Proton Archives

Updated Proton Iriz and Persona set to take the fight to Perodua!

The Proton Iriz and the Persona have always only enjoyed some success in the Malaysian B-segment. Not a lot as the competition in that segment is intense and the Myvi really is king of the hill. But that much desired segment success that Proton has longed for could just be around the corner.

To achieve this, Proton has updated the Iriz and Persona for 2019, and both now offer first in-class technology features.

For starters, the cars now feature intelligent infotainment systems accessed via a 7-inch touchscreen function. What this means is that both the Iriz and Persona use an embedded eSim card that connects the car to the internet.

Through this system, the car offers applications for music streaming and online navigation. And through the eSim, the system will also receive Over The Air (OTA) updates with new apps added to the system when they become available.

It also has 16GB of internal memory and features a mirroring function for Android smart phones.

And for those who were impressed with the voice recognition which made its debut in the X70, the Iriz and the Persona too offer the same voice recognition app with the now famous catchphrase ‘Hi Proton’!

An updated car usually features aesthetic updates as well, and both the Iriz and the Persona too feature an extensive exterior redesign.

The Proton ‘Ethereal Bow’ grille design which debuted on the X70 now sets the new Iriz apart from the old. And this is completed by a new set of front and rear bumpers, a black rear garnish, new rims, as well as a shark fin antenna.

As for the Persona, Proton says it has been restyled more conservatively but also features the Ethereal Bow as well as the Infinite Weave pattern which is now a styling trademark for Proton.

The restyled Persona is topped off by a new boot spoiler, updated bumpers and new rims.

The prices of both cars have also been revised with prices for the Iriz starting from RM36,700 for the standard 1.3 up to RM50,700 for the top of the line 1.6 CVT.

The Persona on the other hand is priced at RM42,600 for the standard 1.6 manual, and up to RM54,600 for the 1.6 CVT. These prices are for Peninsular Malaysia, our readers from East Malaysia will have to pay RM2,000 more across the board and can refer to the price table below.

But it doesn’t just end there. Proton is spicing up the package even further and gives you an even better reason to buy these two cars.

Proton is offering:

1. Free two-year road tax for cars booked prior to the launch date
2. Free two-year road tax for the first 1,000 units registered
3. Free 5-year internet data with 12GB/year
4. Interest rates starting from just 2.93%
5. Free labour for 3 scheduled service appointments up until 20,000km
6. Insurance coverage package which the table below simplifies for you.

With these updates, especially with the new intelligent infotainment system, Proton is set to continue its march to the top of the market.

The company has enjoyed huge success with the X70 garnering a very healthy 25,000 bookings with 11,000 units delivered.

Proton X70 Amazing Trip to China – COMPLETE!

Remember the group of Proton X70 owners who set out on an adventure of a lifetime a few weeks back? Well, the Proton X70 Amazing Trip participants have completed their 13,000km drive through four countries and 13 cities where they finally reached the home of Proton’s joint venture partner, Geely! (more…)

8,500 Proton X70 delivered in the first 100 days!

It has been just over 100 day since the exciting launch of the highly-regarded Proton X70 here in Malaysia and for the record, PROTON has successfully delivered 8,500 units of their first premium SUV!

The 8,500th unit of the Proton X70 was delivered to Malaysian law firm Lee Allen Hishammuddin & Gledhill (LHAG). (more…)

Pakistan’s Proton Assembly Plant begins

A project for the first ever CKD assembly plant for Proton vehicles in Pakistan officially began today when the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Yang Amat Berhormat Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, His Excellency Mr. Imran Khan, signed a ceremonial marble plaque at an event held in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The plant, to be built at a Greenfield site in Karachi, will be owned and operated by ALHAJ Automotive, the official distributor for Proton vehicles in Pakistan and is expected to commence operations before the end of 2020. (more…)

Proton X70 owners taking “the road less travelled” – From Malaysia to China!

A group of Proton X70 owners here in Malaysia has decided to go on a trip of a lifetime to China which involves no other mode of transportation apart from their Malaysia’s first premium SUV. Dubbed the Malaysia-China Amazing Trip organised by the Borneo Leisure Touring Team, participants of the amazing trip will be going a 13,000km adventure for 33 days across 4 countries; Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, and finally, China.

The first leg of the journey which already took place earlier covered a distance of 540km where the Proton X70 owners drove from Malaysia to Hatyai, Thailand. The journey which took only 12 hours had a few stops in between including a visit to the PROTON Juru Auto-City and dinner with the folks from PROTON Motors Thailand.

The Borneo Leisure Touring Team are posing for a group photo before departing for Chiang Khong

Day 2 went on without a hitch as the convoy made their way through the longest legs of the trip from Hatyai all the way to Hua Hin. The journey which covered a massive distance of 720km was long and challenging but cruising in the new Proton X70 made the experience much more pleasant than initially anticipated during long-distance driving.

Upon reaching Hua Hin filled with amazing street life, awe-inspiring relics and magnificent beaches, all participants thoroughly enjoyed themselves even after half a day’s journey in the Proton X70. Cruising roughly between 90-120km/h in a comfortable cabin equipped with all the bells and whistles including an air ionizer that kept everyone nice and fresh.

The Borneo Leisure Touring Team departs Hatyai as they prepare for the longest legs of their trip to Hua Hin

Day 3 saw the Proton X70 owners travelling from Hua Hin all the way to the Tak Province which was about 619km away. It was clearly no issues for both owners and vehicles as they go through the entire powerband produced by its 1.8-liter TGDI engine through many small yet scenic towns of Thailand.

