NEW PROTON PERSONA IS STYLISH AND AFFORDABLE

Styling of the new Proton Persona is neat and contemporary

Malaysian car-maker Proton has released an all-new version of its small-medium Persona sedan with a fresh new style and improved performance. Where the previous Persona, sold here between 1995 and 2005, shared most components with the Satria hatch and M21 coupe and was based on an old Mitsubishi Lancer, the new model has been designed and built in-house as was its Gen.2 hatchback sibling which has been on sale in Australia since late-2004. Styling of the new Persona sedan and Gen.2 hatch are very similar, the only noticeable difference at… Read more

BUY A JUMBUCK, GET A FREE QUAD BIKE

And now for something completely different. Buy a Proton Jumbuck for $14,990, specify at least $1000 worth of accessories – and the company will toss a $2300 quad bike into the rear tray for no extra charge. The offer is only available during the month of January 2008, and on-road charges have to be factored in for the Jumbuck. Nevertheless for comfortably under $20,000 you get two desirable new vehicles for not much more than the cost of one. Proton’s price tag of $14,990 is for the lower-cost Jumbuck GLi…. Read more

SATRIA NEO HAS BRILLIANT HANDLING

Proton has introduced its new Satria coupe in Australia. Interestingly, the Malaysian maker has giving it a pseudo-Italian title of Satria Neo as part of a marketing campaign aiming at having buyers seeing the Satria as a competitor for the European cars, rather than Asian ones. The Australian Proton guys may be rather optimistic in saying that potential Satria Neo buyers will also be researching Citroen’s C2, Ford’s Fiesta, Holden’s Astra and Volkswagen’s Polo, rather than the Korean and Japanese marques, but there’s no harm in aiming high. We really… Read more

2006 PROTON SAVVY REVIEW

Proton’s Savvy is – dare we say it – a savvy buy in this day and age of rising fuel prices. With low fuel consumption this new car from the Malaysian maker is a little city car of the type that roams the streets of Europe in huge numbers. From its pretty styling through its zippy driving feel to the superb suspension this little beastie provides a lot of driving enjoyment. Proton Savvy is slightly smaller than the average offering in the Australian light-car class, so sits neatly into a… Read more

PROTON WIRA, PERSONA, SATRIA 1995 – 2005

Proton Wira, Persona and Satria are some of the original Proton imports to Australia from the ambitious Malaysian car maker. Despite their varied titles, all three are virtually the same car.  They are strongly based on old Mitsubishi Lancer models, Proton having been assisted by the Japanese giant in its early days in the vehicle making business. Build quality is good, if not quite to the high levels of Japanese makers. Reliability has also proven to be OK and Protons have been on sale in Australia for long enough to… Read more

2005 PROTON GEN.2 REVIEW

Proton calls its new model the generation two – abbreviated to Gen.2 – because it’s the next major step forward in the life of this very ambitious Malaysian maker. When set up in the 1980s, Proton wisely sought assistance from established car makers, principally Mitsubishi, for much of the design input. Now Proton feels it’s time to set out on its own two feet, or should that be its own four wheels! Another important marque is very much involved in the Proton story these days, British sports car maker Lotus…. Read more

SATRIA GTi GETS ADDED VALUE

Proton Satria GTi is one of our favourite cars when it comes to having affordable fun behind the steering wheel. Point it at a winding road and its handling is ready, willing and able to offer plenty of grip, good precision and plenty of feedback. All this thanks to the genius of British sportscar maker Lotus which revamped the original Malaysian/Japanese design of the Satria’s suspension. It should be said that the Satria GTi is a little on the crude side, mainly because it’s an old design, but that actually… Read more

PROTON LAUNCHES SATRIA COUPE

Malaysian car maker Proton announced at the Brisbane Motor Show that it is now selling its Satria three-door hatchback in Australia. Based on the Proton Persona four-door sedan and five-door hatch, the Satria is aimed at a sportier market than the other Protons marketed here to date. The Persona is the new name for the Proton Wira, which first went on sale here in May 1995. The name change to Persona for the sedan and hatch took place on January 1 this year. Slow sales in the Wira resulted in… Read more

1995 PROTON WIRA REVIEW

The Proton Wira is a conventional small car with a transverse four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. It’s most interesting feature is probably the fact that it comes from Malaysia. Proton cars began as a joint venture between the Malaysian government and Mitsubishi Motors in Japan in the early 1980s. The intention was for Malaysia to build up a substantial heavy industry rather than rely mainly on agriculture. The first cars used mainly Mitsubishi parts, but with each new model there is more Malaysian input. Mitsubishi influence is being phased… Read more

MALAYSIA’S FIRST CAR ON SALE HERE

Australia has become a smorgasboard of world cars, with models arriving from Britain, France, Germany, Holland, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the USA. The international line-up has been joined by the Malaysian-built Proton Wira and will initially be sold through 23 dealers in all States. It’s the first affordable car to be sold here with a three-year, unlimited distance warranty. Taking advantage of the very strong Japanese yen, Proton plans to sell five of the nine-model range in Australia for under the psychological barrier of $20,000. The… Read more