Proton Exora

Exoa Hybrid - The winner Brighton to London Car Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:24:00 +0000

Our national hybrid MPV wins Brighton To London Future Car Challenge! Exora hybrid only uses 2 litre of petrol for 4 hours of journey which covers 60 miles (around 100km). Getting 50km/litre, Exora hybrid wins best extended range electric vehicle categories beating all well known hybrid cars in the world. Proton planning to test 50 of Exora hybrid by giving it to Government for their daily usage before make it available in Malaysia market. Below are details about the challenge.

WINNER! PROTON EXORA HYBRID E-REV = BEST EXTENDED RANGE ELECTRIC VEHICLE!

A new motoring challenge for electric, hybrid and low-emission Cars, LCV’s and Motorcycles to use the lowest energy on a 60 mile route from Madeira Drive, Brighton to Pall Mall and Regent Street, London.

The Royal Automobile Club has launched the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge (BLFCC), a new motoring contest for Electric, Hybrid and Low-Emission Internal Combustion Engine passenger cars to use the lowest energy on a 60 mile route from Madeira Drive, Brighton to Pall Mall & Regent Street, London. The BLFCC will be held on Saturday 6 November, the day before the Club’s world famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR).

Starting at Madeira Drive this unique live event will use the traditional, but in reverse, 60 mile veteran car run route for a formal finish in Pall Mall and onto a special ceremonial finish and presentation in Regent Street, joining the assembled display of 125 pre 1905 motor cars in the traditional LBVCR International Concours in front of an estimated 250,000 audience.

The event is not a race but a challenge to demonstrate overall new-energy performance with the participating cars being judged on their minimum energy impact during the run.

The BLFCC is open to road-legal; concept, development, pre-production and production four-wheel passenger cars that feature and promote new/alternative energy in the following 3 category types:
1. Electric (EV)
2. Hybrid (HEV)
3. Internal Combustion Engine up to 110g/km CO? emission fuelled by any legal means (ICE).

Up to 100 entries are expected for this inaugural event from manufacturers, institutions, individual motoring pioneers and private owners. The event will be staged, promoted and judged in the above 3 categories. Within each category, entries will be measured in various modes for their energy used during the event route from Madeira Drive to Pall Mall. The challenge will be to complete the event with the least energy impact.

A new motoring challenge for Electric, Hybrid and Low-Emission ICE vehicles to use the lowest energy on a 60 mile route from Madeira Drive, Brighton to Pall Mall & Regent Street, London – Welcome to The Royal Automobile Club’s first promotion and demonstration of new clean-energy motor cars. An event that heralds tomorrow’s pioneering technology.

Future motoring technology is now in abundance and as new-energy vehicles prepare to roll-off production lines in volume the road-side infrastructure, to fuel them, is gradually expanding across our road network. Yet for the daily motorist there is, understandably, uncertainty on what the advantages are and which alternative-fuel method is best! The opportunity to promote and demonstrate ‘live’ these new-energy vehicles is important and this public road demonstration from a major city to the capital provides a unique platform to promote a powerful communication to the potential market and its media.

The Royal Automobile Club, the proprietors of the world’s longest running motoring event – the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR), are proud to launch the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge (BLFCC). A new initiative which will be staged during the 2010 LBVCR weekend to actively promote and demonstrate new cleaner energy technology and echo the pioneering start of motoring in 1896 – the very first London to Brighton motoring event. Just as the pioneering Emancipation Run of November 1896 demonstrated the capabilities of the new found horseless carriage, this new event provides the platform to promote and demonstrate the first radical change of the power of motor vehicles since that day.

Politicians, industry groups and other influential leaders will be invited to witness and participate and, along with entrants, to a special post-event dinner at The Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London.

The organisers encourage entries with media editors and VIP guests/celebrities, along with their families, to participate and drive the event for maximum opportunity. An extensive media programme with specialist, non-specialist and life-style pre and post event coverage will be employed for the best possible TV and national news exposure.

The Royal Automobile Club extends an open invitation to motor manufacturers, importers, institutions and company/private engineers to participate in this inaugural motoring event.

Finishing in front of a c.250,000 crowd in London’s Regent Street, this new event brings comprehensive benefits for marketing/media campaigns and promotions. Entrants will enjoy…

•Extensive pre and post event media (TV, Radio & National/Regional Press) coverage
•Formal entry listing in this important Royal Automobile Club event
•Association with industry/government low-emission motoring groups/campaigns
•Royal Automobile Club trophy awards for each category & overall winner
•Product display/promotion in Brighton, Crawley and Regent Street
•Product exposure along the 60 mile route from Brighton to London
•Opportunity to run liveried cars for optimum roadside promotion
•Refreshment provisions at Brighton, Crawley & London
•Official Starter Plaque and Entry No Plates for each participating car
•Royal Automobile Club finishers medal and certificate for each finishing car
•Awards crest/logo for ongoing company PR, advertisements & stationary etc
•Invitation to the Saturday evening post-event celebration dinner at The Royal Automobile Club.
Starting on the renowned motoring road of Madeira Drive, Brighton the new run will take place on Saturday 6 November 2010, the preceding day of the LBVCR. The event will use the traditional, but in reverse, 57 mile LBVCR route for a formal finish in Pall Mall and onto a unique ceremonial finish in Regent Street, London to join the assembled display of 100 early motor cars in the traditional LBVCR Concours and in front of an estimated 250,000 audience! The BLFCC is NOT a race but a challenge to demonstrate low energy impact over the route from Brighton to London. The event will provide significant opportunities for the media, along with VIP guests/celebrities, to participate (driving with their families?) and support low/zero emission motoring.

TECHNICAL PANEL – A special event technical panel has been established of six respected automotive industry members; Ben Cussons, Chairman (The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee); Richard Parry-Jones (Industry); Steve Cropley (Autocar); John Wood (President, Institution of Mechanical Engineers); John Hilton (Flybrid Systems), Dr Ricardo Martinez-Botas (Imperial College London) and David Bizley (RAC Motoring Services). This panel will also form the Event Judges who will evaluate each entry within the Event criteria.

ELIGIBLE CARS – The event is open to road-legal; concept, development, pre-production and production passenger motor cars, light commercial vehicles (3.5 tonne) and motorcycles that feature new/alternative energy in the following three categories: Electric (EV); Hybrid (HEV) and Internal Combustion Engine up to 110g/km CO? emission fuelled by any legal means (ICE).

THE CHALLENGE (Optional) – The event will be staged, promoted and judged in the above three categories. Within each category entries will measured for their energy used during the event route from Madeira Drive, Brighton to Pall Mall, London. This will be judged in four modes as detailed in the Entry Regulations. The challenge will be to complete the event with the least energy impact in the time allocated. With 3 categories and 4 modes there will be 12 winners plus one overall winner per vehicle type.

