PROTON PREVE SAPPHIRE

Facts You Need To Know About Proton Preve Sapphire

noreply@blogger.com (Chung Kian Loon) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 04:53:00 +0000

The Proton Prevé is a four-door compact saloon developed by Malaysian automobile manufacturer Proton. It was launched on 16 April 2012 and is based on Proton's next generation P2 platform. The Prevé is the saloon complement to its sister car, the Proton Suprima S hatchback, and is also the successor to the Proton Persona and Proton Gen-2.

The Prevé is claimed to be Proton's first global car, evident in the name Prevé itself, which means to prove or proof.

Proton started out in 1985 as a manufacturer of badge engineered Mitsubishi vehicles. Proton cars managed to sell in great numbers because they benefited from the superior engineering and reliability of the Mitsubishi cars they were based on, among other reasons. However, with the dawn of the 21st century, Proton moved forward with the introduction of indigenously-designed models such as the Proton Waja and Proton Gen-2. Unfortunately, these next-generation Protons were universally criticized for being poorly engineered vehicles. Consequently, Proton's Malaysian market share declined significantly in the early 2000s, hitting a seven-year low in 2007. In response, development of the Proton Prevé (code named P3-21A) was initiated in 2009 under the leadership of the then Managing Director of Proton, Syed Zainal Abidin. Former BMW Vice President of Quality Management R&D, Dr. Wolfgang Karl Epple was also appointed that same year as Proton's Director of Quality. He was later promoted to Senior Director Group Operations, where he contributed to the development of the P3-21A project.

The Proton Tuah, a concept car designed by Italdesign Giugiaro was exhibited at the 2010 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS). It previewed the various design elements and features in the upcoming Proton P3-21A. Development of the P3-21A was completed a year later and production took place at Proton's Tanjung Malim plant. The company claimed 94% of the car's parts were locally sourced in an effort to reduce capital outflow. The official name Proton Prevé was only revealed days before its launch.

The Proton Prevé was finally unveiled on 16 April 2012 at Seri Kembangan by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak. It launched with a choice of six colours and three trim variants, the Executive MT, Executive CVT and Premium CVT respectively. Both Executive trim variants are powered by Proton's 1.6L CamPro IAFM+ engine. The Executive MT is paired with a five-speed manual gearbox whereas the Executive CVT is equipped with a six-speed CVT. The Premium trim is offered with the superior 1.6L turbocharged CamPro CFE engine, mated to a seven-speed CVT, also known as ProTronic, Proton's version of a manumatic transmission. Safety-wise, the Executive variants are equipped with dual SRS airbags and an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) whereas the Premium trim features an additional two airbags, Brake Assist (BA), Traction Control (TCS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on top of those offered in the Executive. The Premium variant is also equipped with exclusive kit such as steering-mounted paddle shifters, automatic headlights and wipers, cruise control, climate control, a built-in touchscreen GPS head unit with Bluetooth, USB& iPod connectivity as well as push-start engine ignition. All Proton Prevés are equipped with a Smart Information Display system (SiD) that displays information such as average fuel consumption, battery health and distance to empty. Another standard feature is in-car WiFi, made possible by a collaboration between Proton and Malaysian ISP, Yes 4G. The Prevé is priced between RM 59,540 and RM 72,990 respectively. It received over 11,000 bookings within two months of its official launch and became the 7th best-selling car in Malaysia for the month of May 2012, topping all rivals in its category.

The Proton Prevé Sapphire Concept was also exhibited at the launch ceremony. It was developed by Proton Design in an effort to demonstrate the Prevé's market and technical potential. It features a unique matte gun-metal paint job in addition to custom front and rear bumpers which are complemented by chrome plated highlights, side skirts and 18-inch alloy rims. The interior sports beige coloured panels and leather upholstery for added luxury appeal, and the ride height and brakes of the car were also revised. 3 months later, Proton announced the Proton Prevé R3 Concept at the Malaysian leg of the 2012 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship season. It was fitted with a new RM 3,000 body kit styled by Proton's Race, Rally, Research (R3) division as well as optional R3 rims and performance tyres. On 8 October 2012, Proton revealed the Prevé R3 racing car. It is powered by the 107 hp CamPro IAFM+ engine and features extensive exterior and interior modifications. It later competed in the 2012 Sepang 1000 km endurance race in December that year, where it placed second after R3's Proton Satria Neo and ahead of Type R Racing Team’s Toyota Corolla Altis.

The Prevé made its debut in Australia on 18 October 2012 at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show. Only the CamPro IAFM+ variants were made available at the Australian launch, with the turbocharged CamPro CFE model scheduled for an October 2013 launch instead. The Prevé was introduced in the Thai market during the Thailand International Motor Expo on 28 November 2012. It has been tuned to run on E20 fuel and an improved Blaupunkt 2-DIN touchscreen head unit is offered in the Thai-spec Premium trim variant. In addition, a new budget-oriented Standard trim line was introduced in that market, priced significantly lower than the Executive and Premium trim variants. Brunei became the third export market to receive the Prevé on 7 February 2013, where it is made available in three variants. The Prevé was also met with a less publicized launch inSingapore during the first quarter of 2013, where it is offered in two trim lines. On 13 June 2013, Indonesia became the fourth official export market for the Prevé, where it is currently available in just one high-end variant.

