Proton Persona is Saudi Arabia

The Proton Persona is now in Saudi Arabia, making it the third Proton model offered by Proton’s Saudi Arabian distributor Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co. The first two models offered there are the Proton Waja and the Proton GEN2, and after the Proton Persona will soon come the Proton Saga.

Last I checked, Proton’s distributorship contract with Al Rashed & Al Thunayan Auto Co is for 5 years beginning the year 2006, and involves a volume commitment of 2,400 units for 2008. They hope this will grow to between 4,000 to 5,000 units annually in the future.

Proton optimistic of increasing market share to 29% next year

PETALING JAYA: Proton Holdings Bhd is optimistic of increasing its market share to 29% in the financial year ending March 31 (FY10), from 26% in FY09 supported by encouraging car sales.

Group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said Saga sales had exceeded its monthly forecast sales of 4,500 units, achieving about 7,000 bookings monthly.

“And Persona, although launched two and a half years ago, is still doing well with 4,000 bookings monthly. And the bookings for Exora are also good, exceeding 22,600 units since we launched it in April,” he said after the launching of Proton Drive for Holidays campaign yesterday.

He said Proton aimed to close FY10 with sales of 155,000 units (domestic) from 141,958 units in FY09.

“We are blessed that the sales have been more encouraging than the industry outlook where the total industry volume (TIV) in 2009 is expected to be lower than last year’s at 500,000 units,” he said, adding that Proton’s monthly sales stood at 13,000 to 13,500 units.

The TIV for 2008 was 548,115 units.

Syed Zainal Abidin said it had been a good year for Proton and its year-end holiday packages was the company’s way of thanking customers for their support.

“For the first time in 36 months, we were at the number one position for Malaysian car sales for two consecutive months in June and July.

“Saga bagged the Best Model of the Year 2009 award at Asia-Pacific Frost & Sullivan Automotive Award and Exora won the Best Local Assembly MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) from the Asian Auto VCA, Auto Industry Award 2009,” he said.

Moving forward, Syed Zainal Abidin said, in response to the revised National Automotive Policy, Proton would intensify its efforts in producing more competitive products for the international and domestic markets.

On the Proton Drive for Holidays campaign, he said it would encourage sales and brand awareness for Proton as well as boost the local tourism industry.

Under the promotion, purchasers of Exora or Persona registered between Nov 1 and Dec 31 would instantly get a free three-day, two-night stay at 33 participating hotels in Malaysia.

The campaign also entitles purchasers of any Proton models registered during the promotional period to enter an SMS contest to win one of seven handphones offered daily.

Winners of the SMS contest will be entitled to participate in MMS contest that offers cash prizes and three-day two-night holiday packages in Malaysia.

my experience with proton persona

I bought a proton persona geared automatic in September last year. power speed is very impressive and frightening me. only in a few seconds it can accelerate to 100km / h. until now the car will not face any major problem just a few small problems. hinghway my driving at the speed 180km / h and I believe it can go faster again. I am proud of my car

Proton Signs Deal With Detroit Electric to Produce Pure Electric Cars

Here's new news about proton persona

Proton has inked a deal with Detroit Electric Holdings (DEH) that will see a raft of Pure Electric Cars (PEV) hit the market in the coming years.

DEH wiill couple its own electric drive systems with Proton platforms to market the enviro-friendly vehicles across the globe.

The Proton Persona and Gen2 have been selected as the basis with assembly of the completed vehicles to take place at Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant.

Syed Zainal, Proton managing director, explained how the deal portrays Protons ability to adapt to a rapidly changing market:

“As a manufacturer, we have to think differently from others and start venturing into new areas where there is potential for growth,”

For DEH, the agreement will allow the company to bring its technology to market faster. Detroit Electric’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Albert Lam, had this to say:

“We chose Proton because of its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, commitment to research and development, cost efficiency, and stable, high quality workforce.”

“We are proud to be able to integrate our electric drive systems upon one of the best cars out of Asia. Our customers around the world will enjoy the level of quality and comfort offered by Proton, an award-winning manufacturer”,

DEH plan to sell more than 270,000 Pure Electric Vehicles in Europe, UK, China and the United States by 2013.

Pricing will range from USD $23,000 (AUD $32,300) to USD $26,000 (AUD $36,400) for the city model and USD $28,000 (AUD $39,200) to USD 33,000 (AUD $46,200) for the extended range model.