AWARDS – Each of the category winners will receive an engraved Royal Automobile Club trophy. The overall winner will receive the coveted Royal Automobile Club Gold Medal. There will also be an Award for the best private entry. Each of the above will receive a crest stamp/logo for use in company PR and each classified finisher will receive a Royal Automobile Club medal and certificate.
ELIGIBLE VEHICLES – The event is open to road-legal; concept, development, pre-production and production

•Passenger Motorcars
•Light Commercial Vehicles (max 3.5 tonne)
•Motorcycles
that feature new/alternative energy in the following three categories:

1.Electric (EV)
2.Hybrid (HEV)
3.Internal Combustion Engine up to 110g/km CO? emission fuelled by any legal means (ICE)
ENTRY – The organisers seek a maximum 100 entries for this inaugural event and anticipate entries from manufacturers and importers, from non-commercial institutions (Colleges/Universities etc.) and from private entrants. Entry costs are detailed in the Entry Regulations and Entry Form.

REGULATIONS – The Official Entry Regulations provide the relevant event information. However, as this is a new event the structure, just like the subject, needs to constantly evolve and the Organisers will continue to fine-tune the event for the maximum benefit of all involved. Contribution from entrants is welcomed.

NEW PROTON EXORA MC

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:19:00 +0000

Proton Exora MC unveiled – new colour, trim and exterior enhancements

We are at Proton’s Centre of Excellence (COE) now, where Proton have just launched the new Proton Exora MC. MC stands for minor change, which is one step less comprehensive than a facelift for the MPV, which Proton MD Dato’ Syed Zainal Abidin said the company is already working on and will come later.

Back to the Exora MC, which looks much better and somehow “more premium” than the car it replaces. Most of the effect is from the new Plum Red exterior colour, which joins four other hues.

Other changes on the outside include the newly designed 15-inch alloys (now featuring five twin spokes) and a new bodykit.

The latter is most obvious up front, where the front lip follows the look of the Exora Prestige seen at the model’s debut last year.

Inside, the most obvious change is the colour of the trim, which is now in dark grey (from very light grey).

The centre stack used to have a “brushed metal” texture, but is now smoothened out with some subtle graphics in place.

The leather seats in the High-Line display model pictured here are also in black.

The door trim also sports a strip of suede/alcantara style of material, which lifts the ambience a bit.

There’s also a handy boot organiser (divided into three sections), which all trims except for the Base-Line model will get. The updates are small but make a big impact – the new colour really suits the car quite well, the chrome on the bumper complements the chrome on the grille nicely, and the darker interior looks better. Just in time for balik kampung.

OTR prices are up spec-for-spec by RM1,000. Here’s the list:

Proton Exora B-Line MT RM58,998
Proton Exora M-Line MT RM65,998
Proton Exora M-Line AT RM70,998
Proton Exora H-Line AT RM76,998

Excelent Protection For Exora

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 02:19:00 +0000

PROTECTIVE GLASS COATING FOR CARS

KristalBond Makes You a Safer Driver

Until now, sun screening for glass windows meant simply sticking a layer of plastic film over a glass surface.

While it does offer some form of protection from UV and Infrared rays, this layer of plastic firm tints the glass and compromises your view and peel over time, further obscuring your all-round vision.

With KristalBond, you get a long-lasting coat that blocks out the sun, and not the light, giving you optimum clarity, day and night.

KristalBonding Does Not Alter The Original Safety Features of Glass

All car windows are designed to shatter on impact. KristalBonding your glass windows will not change this safety aspect. Can your protective screen offer you this protection guarantee?

Keeping Cool Under The Sun

KristalBonding keeps the interior of your vehicle cool even under the heat of the mid-day sun. Anyone getting into a car parked under the dun will appreciate this. Even your air-conditioner will perform more efficiently with the lessened load.

No More Color Fading

Your car is one of your more expensive investments. You'll be glad to know that KristalBonding will also protect your car's upholstery, dashboard and interior from the colour fading effects of the sun's UV rays.

100% JPJ Compliant

With a Visible Light Transmission (VLT) Test certificate from SIRIM, you can drive with the assurance that KristalBond is in compliance with JPJ (Road and Transport Department) regulations.

Ultra Smooth Finishing

Through Nanotechnology, KristalBond can provide smooth finishing regardless of the contours and curves. Out skilled application specialists are fully trained to provide superior smooth finishing. Since this can be achieved at room temperature, you can have your car KristalBonded with the minimum of inconvenience.

Proton Exora Prime

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Exora chasiss

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:56:00 +0000

Chasis Specification Reviews

The last news we’ve mentioned that the new Proton MPV, Proton Exora will be set for launched on 15 April 2009, which was widely announced by the Proton themselves. Since waiting for the day, 15 days left, let us have a look on the chasis reviews of the Proton Exora. Well what seen was the latest and the teaser series of Proton Exora MPV 7 seater chasis, but what make us want to review is the materials used to build such structure.

As what seen, the Exora will have equipped with CamPro CPS, but most denied about the problem of using such engine for such car as some think it is impossible to for the engine to hold the car. The fact is the engine will have less lug around since the front end chasis is made of plastic reinforced with metals and the subframe uses hydroformed subframed tehcnology to contribute less KGs for Proton Exora.

What more is the chasis is with single piece only that will probably make easier to assembly for the installation of the fron end module. So what happened if the assembly becomes more easier? Surely the cost for maintenance of front one would probably be much lower while maintaining the real quality of the car at the same time. So judge yourself and proud of our Proton Exora.

CAMPRO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:10:00 +0000

	1.3L CAMPRO IAFM	1.6L CAMPRO	1.6L CAMPRO CPS

VALVE MECHANISM	16-Valve DOHC	16-Valve DOHC	16-Valve CPS DOHC

TOTAL DISPLACEMENT	1322cc	1597cc	1597cc

BORE	76mm	76mm	76mm

STROKE	73.4mm	88mm	88mm

MAX OUTPUT (kw/rpm)	70/6000	82/6000	93/6500

MAX TORQUE (nm/rpm)	120/4000	148/4000	150/4500

FUEL TYPE	Petrol	Petrol	Petrol

1.6L CPS & 1.6L CAMPRO TORQUE CURVE COMPARISON

1.6L CPS & 1.6L CAMPRO POWER CURVE COMPARISON

Exora Engine specification - Campro

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:47:00 +0000

CAMPRO engine is the combination name of Cam Profile engine developed by Proton with help from lotus technologies. Basically, Campro engine is just a normal engine which can be used with future latest technology like variable inlet and iafm. they claim that this engine provide more power and less fuel consumption. Recently, they have shown that what they claimed is true by winning the most fuel efficient family cars with Proton Persona.

CAMPRO ENGINE SPECIFICATION -PROTON ENGINE TECHNOLOGY ON SAGA, WAJA, SATRIA, PERSONA & GEN2 AND NOW ON EXORA

All Campro engines incorporate with drive-by-wire technology (specifically electronic throttle control) for better response,eliminating the need for friction-generating mechanical linkages and cables. There have been some issues with cracking oil pumps but apparently Proton have introduced a new part recently to solve this problem. A recall has not been announced.

