbocharged one. It’s useful to test the durability and reliability of a Campro block when force inducted.
The production turbocharged powerplant for the Exora is being co-developed with Lotus, and sources reveal that powertrain engineers will soon leave for the UK to intensify the development.
The powerplant featured in the Prestige Concept shown above is said to produce up to 270 horsepower, and with a torque figure that is rated at about 350Nm. (UPDATE: Now that I think about it, this quoted figure seems a little over the top. While no doubt it is possible especially if you strengthen the engine enough, it is not practical for production use so the production car will not likely be tuned to such extents as there is a high possibility for lots of turbo lag and the 4-speed Mitsubishi automatic transmission must be struggling with the torque.)
A source revealed that the turbocharged Proton Exora MPV could most probably hit the market by between end 2010 to mid 2011. Honestly for me despite many customers eagerly waiting for a more powerful Exora, later is better as it means more time for testing, and a turbocharged production engine is something very new for Proton.
It wipe out one major issue that the current Exora has, which is a lack of go. The 1.6 liter Campro CPS that is currently being offered with the Exora produces 125 horsepower and 150Nm of torque. Proton also revealed that the Exora Prestige Concept is being sold to selected VIPs that have placed orders for the extra-luxury variant.
The production turbocharged variant will very likely offer less than the 270 hp and 350Nm performance figures mentioned above, but even if it ends up producing anywhere in the region of 170 horses and 240Nm of torque, that would be a big leap already as it would be equivalent to a normally aspirated 2.4 liter engine, but with peak torque coming in at a much lower RPM.
“We want to focus on selling cars within the Asean region and we are trying to compress the introduction period of our vehicles in these markets,” he said at the 17th Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta recently.
Syed Zainal said it used to take up to two years to introduce new cars into other countries. The Exora, which was launched on April 15, made its debut in Indonesia and Singapore last week and the week before respectively.
Proton plans to launch the MPV in Thailand by December. Plans to introduce the Exora in the Philippines and Vietnam were currently on hold because the two countries were not part of Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme, said Syed ZainalSyed Zainal said Proton may introduce the Exora in China and Iran next year.
To date, the national car maker has a presence in 24 markets, including New Zealand, Australia, Egypt, China, Iran and Britain.
Syed Zainal said Proton was studying the possibility of introducing the MPV in Britain.
“Britain has strict regulations. Exora meets the Euro 4 standard but Europe is already implementing Euro 5,” he said. The standard defines the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of vehicles.
“We need to improve on the Exora if we want to penetrate the British market, which is also contracting. We are still studying the viability of penetrating the market.”
In Indonesia, the MPV segment makes up about 60% of the total automotive market. Proton has been present in the country since March 2007 and has been selling six models since, including the Saga, Savvy, GEN.2 and Waja.
Given that Proton’s earlier models could only tap about 40% of Indonesia’s total automotive market, Syed Zainal is optimistic that the Exora would offer more growth opportunities to the national carmaker.
Proton currently commands a 3.4% share of the Indonesian automotive market. Syed Zainal said the company had not set a target market share.
“We want to be focused on having sustainable growth. I think that is more important. When you are obsessed with targets you tend to lose sight of what you want to achieve in the long term.
“To grow steadily, we must continue to expand our network, improve our product and branding initiatives. So far, we have made improvements, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said