2008 Proton Persona

While DEH gains a platform, Proton gains the right to sell the PEV as a Proton badged vehicle in the Asean market and possible various countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

Proton will now begin evaluating the electric drive system for which DEH will bare all warranty and liability responsibilities in the finished product. Proton in turn will handle all issues relating to the vehicle itself.

DEH is also charged with the task of homologation of the PEV for use in European and US markets with scheduled release slated for the second quarter of 2010.

At the heart of the project is DEH’s patented Magnetic Flux Motor Technology and Motor Controller Program.

At present, pre-production vehicles are capable of 180km (112 miles) on a single charge for the city model and 320km (200 miles) for the extended range model.

DEH has further plans beyond basic commuter transport with planned product ranges including high performance sports cars and more luxurious models.

Albert Lam paints a very appealing picture for the future of the PEV industry and the DEH range:

“Our vehicles will be reliable, meet all quality and safety requirements and quite simply outperform internal combustion engine vehicles of the same class, they will be affordable as we look at the competitive market and come without the polluting carbon emissions,”

Electric vehicles have often been touted as the most promising of the environmentally friendly options available.

Agreements such as this will see the technology and public adoption expanding rapidly which is good for consumers and the environment alike.

We’ll bring you more information on Proton/DEH PEV range as work continues so stay tuned

New Proton Persona

Introducing the latest addition to proton family: the new Proton Persona. Featuring pure power, breathtaking performance, an always-accommodating use of space, and many more innovative extras- it’s a car you are bound to take pleasure in driving. And take pride in owning

Proton Persona

Here's my though about proton persona

The Proton Persona (known as the Proton Gen-2 Persona in the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
and Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
) is a small family car manufactured by Malaysian
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
national carmaker Proton since August 2007 and is the successor to the Proton Wira
Proton Wira

The Proton Wira is a automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , released as a four-door saloon and four-door hatchback beginning 1993....
.

Design

Body
The Proton Persona is essentially a saloon based on the Gen-2
Proton Gen-2

The Proton Gen-2 is an automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , and was launched in the third quarter of 2004. The Gen-2 uses a platform which is mostly Malaysian-developed....
hatchback introduced in 2004, and inherits the Persona name from rebadged Wiras
Proton Wira

The Proton Wira is a automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , released as a four-door saloon and four-door hatchback beginning 1993....
sold in certain countries. It addresses several main flaws of the Gen-2, although the Gen-2 itself remains in sale.

The most noticeable difference of the Persona from the Gen-2 is the a separate, larger boot, making it better suited to the local market, as Malaysians prefer saloons (an obvious fact overlooked by Proton's former management). More importantly, the roofline slopes less, addressing the many complaints on the lack of rear headroom.

Interior

The interior was redesigned to incorporate a glovebox
Glove compartment

A glove compartment or glovebox is a compartment built into the dashboard, located over the front-seat passenger's footwell in an automobile, often used for miscellaneous storage....
at the dashboard, an accessory that was not available in the Gen-2. The obtrusive analog clock present in the Gen-2's dashboard has also been replaced by a digital one that now resides in the digital display on the instrument panel. In addition, the door trims and panels were modified to feature more ergonomic window switches and door handles, and the pseudo-racing seats were replaced by more conventional and comfortable ones. Fit and finish is noticeably improved a lot and so are the suspension setting as well because it is tuned more to comfort.

A revised version of the Gen-2 launched on March 3, 2008 also incorporates the interior trims of the Persona.

Engine
The 1.6 liter Campro engine
Campro engine

The Campro engine is the first automotive engine ever developed together with Lotus Cars by the Malaysian carmaker, Proton . The name Campro is short for Cam Profile....
in the Persona is the same unit used in other Proton models but with an improved cast aluminum oil pan
Crankcase

:For the Transformers characters see Crankcase .In an internal combustion engine, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder block....
design that reduces the chances of damage. A transmission control unit
Transmission Control Unit

A transmission control unit or TCU is a device that controls modern electronic automatic transmissions. A TCU generally uses sensors from the vehicle as well as data provided by the Engine Control Unit to calculate how and when to change gears in the vehicle for optimum performance, Fuel efficiency and shift quality....
re-calibration on models with automatic transmissions reduces the hunting of gears and improves gear changes in an attempt to mask the dip in the torque curve
Torque

Torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis . Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
in the lower and middle rev ranges. It has been announced that in early 2008 the Persona will be equipped with new Campro engines that incorporate a new variable-geometry intake manifold
Variable Length Intake Manifold

Variable Length Intake Manifold is an automobile engine manifold technology. As the name implies, VLIM can vary the length of the intake tract in order to optimize power and torque, as well as provide better fuel efficiency....
module (Campro IAFM engine
Campro engine

The Campro engine is the first automotive engine ever developed together with Lotus Cars by the Malaysian carmaker, Proton . The name Campro is short for Cam Profile....
) which improves low-end torque and high-rev breathing.

Reception
With a more attractive price tag that ranges from RM44,999 to RM55,800 (about RM10,000 cheaper than the equivalent Gen-2), demand of the Persona continues to outstrip supply. Over 2,000 pre-launch bookings were made. Within two weeks after launch, the figure increased to 11,000 bookings. Demand hit close to 19,000 bookings barely 2 weeks later. Originally intending to produce Personas at a rate of 4,000 cars per month, Proton has pledged to ramp up the production to 8,000 units per month to meet the unforeseen demand.

As a result of the Persona's debut, sales for the Proton Waja
Proton Waja

The Proton Waja is a sedan car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton , first released in August 2000. The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car, with a chassis derived from a Mitsubishi Carisma and a Volvo S40....
and the Proton Gen-2
Proton Gen-2

The Proton Gen-2 is an automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , and was launched in the third quarter of 2004. The Gen-2 uses a platform which is mostly Malaysian-developed....
significantly slowed down, causing Proton dealers to offer large amounts of discounts up to RM 9,000 to sell off the remaining models of Waja and Gen-2. This has been somewhat offset by the release of the new CPS engine in the Waja and Gen-2, which attempts to place the latter two models in a slightly higher market segment.

Export market
On 10 March 2008, Proton UK announced the new addition of the Proton Persona sedan to the British market, which is known as the Proton Gen-2 Persona, while the Personas sold in other countries (such as Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
and Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
) retain the name Persona. Besides UK, Proton also uses the name Gen-2 Persona for the Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
n market. The Persona was launched by PROTON Holdings Berhad Managing Director Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 22 November and in Egypt on 24 November. The Gen2 model was also jointly launched in Egypt.

Awards
During the 2008 Asian Auto - Bosch
Bosch

Bosch is a popular surname in Catalan language and Dutch language; it means forest. It may refer to:Places*Bosch, Buenos Aires, Argentina...
Fuel Efficiency Awards, the Proton Persona won the first place of the Family Car category, with the reported average fuel consumption of .

2008 Proton Persona SE
Proton unveiled in Malaysia a Merdeka special edition of the Proton Persona called the Proton Persona SE on the 26th of August 2008. The Proton Persona SE has a bodykit, different alloy wheels, matte silver door handles and front grille, a leather interior and a GPS navigation system.

Facts you need to know about Proton Gen-2 Persona

Here's my though about proton persona

The Proton Persona (known as the Proton Gen-2 Persona in the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
and Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
) is a small family car manufactured by Malaysian
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
national carmaker Proton since August 2007 and is the successor to the Proton Wira
Proton Wira

The Proton Wira is a automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , released as a four-door saloon and four-door hatchback beginning 1993....
.

Design

Body
The Proton Persona is essentially a saloon based on the Gen-2
Proton Gen-2

The Proton Gen-2 is an automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , and was launched in the third quarter of 2004. The Gen-2 uses a platform which is mostly Malaysian-developed....
hatchback introduced in 2004, and inherits the Persona name from rebadged Wiras
Proton Wira

The Proton Wira is a automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , released as a four-door saloon and four-door hatchback beginning 1993....
sold in certain countries. It addresses several main flaws of the Gen-2, although the Gen-2 itself remains in sale.

The most noticeable difference of the Persona from the Gen-2 is the a separate, larger boot, making it better suited to the local market, as Malaysians prefer saloons (an obvious fact overlooked by Proton's former management). More importantly, the roofline slopes less, addressing the many complaints on the lack of rear headroom.

