Lotus Exige GT3 Concept

Forgot to post this up earlier.
Lotus Sport, part of Lotus Cars Ltd (owned by Malaysia's Proton) launched the Exige GT3 Concept in Geneva, Switzerland on the 6th of March at the 77th annual Geneva International Motor Show.

This car features a new one-piece front clam-shell with fully masked front wheels and wheel arch venting. Quite aggressive looking.

The car is powered by a supercharged engine that produces 275PS (271bhp / 203kw) and max speed of 257kph (160mph).

It rests and runs on ten inch rear wheels with 255 width tyres.

The Exige GT3 Concept is expected to go on sale in late 2007 with an estimated price tag of between £50,000 and £60,000.

Proton and VW deal

Yesterday there was a report in Forbes saying that German carmaker Volkswagen AG is "close to agreeing a deal to acquire Malaysia-based Proton Holdings Bhd".

However, according to the Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Proton is only talking to VW about a strategic alliance.

Read the full report in The Edge Daily report here.

Malaysian auto sales down

According to the Malaysian Automotive Association's (MAA) annual report, auto sales in Malaysia were down 11% in 2006 from the previous year's position to 490,768 units. This is the first drop in three years.

The country's No. 1 spot has also been taken by Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd and National carmaker Proton Bhd falls to the second spot.

The lower sales last year were attributed to low second-hand car prices, higher fuel costs and the tightening of loans for the purchase of cars by banks following high default rates.

However, the report had a positive note in that they expected sales to rise this year- predicting 1.9% growth in 2007.

Related Links:
- Perodua firmly in pole position
- Perodua Sales Up, Captures 42 Pct Share Of Passenger Car Market
- 2006 car sales plunge but ‘worst over’

Tags: MAA Perodua Proton

The new Waja

Presenting the new Proton Waja.










Dashboard




GearKnob (Manual)


GearKnob (Automatic)


Leather Seats








Side panel

Tags: Proton Waja

Pics of the new Proton Savvy

Finally obtained these exclusive pics of the new Proton Savvy. Thanks to Ms. Faridah and Mr. Abdul Azim from Proton.













Nice Rims



Now all we need are the keys.

Tags: Proton Savvy

New Savvy and Waja launched

Yeah! am still keeping in touch with the Malaysian auto industry.

Proton today unveiled two variants of the Savvy and an enhanced version of the Waja. Both cars are available for booking at all Proton Edar and EON showrooms nationwide from today.

The on-the-road prices of the variants of the Savvy are as given below:

- Savvy Medium-line 5 Manual Transmission RM 40,240.00
- Savvy Medium-line Automated Manual Transmission RM 43,182.00
- Savvy High-line Automated Manual Transmission RM 45,841.00

Powered by a 1.2 litre multi-point injection engine, Proton claims that the Savvy is capable of a maximum speed of 170km/h and goes from 0-100km/h in 12.6 seconds. It features a newly-designed front grille and tailgate, equipped with sporty rear spoiler.

Only the highline model that comes standard fitted with safety features that includes an anti-lock braking system (ABS), twin airbags (driver and front passenger), driver and front passenger seat belt pre-tensioners, alarm, and an engine immobilizer system besides the other standard features.

One new changes in the new Savvy is the 14" inch alloy wheels for the medium range model and 15" inch alloy wheels for the High-line model.

It is priced at RM59,388.00 for the manual version and RM 62,888.00 for the automatic version.

Proton claims that the new Waja will "offer the best value-for-money in terms of specifications, safety and equipment level for a vehicle in its class".

It has a newly-designed more aerodynamic front end. The car is available in five new colours, namely, metallic twilight blue, metallic Iridescent white, metallic gray, metallic brilliant red and burgundy.

NOTE: Searched the whole Proton website trying to get some nice pics of the new models but all I got was some small low resolution images in the Flash format.

My advice to their Marketing manager and website managers - allow your customers (and potential customers) to download images from your site. And in case you haven't heard, having good relationships with bloggers help.

Will upload the pics if and when I get them.

Tags: Malaysia Proton Savvy Waja