CAMPRO Basic DOHC engine

The basic Campro engine coded as S4PH is a basic DOHC 16-valve 1.6 L engine that produces 110 bhp (82 kW) @ 6,000 rpm of power and 148 N·m (109 ft·lbf) of torque. This is the engine that powers the Proton Gen-2. The S4PH engine can be fitted with Cam Profile Switching (CPS) and Variable Inlet Manifold (VIM) technology. Besides this 1.6 Litre engine, Proton has produced the 1.3 Litre version of the Campro engine.

Even though the S4PH engine seems to be quite powerful at higher revs, its performance is reportedly sluggish at lower revs and this is proven by driving the Gen-2 uphill where drivers who drive the manual transmission version have to shift a lot between 2nd gear and 3rd gear. This is due to its torque dip in the crucial 2,000 ~ 3,000 rpm operating range, where the torque actually decreases before picking up back to the maximum torque at 4,000 rpm. This torque characteristic can be clearly seen in manufacturer published engine performance curves.

Another engine option for the basic DOHC engine is a 1.3L engine coded as S4PE. The S4PE engine produces 94 bhp (70 kW) @ 6,000 rpm and the torque of 120 N·m (89 ft·lbf) @ 4,000 rpm, which is more powerful than the other 1.3L rivals, even with variable valve timing technology, it also (like its bigger brother) displays a torque dip at typical engine speeds of 2,000 to 3,000 rpm.

CAMPRO ENGINE

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:12:00 +0000

CAMPRO CPS ENGINE TECHNOLOGY (CPS & VIM)

The Campro engine utilizes two ingenious technologies to give high power and rapid response, whilst maintaining low fuel consumption. Cam Profile Switching (CPS) and Variable Intake Manifold (VIM) technology.

Together, these technologies give the best if both worlds, essentially combining the best characteristics of two different engines in one compact package. The usual reduction in peak torque caused by High Lift cams is corrected by the Long Runner. The short runner works with the high lift cams to re-tune the engine and generate more power at high speed.

CPS & VIM : How It Works

Engines create power from combusting a mixture of fuel and air. Valve lift creates a gap to draw air into the combustion chamber, and this gap influences the ratio of air in the mixture. Ordinary engines have fixed rate of valve lift, but Cam Profile Switching gives variable valve lift, for optimised airflow into the engine. A High Lift cam profile improves maximum power, whilst the Low profile offers fuel efficiency and low emissions.

Air is supplied to the valves by the engine’s intake manifold. Variable intake Manifold technology intelligently changes the rate of “breathing” according to the engine speed. At low speed, air will drawn through the Long Runner manifold. The resulting slower air flow allows more efficient, thorough mixing of air with fuel. At high speeds, the Short Runner takes over to supply more air for combustion, faster.

IAFM (Intake Air Flow Module)

The CAMPRO engine is now enhanced with a new air intake management system - the Intergrated Air Fuel Module (IAFM) technology. It helps the engine "breathe" better at offer you the best of both worlds - greater fuel efficiency at low speeds and better performance at high speeds. Be it a short one to the shops or a cross-state roadtrip, every drive will be one you'll enjoy.

THE CAMPRO ENGINE

Developed in partnership with Lotus Engineering, this engine grants PROTON complete vehicle design independence. Its breakthrough engine technology produces low fuel consumption, yet gives rapid, high power response, and can even be produced to run on alternative fuels.

Its represents true world class powertrain engineering, and a revolutionary step forward in engine manufacture, with low toxic emissions, low noise levels and above all, highly economical maintenance of long service intervals.

Major design objectives :

Space-saving transverse east-west direction engine installation

	-	Designed for long life of at least 10 years or 250,000 km

	-	Best performance in class

	-	Flexibility to use future technology (CPS & NGV)

	-	80% recyclable to meet 2005 requirements

	-	comply to future exhaust emission legislation requirement

Proton Exora in China

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:47:00 +0000

The latest Proton MPV, the Proton Exora MPV, has been spotted out testing on Chinese roads, which could signal an immediate launch in China for the MPV.

According to reports, the MPV was spotted testing in ‘Northern China’, which probably means around the Jinan area where Youngman is based.

Information on the Exora is available on the excellent PaulTan website, however, information on the Chinese version of the Exora is currently unavailable. It is expected to hit the market in late 2009 and will be sold under Jinan Youngmans ‘Europestar’ brand.

The Europestar is expected to expand its sales network to include first and second tier cities in 2009. Currently the Europestar network is limited to certain coastal cities and inland cities. Jinan Youngman plans to expand their network to 100 cities in 2009, and plans to build a new car manufacturing plant which will give Youngman a production capacity of 450,000 vehicles per year. Europestar is producing the Proton Gen2 racer under their own brand in Guizhou province, and plan to build the Jingyue model is currently produced in Hangzhou.

Chinese automotive press are which is set to be either imported, or made in China under the Europa branding from Youngman.

Proton Exora on the Net

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:47:00 +0000

Prior to the launch of Proton Holdings Bhd’s Exora multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) earlier this year, Universal McCann and creative agency McCann Erickson worked on a digital-based naming contest for the vehicle.

Because the MPV was going to be Proton’s first vehicle with fully homegrown technology, an ultrasound image of a partially complete Exora in a mother’s womb was used to attract participants for the naming contest.

Needless to say, the month-long campaign that ended in September last year was a hit, attracting 251,763 entries, 84% of which were online submissions while the rest were via SMS.

When the car was finally launched this year, it was almost simultaneously launched on Twitter to capture the fancies of the Twitterati, which comprise some of the leading influencers in Malaysia.

“The campaign was so successful that it even became a case study for social media. The ultra sound photo was used to show that it was Malaysia’s baby. We wanted to cultivate a reaction that Proton was homegrown,” says Prashant.

“The Twitter campaign elicited excellent reactions and even became a case study for social media.”

He adds that Proton spent very little on media in the campaign.

Universal McCann claims that even before the launch of the MPV in April this year, Google had showed 1.5 million links to Exora.

Another digital campaign that was worked by Universal McCann was an online game for insurance company, Axa Affin Insurance Bhd.

Called Turning Point, the online game allowed a person to experience life by managing his or her wealth while balancing it with the quality of the person’s life.

The ultrasound image of Exora.

The game challenges a person to manage their wealth at four different life stages – fresh graduate, newly married, married with children, and golden age, which were represented by four levels in the game.

The aim was to drive relevance among ‘digitally-savvy young white collars, who, unlike their parents’ generation, live in a world that does not save, plan or think about tomorrow. Whoever made the ‘most money’ in the game would be the winner – participants also stood a chance to win cash prizes.