The Proton Prevé has a planned 2013 launch in the United Kingdom. A left-hand drive Prevé prototype was also caught in action in May 2012, hinting at a future launch in China and the Middle East as well.

Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Chung Kian Loon) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 04:47:00 +0000

The Prevé became the first Proton car, and to an extent, the first Malaysian car to be awarded the full 5-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) of Australia and New Zealand.^[37] It also received a 5-star rating from the Malaysian Vehicle Assessment Programme (MyVAP) of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS).^[10]

Prior to the launch of the Prevé and Suprima S, Proton cars suffered from a poor safety reputation. The Proton Jumbuck infamously scored one star out of a potential five in its ANCAP test in 2009.^[38] Proton responded by raising safety standards significantly during the development of the Prevé. The REinforced Safety Structure (RESS) frame was developed specifically for the new car. Proton employs the use of Hot Press Forming (HPF), a process which was pioneered in Germany, during the frame's manufacturing process.^[14]Twelve incorporated HPF components help in the reinforcement of the passenger compartment for improved occupant safety. The end result is an increased tensile strength and torsional bodyrigidity of 19,000 Nm/degree. The usage of HPF in the Prevé's manufacturing process also helps in weight-saving, which translates into improved fuel efficiency, handling and performance.^[14]Proton is the only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in South East Asia to use Hot Press Forming in their manufacturing processes.^[39]

The Proton Prevé has been developed to house a maximum of six SRS airbags, an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Traction Control (TCS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC).^[14] However, the Prevé was only offered with a maximum of four airbags upon its April 2012 Malaysian debut.^[12] The maximum of six airbags were only offered upon the Prevé's Australian launch in October 2012.^[40]

Proton also tested the Prevé in different weather and road conditions during its development phase such as ice & snow in Sweden as well as intense heat in Spain.^[41] The suspension system consists of MacPherson struts for the front and a multi-link with stabiliser bar for the rear.^[14] The Prevé's suspension was tuned by Proton's British subsidiary, Lotus for superior ride & handling attributes. The setup has also been developed specifically for the 205/55 GT Radial Champiro Bax 2 tyres equipped with the car for increased grip.^[14] All Proton Prevés are fitted with front and rear 15-inch disc brakes as well as 16-inch alloy rims.

Design

noreply@blogger.com (Chung Kian Loon) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 04:46:00 +0000

Proton sought to create a new signature façade with the Prevé. The result is Proton Wings, a unified design element that fuses the headlights, Proton emblem and air-intake grille, giving it a distinctive look of a bird ascending. The Prevé is the first Malaysian-made car to be factory-fitted with LED position lamps. The exterior of the car was styled to sport a reduced drag coefficient in an effort to enhance fuel efficiency. Proton collaborated with Italy-based Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A for the styling and likeness of the Prevé. Italdesign is also responsible for the styling of the 2010 Proton Tuah concept car. Additionally, Azlan Othman, Proton's Head of Styling was dispatched to Turin under the collaboration with Italdesign which lasted almost a year.

Proton's then Senior Director Operations, Dr. Wolfgang Karl Epple revealed that the Prevé was developed by an international consortium consisting of experts from Malaysia, Italy, France,Germany and South Korea. Additionally, several components of the car are also sourced from Japan, South Korea, Australia and Europe. “If you put global ingredients in the components, people, processes, styling and packaging, you get something which is global.”, Epple commented. Nonetheless, Proton later claimed that 94% of the Prevé's components are locally sourced in an effort to reduce capital outflow.

The Prevé is also one of the larger cars in the C-segment traditionally popularized by Japanese and Korean offerings in the Malaysian market.

Overview Proton Preve Sapphire Technical Specifications

noreply@blogger.com (Chung Kian Loon) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 04:45:00 +0000

Manufacturer	Proton
Also called	Proton P3-21A
Production	Late 2011-present
Model years	2012-present
Assembly	Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia
Predecessor	Proton Persona Proton Gen-2
Class	Compact car / C-segment
Body style	4-door saloon
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel drive
Platform	Proton P2
Engine	1.6L CamPro IAFM+ I4 1.6L CamPro CFE I4 turbo
Transmission	5-speed manual 6-speed CVT automatic 7-speed CVT manumatic
Wheelbase	2,650 mm (104.3 in)
Length	4,543 mm (178.9 in)
Width	1,786 mm (70.3 in)
Height	1,524 mm (60.0 in)
Kerb weight	1,305–1,340 kg (2,880–3,000 lb)
Related	Proton Suprima S
Designer(s)	Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A Azlan Othman