The Proton X-70 Fleet reaches the border crossing at the Yunnan Province, China

Day 4 and 5 were probably two of the biggest challenges of the currently ongoing trip so far as the “road less travelled” has presented to them. It was also filled with many wonderful experiences in between Tak to Chiang Khong and Mengla before crossing over into China. They even made it to the infamous Magic Hill on Highway 105 were by the power of physics and gravity-defying landscape, the Proton X70 set in neutral seemed to roll uphill for about 10 meters!

Members of The Borneo Leisure Touring Team poses for a photo while taking a break from the road

A week has gone by and were pretty sure that there will be more to come from the participants of the Malaysia-China Amazing Trip. Where is the next stop of the Proton X70 convoy? Stay tuned to find out more!

2019 Proton Persona Previewed! FULL Press Release From Proton

The 2019 Proton Persona was officially unveiled to the Malaysian media at PROTON’s Malaysia Design Centre in Shah Alam, COE, yesterday. The B-segment family sedan has been given an exterior redesign as well as an intelligent head unit identical to the one in the 2019 Iriz and based on the system used in the Proton X70. Both the Persona and Iriz are the first models in Proton’s current range to be updated following the collaboration with Geely and the official launch of both vehicles is currently planned to occur simultaneously by end-March 2019.

The 2019 Proton Persona

Flash booking promotion to start on 12 March…

PROTON will be holding a ‘flash promotion’ for the 2019 Persona. Interested buyers can place an online booking for only RM9.99, which begins on 11 March 2019 and ends at 11.59pm on 22 March 2019. “PROTON aims to make its cars accessible to as many potential buyers as possible. That is why the RM9.99 flash promotion is being offered for the 2019 Persona. The low commitment fee is just one part of the deal. The convenience of being able to place a booking online from virtually anywhere there is a data line is the second part of the equation, making the act of booking a car simple and fast,” said Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of PROTON (below, left).

Due to popular demand, the flash promotion offer for the Proton Iriz will also be extended to end on the same day as the promotion for the 2019 Persona. This means customers will be able to place a booking for either car online until 22 March. The first joint customer preview of the Persona and Iriz will take place this weekend 16 – 17 March at Proton Edar 3S centre in Plentong, Johor Bahru. Previously, customer events had been held at Proton Edar 3S centres at Chan Sow Lin and Damansara but they only featured the Iriz.

Restyled to feature family design elements…
Penned by a team led by the head of PROTON Design, Azlan Othman, the 2019 Persona benefits from expertise drawn from other design centres within the Geely group of companies. Working to a design brief with the model slogan Intelligence That Cares the Persona’s design embodies its three USPs of peerless connectivity, practical functionality and proven safety. It also uses styling elements to create a visual link with other Proton models.

The design updates are subtle but make the Persona stand out from its predecessor. At the front, it receives a new outer grille inspired by the “Ethereal Bow” that debuted on the Proton X70 and also features on the Iriz. The radiator incorporates the “Infinite Weave” pattern sculpted into its design and sits on top of a redesigned front bumper. Sleek new LED daytime running lamps (DRL) are housed over a honeycomb mesh backing while a new bumper lower garnish ties together the new design elements of the front bumper and frames the lower air intake more elegantly.

At the rear, the most noticeable changes are the PROTON name proudly spelled out on the trunk lid garnish and a new bumper lower garnish that enhances the rear visual identity. A slimmer spoiler adds a sporting touch while a new bolder flowing typeface for the Persona name badge matches the overall exterior styling theme. A new 15-inch aluminium wheel design and a shark fin antenna provide the final exterior styling touches.

The intelligent car for families…
Similar to its sister car the Iriz, the 2019 Proton Persona features an intelligent head unit that is equipped with an embedded eSIM card and offers apps for music streaming, weather updates, navigation and voice recognition. Access to the system is via a 7-inch full colour touchscreen with 16GB of internal memory. There is also Wi-Fi connectivity and full mirroring capabilities for Android smart phones via an app.

“The Proton X70 introduced the concept of intelligence to our range of cars and the 2019 Proton Persona and Iriz have now received similar features. Their intelligent head unit offers voice command, weather forecast, navigation and music streaming functions and they can all be accessed using the Hi Proton! catchphrase. These are first in class features for cars in the B-segment so we hope to build on the advantage we now have over our rivals,” added Dr Li Chunrong.

Proton Introduces Updated Persona 1.6 To The Media!

It’s here! From its beginnings in 2007, the effervescent Proton Persona has received a major facelift, but not only that, it’s also had a total of 303 improvements from the previous model. Most notably the “Infinite Weave” and “Ethereal Bow” design cues from the Proton X70 have now also been added to this Persona FL.

Available in 4 variants all utilising the same 1.6-litre engine, 3 of the 4 variants are mated to a CVT gearbox, however, one variant will be offered with a 5-speed manual transmission. Which of course begs the question, will this powertrain see its way into the Proton Iriz? Don’t forget during the media preview of the latter, it was noted that the “R” in Iriz was larger and painted red, clearly signifying for something a lot more sporty to come… You can read more about the FL Iriz in this link here.

As far as features are concerned, the 2019 Persona is loaded to the g(r)illes with kit, for example, in the top of the line model, GKUI or voice-command is now standard equipment, and across the range, both active and passive safety systems are very admirable, for example, all variants are equipped with ABS, Traction Control, Electronic Stability Control, and Brake Assist & EBD, not to mention Hill-Hold Assist and a Reverse Camera with all-round parking sensors. Passive safety wise, all variants get 6-Airbags. This has warranted the 2019 Persona to receive a full 5-Star Asean NCAP Safety Rating.

The Official 2019 Proton Persona Press Release will be in the next installment, so stay tuned!