The online gimmick, which was held in 2008, attracted over two million visits in just two months, with over 4,000 participants taking part. Over 10,000 referrals were generated.

Axa Affin’s gross premiums surged over 50% as a result of the campaign.

“People loved it,” says Prashant.

Proton Exora Tested

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:13:00 +0000

Usefull comment from the tester

Tengku Azizan is perhaps the longest-serving employee in Proton, having been with it since even before the company’s first car rolled out. Over the years, he has been involved in testing prototypes in Malaysia and overseas and today heads the team that does homologation and testing of products. For many years now, I’ve told him that I would love to do a story on his career because it must be an exciting and very interesting job testing prototypes of models which won’t be in showrooms until some years later. But being the good corporate man, he’s always suggested that I 'talk to the PR department first and get their approval’ before he could agree to an interview. I’ve tried on and off but never really gotten down to that interview yet.

So it was a surprise to get a message from him inviting me to a 'TT’ (teh tarik session) - and also mention of driving 'the MPV’ to Temerloh the next day. The invitation really was a surprise, not that he had seemingly agreed to chat with me but that he was telling me that the MPV – which was obviously the Exora – was to be present. I was so puzzled that I even SMS back whether I would get to sit with him in the MPV because it was hard to believe I could be allowed to do so! We’ve always talked about his prototype testing and how his team has to sneak out late at night to avoid being caught by spy photographers and though I have tested prototypes of other companies in Malaysia and other countries, I never asked him to allow me because I believed he would not be able to agree due to strict company policy. In fact, he told me they really work hard not to be spotted when they are on the road and if pictures start to appear, then there will be 'problems with the bosses’.

The invitation was the day before, as I said, and I had another appointment but I felt this was such a rare opportunity that I postponed it. Actually, I did not realize that the session was specially organized for me as I had assumed it was one of their many test runs, now safe to be conducted in broad daylight since the launch was only a month away, and I was just being offered a chance to tag along. When I told Tengku Azizan that I actually had an appointment, he kindly offered me another chance 'next week’ but I felt that the offer was so good that I would be silly to postpone it because the following week, things may be different.

So I turned up at the Proton carpark early in the morning very excited about the drive and Tengku Azizan told me there would be two Exoras available, a manual and an automatic. Because I had to be back in town by 2 pm, we would not go as far as Temerloh and I could decide where I wanted to go. He also had a number of his team members come along because he knew that one of the things which would need to be assessed was the performance of the MPV with a full load of seven on board. It was very thoughtful of him and knowing that his guys are very busy, I have also to thank them for coming along for the ride. I didn’t expect to be allowed to take pictures and didn’t try and in any case, the Proton people requested that I use only those pictures which have already appeared in the Exora ads and none at all from the drive session if I needed to illustrate my report. They trusted me enough not to make me sign a million ringgit indemnity form if I didn’t follow their request and I see no reason why I should make them feel their trust was unjustified.

I had a go in the manual first and when I settled into the driver’s seat, the first thing I checked out was the driving position. In the Waja and models on the same platform, the driving position never seemed right – somehow the relationship between the steering wheel, its angle and the seat were awkward and it seemed like the people who chose such a relationship were thinking of a sporty driving position. That’s fine if you are doing a Lotus but not if you are doing a sedan for everyday commuting and certainly not for a MPV.

In the Exora, which has a brand new platform, the constraint of that driving position is not there and they have had a chance to get it right and this time, they have. It’s a very comfortable position and being a MPV, the seating height is higher which gives a commanding view forward. Women drivers especially will appreciate this as it promotes confidence.

Having had experience with the Campro CPS already, I expected the same character but discovered that the one in the Exora had a different feel. It felt stronger at the low end with more linear power delivery than what I remembered. I was told that they had done some tuning to match the engine to the increased weight (a figure of 1,400 kgs was mentioned) and driving style expected. More significantly, the gear ratio has been changed which does help in the take-off. However, I noticed that the engine speed at 100 km/h was 2900 rpm which is somewhat high by today’s standards (the Toyota Vios 1.5-litre engine spins at 2600 rpm at the same speed) and can have implications on fuel economy (more on this later).

There’s not much to assess a manual transmission really and the only thing I found was that the shifting was a bit notchy. This could have been an adjustment issue since the unit was a prototype and production versions may not have the same notchiness.

Steering feel was very good, precise and correctly weighted. On the smooth Karak highway, I didn’t notice it but over rough surfaces and ripples, I felt that the feedback was on the high side. This could be a consequence of making the steering feel precise and most people will probably be okay with it. However, in places like East Malaysia and rural areas where roads are rough, the vibrations coming through the steering wheel during long periods of driving could contribute to fatigue, not to mention being irritating.

At the BHP station along the Karak highway, I switched to the automatic since there was not much else to discover about the manual. Tengku Azizan said that the automatic would probably sell in larger numbers so I thought I should give it more attention.

Like the manual, the engine in the automatic also felt more lively, more eager at the low end. What I liked though was the gated shifter. For those who are not familiar, a gated shifter (you can see it in the picture) has a shift lever slot that is not straight. Mercedes-Benz was the first to introduce this concept in the 1970s and the various positions have more defined 'slots’ to allow more positive selection. It is not like the tiptronic transmission which is an automatic transmission with manual shift (sequential) capability but it is just an automatic transmission with a specially-shaped slot and you can select lower gears manually. Personally, I like a gated shifter more than a tiptronic because the feel is more like that of a manual transmission whereas a tiptronic transmission in manual mode only executes shifts with a very short movement up or down (or left or right). Paddle shifts on the steering wheel are, of course, a different matter.

The shifts in the automatic were pretty smooth though not seamless and in some conditions, kickdown was a bit too abrupt. But what was important was that there was no 'hunting’ of gears, suggesting that the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) has been well programmed and properly matched to the engine characteristics. In some other cars I’ve driven with poor matching, the transmission would keep trying to find the right gear and downshift even on a slight incline. That’s very annoying and I am pleased to say that the Exora has none of that behaviour.

Also very surprising to me was the smoothness of the engine at cruising speeds. Above 110 km/h, the Campro CPS engine ran so smoothly and quietly and it was not entirely due to sound insulation.

Now comes the part where I answer one of the Big Questions about the Exora’s performance: can it go up the Genting road? Well, I didn’t use the road to Genting Highlands because it’s usually crowded and I prefer the Bukit Tinggi road. I’m more familiar with that road so if there was any comparison to be made, that would have been a better road for me and I used it for the Exora. The question about whether the Exora or any car can go up a hilly road is, to me, unnecessary. Any car and lorry can go up a hill and what people really want to know is how fast it can go and that depends on expectations. A familyman who cares about safety for himself and his family isn’t going to expect to drive to the top of Bukit Tinggi like that guy in InitialD, right? He will want to be able to drive at a decent speed without the engine having to roar at 6000 rpm, both of which the Exora – with 7 guys aboard – can easily do.