Interior

The interior was redesigned to incorporate a glovebox
Glove compartment

A glove compartment or glovebox is a compartment built into the dashboard, located over the front-seat passenger's footwell in an automobile, often used for miscellaneous storage....
at the dashboard, an accessory that was not available in the Gen-2. The obtrusive analog clock present in the Gen-2's dashboard has also been replaced by a digital one that now resides in the digital display on the instrument panel. In addition, the door trims and panels were modified to feature more ergonomic window switches and door handles, and the pseudo-racing seats were replaced by more conventional and comfortable ones. Fit and finish is noticeably improved a lot and so are the suspension setting as well because it is tuned more to comfort.

A revised version of the Gen-2 launched on March 3, 2008 also incorporates the interior trims of the Persona.

Engine
The 1.6 liter Campro engine
Campro engine

The Campro engine is the first automotive engine ever developed together with Lotus Cars by the Malaysian carmaker, Proton . The name Campro is short for Cam Profile....
in the Persona is the same unit used in other Proton models but with an improved cast aluminum oil pan
Crankcase

:For the Transformers characters see Crankcase .In an internal combustion engine, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder block....
design that reduces the chances of damage. A transmission control unit
Transmission Control Unit

A transmission control unit or TCU is a device that controls modern electronic automatic transmissions. A TCU generally uses sensors from the vehicle as well as data provided by the Engine Control Unit to calculate how and when to change gears in the vehicle for optimum performance, Fuel efficiency and shift quality....
re-calibration on models with automatic transmissions reduces the hunting of gears and improves gear changes in an attempt to mask the dip in the torque curve
Torque

Torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis . Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
in the lower and middle rev ranges. It has been announced that in early 2008 the Persona will be equipped with new Campro engines that incorporate a new variable-geometry intake manifold
Variable Length Intake Manifold

Variable Length Intake Manifold is an automobile engine manifold technology. As the name implies, VLIM can vary the length of the intake tract in order to optimize power and torque, as well as provide better fuel efficiency....
module (Campro IAFM engine
Campro engine

The Campro engine is the first automotive engine ever developed together with Lotus Cars by the Malaysian carmaker, Proton . The name Campro is short for Cam Profile....
) which improves low-end torque and high-rev breathing.

Reception
With a more attractive price tag that ranges from RM44,999 to RM55,800 (about RM10,000 cheaper than the equivalent Gen-2), demand of the Persona continues to outstrip supply. Over 2,000 pre-launch bookings were made. Within two weeks after launch, the figure increased to 11,000 bookings. Demand hit close to 19,000 bookings barely 2 weeks later. Originally intending to produce Personas at a rate of 4,000 cars per month, Proton has pledged to ramp up the production to 8,000 units per month to meet the unforeseen demand.

As a result of the Persona's debut, sales for the Proton Waja
Proton Waja

The Proton Waja is a sedan car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton , first released in August 2000. The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car, with a chassis derived from a Mitsubishi Carisma and a Volvo S40....
and the Proton Gen-2
Proton Gen-2

The Proton Gen-2 is an automobile manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton , and was launched in the third quarter of 2004. The Gen-2 uses a platform which is mostly Malaysian-developed....
significantly slowed down, causing Proton dealers to offer large amounts of discounts up to RM 9,000 to sell off the remaining models of Waja and Gen-2. This has been somewhat offset by the release of the new CPS engine in the Waja and Gen-2, which attempts to place the latter two models in a slightly higher market segment.

Export market
On 10 March 2008, Proton UK announced the new addition of the Proton Persona sedan to the British market, which is known as the Proton Gen-2 Persona, while the Personas sold in other countries (such as Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
and Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
) retain the name Persona. Besides UK, Proton also uses the name Gen-2 Persona for the Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
n market. The Persona was launched by PROTON Holdings Berhad Managing Director Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 22 November and in Egypt on 24 November. The Gen2 model was also jointly launched in Egypt.

Awards
During the 2008 Asian Auto - Bosch
Bosch

Bosch is a popular surname in Catalan language and Dutch language; it means forest. It may refer to:Places*Bosch, Buenos Aires, Argentina...
Fuel Efficiency Awards, the Proton Persona won the first place of the Family Car category, with the reported average fuel consumption of .

2008 Proton Persona SE
Proton unveiled in Malaysia a Merdeka special edition of the Proton Persona called the Proton Persona SE on the 26th of August 2008. The Proton Persona SE has a bodykit, different alloy wheels, matte silver door handles and front grille, a leather interior and a GPS navigation system.