Goodbye to the national car, Proton

By Jahabar Sadiq, Editor
June 18, 2013

The last vestiges of a national automobile devise will vanish as soon as Putrajaya replaces its fleet of ageing Proton Perdana V6 limousines with Honda Accords, whilst a Pahang supervision has opted for a Volkwagen Passats.

Both models have been right away assembled by Proton Bhd's main shareholder DRB-Hicom Bhd in Pekan whose Member of Parliament is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The company which produces Proton is owned by Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary.

The brand brand new cars have been for Cabinet ministers, emissary ministers as well as state senior manager councillors. The total cost of a purchase has nonetheless to be determined.

Other state governments have additionally solemnly replaced a two-litre engine genius Perdanas, which went out of prolongation in 2010 as well as is right away proving to be costly to maintain.

The Malaysian Insider understands which both a sovereign as well as Pahang governments have ruled out Toyotas, as their limousine class Camrys have been assembled in beside Thailand.

"The budding consideration was which a cars contingency be assembled here," a source told The Malaysian Insider.

He said Putrajaya is taking a Honda Accord 2.4-litre model whilst a Pahang supervision had opted for a 2-litre Volkswagen Passats. It is learnt which one Volkswagen Toureg has additionally been bought for a Pahang government.

Other replacements for a Perdanas embody Mercedes-Benz E200 Kompressors for a Terengganu supervision in 2008, replacing their 2004 Perdana V6 Executives.

Both Selangor as well as Perak had additionally replaced their Perdanas with Toyota Camrys, whilst a Sabah supervision opted for a Volvo S80s.

Proton expelled a brand brand new lower-cost model Saga SV over a weekend but has not indicated it will fu! rnish hi gher-range models which could replace a Perdanas.

There was conjecture about a brand brand new Perdana formed upon a Passat height when a tie-up in between Proton as well as Volkswagen was discussed in between 2004-2007. But a devise was cancelled when Volkswagen announced which partnership talks had failed.

There was additionally talk in between Proton as well as Mitsubishi Australia in 2005 about a brand brand new Perdana in a form of a re-badged Mitsubishi 380 sedan, whic later ceased prolongation in 2008.

Other conjecture about Perdana replacements was about regulating a Proton Exora platform, a Nissan Fuga or sharing a framework with a Honda Accord but nothing came of that.

The Perdana model was a thickk cream of a stand for Proton, which constructed its initial Saga model in 1985 in a complicated industrialisation programme initiated by Malaysia's longest-serving budding minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The Perdana SEi was initial introduced a decade after Proton's initial automobile as well as was in prolongation from 1995 to 1998. It was formed upon a Mitsubishi Galant height as well as came with a Japanese carmaker's proven 2.0L 4G63 SOHC engine.

The initial era Perdana was Proton's initial model to suggest an anti-lock braking system (ABS) as well as journey control. In 1997, a Perdana was since a facelift with a chrome grille, a brand brand new rim design, brand brand new body colours as well as upgraded interior trimmings.

In 1999, Proton propitious a brand brand new Mitsubishi 2.0L 6A12 V6 engine with a brand brand new bodykit as well as 16-inch rims.

In 2003, a Perdana V6 was since a vital facelift as well as brand brand new bumpers. Inside, it had a brand brand new aluminium-effect trim. This iteration remained upon sale until early 2010.

There was additionally a luxury various of a Proton Perdana V6 with an extended length in a back door, dubbed a Proton Perdana V6 Executive which was converted by Automotive Conversion Engineering (AC! E), a un it of EON specialised in building limousines for statesmen.

Like a original Perdana, a Perdana V6 was not exported to Europe. June 18, 2013


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