The Campro CPS engine in the Exora has adequate power and torque to meet such a requirement satisfactorily and I believe that 90% of people would have no complaints. The other 10% who may feel it is 'under-powered’ would be those who expect performance levels like a Waja or Persona and they are probably not the target buyers for a MPV anyway.

I won’t talk about the fuel consumption since the driving I did was rather fast and hard, not how a real owner would be driving. As I said, the high rpm at cruising speeds does suggest that consumption might be affected but until I actually do a run using our own route and procedure, I can’t say for sure and it would not be fair to make a judgement at this time.

Another thing which I noticed driving around was that in many MPVs, there were usually a number of children which means that the load is not as great as 7 adults. And the occasions when there are likely to be 7 adults would probably be in town when office colleagues go for lunch in one vehicle. In such a situation, it’s unlikely that there will be any issues about performance.

That’s one major question answered so I’ll move on to ride and handling. This area gets top marks and I was really impressed. Of course, Protons since the Satria GTI have had above-average handling thanks to Lotus technology and experience. It’s the one area no one has ever criticized and with the MPV, it is clear that the engineers have done wonders with their skills. I would rate it as the best in its class – not the best among all MPVs in the world – and the closest rival in this department would be the Naza Citra II Rondo which has a rather European feel about it. When I mentioned this comparison to Tengku Azizan, he found it interesting and suspected that the Kia people (the Rondo is adapted from a Kia Carens) may have had Lotus Engineering do some chassis tuning work too!

Getting the Exora to handle so impressively might have meant sacrificing ride comfort, something which could not be allowed in a family-type vehicle. Surprisingly, the ride comfort was also very good. Not soft like a French MPV but firm like a European one. Even on broken roads and bumps, the Exora maintained it poise and body roll was negligible. Most MPVs in this class tend to roll a bit when you push them hard through corners but the Exora cornered like a car! No kidding!

I would also add that the brakes worked very well and the feel was excellent. This is not what I would say of other Proton models and certainly not for the Satria Neo CPS which I drove recently and was surprised that the brakes were spongy. But with the Exora, I felt confident even braking hard late in corners to see how much the nose dipped (very little).

Strength of body structure of the Exora has been given a lot of attention, especially at the front. Its rigidity also makes the ride and handling very impressive

I would have suggested to Proton an advertising tagline like 'a 2-seater with space for 7’ but Honda already describes their Stream like that! And talking of the Stream, I would say that the Honda MPV along with the Mazda5 and Toyota Wish should not be considered rivals to the Exora. They are a notch higher and I doubt very much if someone who has eyes on any of them would consider the Exora. The more obvious rivals would be the Nissan Grand Livina, Toyota Avanza and Naza Citra, all of which are selling very well but will definitely lose sales to the Exora when it becomes available. What about the Toyota Innova? Some people considering an Innova might look at the Exora but the Toyota has a larger engine (and a higher price as well).

Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) were commendably low even though the unit was not a mass production one. In the rear seat, road noise could be heard but this is not unexpected because of the open space at the back. What was telling about the sound insulation was during the storm that we had to drive through. With low-priced models, roof insulation is often kept to a minimum for cost reasons but I don’t think this is the case with the Exora because there was no intrusive sound from the roof even with raindrops hammering down on it.

Now that we’ve moved inside, let’s talk about the packaging and accommodation. The cabin width felt generous and the large size of the front seat would also suggest this. I sat in the middle row briefly and didn’t take too much note but Paul Tan (who had his session a week after me) commented that the middle row gets much more legroom than it needs to have. As for the third row, I made sure I checked it out and sat there all the way from the Genting tunnel to Shah Alam. The space was fine for me and about the same as what is in a Grand Livina (and I also sat in its third row for a very long period during a test-drive in Bali).

From the first sighting of the bodyshell during the Proton Technology Week a while back, I wondered about the third side window. It seemed like a rather small opening and I felt that it could mean the people in the third row would have something like a small window like on an aircraft, which is not particularly pleasant. However, when I sat inside and looked out, the amount of glass area is actually quite large and kids will have a nice view of the world passing by.

Comfort-wise, the seats are well structured but I felt that the cushion thickness might be on the thin side. I’m not sure if this is because the interior designers wanted to get as much headroom as possible but if it is thin, then fatigue could set in on long distances. This only applies to the second and third rows as the front two seats are fine.

As the pictures show, the second and third row can fold down completely flat which is very good. However, the folding operation for the second seat didn’t seem so good though owners may eventually get used to it. It is not a straightforward operation and salesmen had better practice doing it so they do not struggle in front of potential customers! Incidentally, the head restraints are low-profile types which do not have to be removed when the seats are flat.

Looking around the cabin, I was impressed by the innovative thinking the interior designers had and I suspect a large portion of the R&D budget went to creating an interior that is among the best in this class of MPVs. At a workshop with Proton’s interior designers a couple of years ago, I had emphasized this as being very important because it is something that is related to perceived quality. Earlier models didn’t have the right textures and panels appeared cheap and plasticky. Some of the trim in the Exora was untextured because it was a prototype but I feel sure that the texture will be the right type in the production units because the latest Waja CPS is very well done. Maybe the interior designers did feel I had a point and have worked hard at it.

One teh tarik hook is under the front head restraint and the other is on the dashboard

The Proton designers know that the one thing I have always asked about is a little thing called a teh tarik hook. I am sure you know what it is and many vehicles have it as standard. It’s a simple feature but very useful because our culture is such that we do have a lot of plastic bags of teh tarik,nasi lemak and so on. In the past, people would hang these on the door handles; okay but not the best way. So, to me, it has been odd that Proton being a Malaysian product did not have such a feature from the start and yet it is standard in a Kia, Honda, Toyota and other foreign makes (even the Land Rover Discovery!). I was told that this feature was a 'must-have’ for the Exora because they did not want me bringing it up again!

Actually, even though the Proton people associate me with the teh tarik hook, I must explain that it was really the late Dato’ Gurcharan Singh, the first GM of EON, who brought it up. During the media launch of the Saga 1.5I in 1987 or 1988, he complained that there was no 'char kuey teow’ hook for him to hang the packet of noodles and he felt that was something a Malaysian Car should have as standard.

The cupholders and bottle holders get high marks. You may think that these are all the same but a good cupholder is deep so that the cup does not topple over when you corner. The ones in the Exora (there are ten) are very well designed, perhaps the best I have seen. Those right at the back, along the sides below the third windows, have a slot for magazines or comics, something which is also thoughtful.

Stowage pockets for seatbelt buckles are a plus point

Other nice things are the neat storage of the seatbelts on the second and third rows (not all manufacturers think of this) and this will also make sure that there are no customers asking why the seatbelts are missing. In quite a number of cases I have heard, customers are puzzled to find their rear seatbelts missing. Actually the seatbelts are underneath and during installation of the seat, the people are too lazy to pull them up and just leave them on the floor and drop the seat on top.

The most expensive version will have a DVD player mounted on the ceiling somewhere above the gap between the front seats. It’s a standalone unit rather than integrated with the audio head unit. I think it also takes SD card media.

As for the dashboard, the design is clean and contemporary. There are some carryover parts from other models but it did surprise me to see quite a lot of new parts which means a higher initial cost of production. Perhaps this also suggests that there are new suppliers and Proton has finally been able to get rid of those that caused its reputation to go downhill by supplying parts with sub-standard quality.

You should be able to answer calls using the integrated Bluetooth connection by pressing a button on the steering wheel

The instrument panel has a nice presentation and the only thing I would have an issue with is reflections at the top (inside the shroud) because the surface is too shiny and smooth. Tengku Azizan said that it was not the final trim and the 'ghosting’ I noticed would not be present in the production model.

The Honda-like steering wheel has a nice feel and has some buttons for operating the radio and handsfree connection via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth facility is welcome and will help in motoring safety. The only thing about these Bluetooth facilities in cars is that the standards keep evolving and some manufacturers like to be right up to date. This can mean that some older handphones have problems connecting because their Bluetooth version is older. I mentioned this to Tengku Azizan and he said that they would try to test as many different phones as possible and see if any had problems and then get the supplier to make the necessary adjustments.

One thing which you won’t see even in the showroom vehicles but which is also innovative is a Body Control Module. This is something which can control multiple functions in a vehicle and some of the features which I was told about were things like activation of the hazard warning lights during emergency braking and disabling of the central locking system (in unlocked position) if a child operated it more than 30 times in 30 seconds.

With a Proton, there is always the final question – what about build quality? I can’t answer that since the units I drove were prototypes and I accept that they had parts which would not be in the production models. But I feel sure the quality will be high going by what we’ve seen of the New Saga. It would be a real shame if all the fantastic efforts of the engineers and interior designers in developing one of the best MPVs in its class had poor quality.

So that’s about as much as I can tell you about the experience of driving the first truly Malaysian MPV. If you think that my positive views are enough and you do not need further convincing and you want to be among the first to own an Exora, then go and book one now (you only need RM1,000 to do so). And if you can't decide on the colour choices, the two new ones - Pyrite Brown and Gaia Blue – look very suitable for the Exora.

Footnote: As I mentioned in the opening part of this report, it was a real surprise to be offered a test-drive well before the launch of the Exora. I have had such opportunities with other companies before (and on some occasions, I had to go to Africa for the drive!) but I never expected it from Proton. After all, this is the company which – under the former management – was so paranoid about the public seeing a new model before launch that it selectively picked on one journalist to threaten with a legal suit for having pictures of the Gen2 on his website and when that didn’t do the trick, they asked the police to have the matter investigated as a commercial crime so as to intimidate the journalist into submission, maybe even hoping that he would still refuse to cooperate and be thrown in jail for being a 'threat to national security'!. Fortunately, such discrimination and childish attitudes do not exist in the present management and there is certainly none of the arrogance and boastfulness either. That today's Proton MD gave permission for such a test-drive to be done and did not have his legal department prepare a 10-page indemnity form to sign shows just how different things are. Thanks for the privilege, Proton.

On another note, I am obliged to refute the suggestion on another website that there was 'pressure on the management to allow other journalists to have a test-drive’ because it was alleged that we had learnt that a certain journalist on that website had been given the chance. From the way I described how I was invited to take part, it is very clear that the allegation is total rubbish, perhaps made to justify breaking of the embargo we had all agreed on. The rest of us had no idea that Proton was going to have such an activity so how could we even have 'pressured the management’? Doesn’t make sense at all, does it?

About Proton Exora

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Proton Exora 1.6

Be amazed by the all-new Proton Exora
Get more out of your drive with Proton’s first MPV. The all-new Exora drives great with superior Lotus ride and handling. Now powered by the new 1.6-litre CamPro CPS engine, it drives more with impressive fuel economy – carrying 7 adults comfortably. You’ll be amazed!

Amazing Performance
With a CamPro CPS engine packing in some 125hp and 150Nm of torque, the Exora can carry 7 adults and a full load of luggage economically. Its streamlined design and Lotus driving dynamics promise excellent handling. While sound absorption technology ensures a quiet and pleasant ride.

Amazing Protection
The Exora meets strict European impact standards with high tensile steel cage and hydro forming sub-frame technology for better stability and protection on the roads. Enjoy peace of mind with features such as dual SRS airbags, pre-tensioner seat belts, smart anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake force distributor system (EBD).

Amazing Elegance
Its stylish body features a sporty winged grille with integrated headlamps and fender design. Look further and you’ll notice its clean, sleek and aerodynamic good looks extend seamlessly into the thoughtfully crafted interior.

Amazing Comfort
Relax with higher head clearance and more legroom. Each row also comes equipped with individual air-con outlets for unparalleled cool comfort. When needed, seats can be configured to suit your various space requirements, and even fold completely flat for superior cargo space.

Interior

The all-new Proton Exora 7-seater MPV has a 1.6-litre CamPro CPS engine. Its streamlined design and Lotus driving dynamics promise excellent handling while sound absorption technology ensures a quiet and pleasant ride.

The Exora meets strict European impact standards with high tensile steel cage and hydro forming sub-frame technology for better stability and protection on the roads and with other features such as dual SRS airbags, pre-tensioner seat belts, smart anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake force distributor system (EBD).

Its stylish body features a sporty winged grille with integrated headlamps and fender design with clean, sleek and aerodynamic good looks extended into its interior. The interior has higher head clearance and more legroom. Each row also comes equipped with individual air-con outlets for cool comfort and when needed, seats can be configured to suit space requirements and even fold completely flat for superior cargo space.

Am only disappointed with the Exora's engine capacity. An MPV should come in 1.8/2.0 or even a 2.4 version. Good space though to lug all your windsurf/kitesurf equipment. Nevertheless, lets see how the vehicle performs once it hits the roads. The Exora should be affordably priced...

Exora specification

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:54:00 +0000

Considering that many manufacturers take around four or five years to develop a vehicle, the Exora is quite an achievement by Proton, it taking them just eighteen months to build from final drawings to full production; things were made a little easier through using an existing platform, modified accordingly to suit the new design dimensions, and building upwards from there. We were not told how long it took to do the initial drawings and the engineering checks etc, etc. Nevertheless, it is an achievement.

What we have in the Exora is the sum-total of everything that Proton has learnt in its three decades of building cars, and the result is quite impressive indeed. According to Proton, the Exora has been built from the very start with a view to exporting it, so the build quality and the specifications reflect this vision; an MPV that is built to appeal to an international market.

Inside, the build quality is much improved over the last model launched (that would be the Saga). There are still the plastic parts that go towards keeping weight down, and keeping costs down, but this time we can see efforts being made to texture the plastic parts somewhat, making them look less cheap. The Exora is built big, with a wheelbase of 2,730mm, an overall length of 4,592mm, an overall width of 1,809, and an overall height of 1,691mm. The nearest vehicle I can find to compare it to would be the Grand Livina, based on engine capacity and seating capacity, and the Exora dimensions top the Livina in all aspects.

With a view of making a car with international appeal, the Exora comes equipped with ABS, and EBD, and seat belts for all occupants. Much effort has been taken to keep weight down to a minimum, and the Exora tips the scales at 1422 kg, which roughly translates to a Waja with three adults seated in it. The next question you might have on your mind is how it moves about with a 1.6 litre engine.

The engine is the 1.6 litre CPS unit , with 125 horsepower at 6,000 rpm on tap, and 150Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. Mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox, and a 4.625 final drive, and fitted with 15-inch wheels, there is just enough power to pull the Exora along at a reasonable clip. Engine rpm at 100 km/h is around 3,000 rpm, which will give a good balance between outright pulling power and fuel economy.

With an automatic transmission, the take-off is actually quite good. A low enough first and second gear, coupled with the inherent transmission slip allows the Exora pretty good ‘get-up-and-go’ characteristics. However, it does take some time to build up the speed to the highway limit of 110 km/h. Flooring it helps, but you will have to remember to lift off or else the sensors will assume you want more power and keep you in third. Once you get to cruising speed, lifting off on the accelerator will cause the transmission to get into top gear (fourth), and you can stay there until you put your foot down again.

I thought a shorter 4th gear or another five or so percent shorter final drive would have improved the situation by not dropping into third so wantonly. If you are gentle on the throttle, it will cruise in top gear, but if you want to get anywhere in a hurry, stepping hard on the drive-by-wire throttle pedal will make the Exora step back into third gear, all the way up to 145 km/h and further, unless you lift off.

Ride is on the soft side, and passengers will feel quite comfortable in the Exora, thanks to well-designed seats, and plenty of legroom all round. I would have preferred a slightly firmer ride in the interests of better handling, but that is purely my opinion. As it is, the average driver would find the suspension very pliable, and find the Exora very nice to be in. What happens six months or a year down the road, as the shock absorbers wear down, and they do wear down, trust me, is anybody’s guess.

In terms of versatility, the Exora is on par with any of the best MPVs around. The seats split and fold to allow countless combinations, and an added bonus is that the rearmost seats do allow some reclining adjustments. All seats have belts, either three point or two point, and there is a long list of creature comfort accessories, including a DVD player. Leather seats are an option, and the buyer has a choice of three packages, all based on the automatic, at the moment.

The top model Exora, with the lower specification models cascading downwards. At the time of writing, the prices are not announced as yet, but by now, I am sure it would be out.

At the end of this very short test, I think that the Exora does provide a viable proposition for the Malaysian who wants an affordable MPV; nothing else comes near it for size versus price versus seating capacity.

The Power of Campro CPS

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:25:00 +0000

Proton Exora were installed with Campro S4PHI4, the first Proton produced with variable valve timing, which had contributes to an additional 13 percent power increase compares to previously Campro S4PH. The new CPS engine produces 125hp at 6500 rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. The most notable difference about the CPS is the smooth and responsive drivability. Compares to Campro S4PH, it's more aggressive when you need to be. Although the torque peaks at 150Nm, there's plenty of torque available across the band.

After almost 10 years of production, Proton also used Campro S4PHI4 to Proton Waja had going through many transformation in term of engine replacements, facelifting, and had become a platform for the Proton Chancellor which had a longer wheelbase and 2.0L v6 engine. During this 10 years duration, all Proton's line up models had been replaced with a new fresher look. Proton Tiara had been replaced with a fun-looking Proton Savvy, Proton Wira/Persona(uk) had been replaced with Proton Gen 2 and saloon Gen 2, new Proton Persona, and Proton Satria had been replaced with a more sportier look Proton Satria Neo. Even for Proton most non-favourite model, the microvan or mini-MPV Proton Juara had been replaced with a much more interesting MPV, Proton Exora. That's the end of Proton's microvan era.

A Development Agreement, to develop a new Vehicle Model for PROTON based on details of work, target specifications, job sharing and time schedule as determined by both parties (”Licensed Product”).
A Licence Agreement, where MMC grants PROTON a non-exclusive license to use technical assistance and patents solely for the purpose of utilization of technical information for restyling, modification and improvement work, manufacturing of local parts, assembling, selling and after sales services / support of the Licensed Product to be sold under PROTON’s trademark and styling; and
An Engineering Services Agreement, wherein MMC will provide the work and services for PROTON’s manufacturing of the Licensed Product.

what is RON 95

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:13:00 +0000

You might have seen numbers like RON97 and RON92 at your neighborhood petrol station. Fuel with a RON97 rating is more expensive, RM1.92 per liter at time of writing with the lower RON92 rating going for RM1.88. Have you ever wondered what they mean? Why is RON97 more expensive than RON92, and can you use RON92 to save on fuel costs? Let’s have a discussion. What petrol do you use regularly, and why do you like your choice of petrol? Or are they all the same to you?

RON97, RON92, who is this RON person?

RON stands for Research Octane Number, a rating used to measure a fuels knocking resistance in spark-ignition internal combustion engines. Before we attempt to understand this mumbo-jumbo, we have to know what knocking is. Knocking is what happens when parts or all of the air-fuel mixture prematurely ignites before the flame from the spark plug can reach it. This can be caused by ignition timing that is too early or engine overheating, where the heat from the cylinder itself causes the mixture to combust before the spark plug can burn the mixture. This causes a decrease in performance and might also harm the engine.

It is a misunderstanding to think that RON97 fuels produce more power than RON92 fuels, even more so with the fact that in reality a higher RON number means the fuel burns less easily! RON refers to the ability of the fuel to resist knocking and nothing else.

By pumping the RON97 into a car which engine only requires the RON92, all you’re going to get is an emptier wallet – that hardly counts for performance gains via weight reduction!

Engines are designed to have a minimum RON rating for its fuel. Do check your service manual for the minimum RON rating that it requires. For engines that require a minimum of RON92, you might as well pump RON92 fuel and save abit of money since RON92 is cheaper by 4 cents per liter. Another common minimum RON rating is RON95, but since we do not have RON95 fuel in our market, we have to use RON97 fuel for the engine. These engines normally have higher compression ratios, like the one found in the Satria GTI so it needs higher knock resistance to withstand higher compression.

If you find that your engine can use RON92 petrol and decide to save abit of money, do check out if a petrol stations RON92 petrol is leaded or unleaded. All RON97 petrol is unleaded, but some RON92 petrol might be leaded although this is very very rare.

HIGH QUALITY

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:31:00 +0000

Proton filed the design of the new Proton MPV with the UK Intellectual Property Office on the 24th of October 2008 and it was approved on the 4th of November 2008. We can now see in full detail of how the new Proton MPV will look like, though it’s only the low resolution sketches that are available from the public UK IPO website. It looks pretty much similiar to the images of the model that appeared to be snapped in a Proton facility. Everything matches, including the chrome bar at the rear. The Proton MPV is scheduled to be released in early 2009.

PROTON EXORA DETAIL (MPV)

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:57:00 +0000

I have some preliminary details on the Proton MPV due to be launched in the first half of 2009. According to a source in Proton, the Proton MPV is on schedule and one of the first chassis prototypes was shown at the Proton Technology Week.

2nd December 2008 UPDATE: Proton MPV Spyshots – photos of the actual Proton MPV being tested on public roads!

The chassis reveals quite a bit about the car. There is also a model of the interior hidden in a box with holes cut into it, much like the peekaboo promo that Proton did for its previous two models. The following are what I gathered on the MPV:

Exterior

Overall shape is like the Toyota Wish but the rear section of the roof does not slope down slightly like the Wish to improve headroom for the third row.
Tail lamps use LEDs and have a vertical design extending from the top to down, unlike the Wish’s which do not extend into the D pillar. The tail lamps are slimmer at the top but curve out a little at the bottom, similiar to the Volvo XC90’s design. The signal lamps in the light cluster are positioned towards the top for better visibility. You can actually see this in the previously revealed sketch and the teaser video above.
There is a swage line on the side profile of the MPV.
Regular swing doors instead of sliding doors.
The spare tyre is installed outside under the chassis instead of kept in the car so that you can get access to it easily when the luggage space is occupied.

Interior

The peekaboo box revealed a two-tone beige interior, but sources in Proton say the colour of the interior has not been finalised. It may be either beige or grey.
Luggage space is not that great with the third row of seats in place, but can fit one large golf bag. This means balik kampung with 7 people loaded and luggage for 7 will be a challenge.
Second row splits 60:40 while the third row is a 50:50 split. The seats fold flat.
Interior roof height is designed to be quite decent to accomodate people who want to ride with songkoks and turbans.
The shifter uses a gated shift and is dashboard-mounted rather than mounted between the front two seats, a common modern trend with MPV-like vehicles.
The in-car entertainment is a 2-DIN unit. There are options for a DVD player with an LCD display for the movie mounted at the second row roof area. There is also an option in the future for GPS navigation.
The 2-DIN head unit is at the top of the center dash area below the aircond vents, and below it comes the air conditioning controls which are three knobs arranged in a triangle shape. Below that is the shifter.
There are aircond blowers for the second and third row situation at the top left and right of the cabin roof (near the grip handles). Proton source says after testing this produced the best airflow.
There is no armrest between the front two seats but the armrest is instead a fold-down type integrated into the seat itself.

Chassis

The wheelbase of the chassis is estimated to be more than 2,700mm but less than 2,800mm. In comparison, the Honda Stream has a wheelbase of 2740mm, the Wish is 2,750mm, the Innova 2,750mm, the Livina 2600mm, and the Mazda5 2750mm.
The front suspension design uses MacPherson struts and the rear design uses a torsion beam to minimize suspension system intrusion into cabin.
The front end is designed, supplied and assembled as a single module for weight reduction and ease of installation to minimize QC problems.
The MPV is said to have very good crash safety design from Proton internal crash tests
. A few MPVs will be sent for official crash testing and rating soon.

So there you have it. If you want to look at the interior and chassis for yourself you can head to the Proton Technology Week event tomorrow. The event is happening at the Proton plant in Shah Alam. On the KESAS highway heading towards Klang, turn left after the Center of Excellence and then turn left into the Proton plant.

An initial concept sketch of the Proton MPV interior, but the production version will be tamed down.

NEW Proton

noreply@blogger.com (Abdullah) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:44:00 +0000

PROTON EXORA

Proton has announced the name for the new Proton MPV – the Proton Exora! The Exora is based on the name of the Ixora flower, with the tagline “Keriangan Keluarga”. The name and tagline were picked by the Name The Proton MPV competition grand prize winner Norsholihan Bt Abdul Eanich, who will get to drive and own the 7-seater people mover she helped name once it is launched in April.

The company also revealed that the Proton Exora MPV will be priced at under RM 80,000 and will be available in 5 colours – Genetic Silver, Tranquility Black, Blue Haze, Pyrite Brown and Gaia Blue. In terms of safety, all variants will have at least 2 SRS airbags as standard, but this will be as far as it will go in terms of total airbag count. The Proton Exora will be built in the Shah Alam plant. Cost of development was slightly over RM 450 million.

Proton will produce between 3,000 to 3,500 units of the Proton Exora a month initially. After the local launch in April, the MPV will be swiftly exported to markets such as Thailand and Indonesia by July. We’ll see how the new Exora fares in an open market up with our friends up north against their favorite Toyota MPVs.

For more, please read some past coverage on the Proton Exora to find out more about the new MPV, expected to be powered by the Campro CPS engine. Bookings will be open at a fee of RM1,000 from this Saturday (21st Feb 2009) onwards.

Fully undisguised shots of the Proton MPV – both exterior and interior – have found their way onto the internet, and they reveal to us plenty of details on the eagerly anticipated 7-seater MPV by Proton!

What we can see is one shot of the Proton MPV in white, another in an unidentified brown-like colour (may be something else altogether because of colour balance), and 3 shots of the interior. Here are what can be observed:

A complete revamp of the Proton steering wheel design that is curiously reminiscent of the one Honda is currently using. There is steering wheel audio controls and also a phone button which could indicate some variants of the MPV are equipped with a Bluetooth hands-free system.
Instrument panel features a two-meter design, with RPM on the left and an even-numbered speedometer on the right which tops out at 180km/h. The design of the meters are predominantly red with white text. They look like an evolution of the one in the GEN2 CPS facelift, but with modifications that somehow make them end up looking like the one found in the Isuzu D-Max, except the D-Max design is blue.
A small storage and a card holder (Touch N Go?) located below the driver’s side aircond vent
A door-open indicator in the middle of the two meters

A redline of 7,000rpm for the RPM meter
Two digital displays below each meter. The left one shows a digital fuel meter and digital temp meter as well as various other multi-info readings. I’m not sure what the right one shows.

The gear lever is dash-mounted much like the Honda CR-V.
Dashboard itself doesn’t seem to have any texture to it but it’s likely that this is a pre-production version, so the production version should have some texture in-line with all the recent Proton model launches.
Center dash area design from top to bottom – clock, two aircond vents, 2-DIN CD player, various buttons including hazard light, manual air conditioning knobs, recirculation and air cond button.

5-spoke alloy wheels
Bee-sting antenna at the front just after the windscreen.
Signal indicator on side mirrors
Reflector headlamps
Foglamps on the front bumper
In the photo of the white MPV you can see the rear hatch swings upwards, instead of the other method which is sideways like a fridge