Proton Saga facelift unveiled at Thai Motor Expo 2010

We’re here at the Thai Motor Expo 2010 for some pre-KLIMS motorshow action, where Proton has unveiled the 2011 Proton Saga facelift! Here’s an initial list of changes from what we’re able to tell so far:

The entire front end has pretty much changed from the head lamps, grille, bumper, and even the engine hood sheet metal design. The new engine hood now creases in a way that makes the left and right sides of the hood higher. There’s also a very faint spine in the middle of the hood, where in the pre-facelift Saga it was flat.

The headlamps now appear to use three bulbs instead of the previous two bulb config – we think this means there’s a dedicated bulb for high beam now. The signal lamps have been moved towards the inside of the lamps.

The wing mirrors now have turn signal indicators.

The rear end also has significant changes. The tail lamps are new and have LED lighting. There’s a small spoiler on the boot lid, and because of the spoiler design the Saga badge has to be relocated slightly to the left.

The bumper now has a black insert for the diffuser-like design feature, and it’s now wider with reflector lenses and shaped to show off the exhaust muffler and tail pipe, as opposed to the pre-FL Saga which had its rear end designed to hide the exhaust tail pipe.

The 1-DIN Clarion radio looks the same to us (except for the MP3/WMA logos which indicate support for those files), but there are new USB and AUX-in ports which are not integrated into the radio but are instead positioned to the lower right of the radio. This takes up some of the cubby hole space below the radio.

The steering wheel now has audio control buttons, similiar in style to the Satria Neo’s.

The fabric pattern on the door cards and the seats are now of a different design (old one is on the left). The baseline model in Thailand has a yet another different fabric pattern, and the one we are showing above in comparison to the old fabric is the high spec fabric pattern.

There are now rear power window button controls. As for which of the Malaysian car specs will feature rear power windows and which won’t, we’ll have to wait for the Malaysian launch.

There’s a new alloy wheel design, but the tyre size is the same as before – 185/60R14.

There’s now the option for a front passenger airbag which takes up the ’tissue box’ holder compartment in the pre-facelift Saga.

These are the only changes we are able to see so far, and we have to note that some of these updates like the USB/AUX function, the extra airbag and the rear power windows could only be for the higher spec models. Four colours are available in Thailand – Solid White, Tranquility Black, Genetic Silver and the new colour you see here which is Blue Rock.

There could be other changes on the mechanical side of things though, which we will probably only be able to find out when we speak to Proton’s engineers in Malaysia. The Thai spec sheet (which you will be able to see after the jump) quotes 70kW and 120Nm, which is the same as the pre-facelift Saga.

Still remember about Proton Putra? So, today we would like to bring a story about Proton Putra as our “Flashback” topic every week.The Proton Putra is a favourite amongst Malaysian car enthusiasts due to its limited number.Production of the Proton Putra started in 1995 for the first model and ended in 2000, but was briefly relaunched in limited numbers in 2004 to 2005 available just in Malaysia. The reasoning for the relaunch is to clear of the remaining stocks available at Proton Plant.

The Proton Putra is powered by a Mitsubishi 4G93P DOHC engine, which features a total of 4 cylinders, each with 4 valves and an MPi fuel system.The Putra’s power is derived from a Mitsubishi 4G93P DOHC engine, which features a total of 4 cylinders, each with 4 valves and an MPi fuel system.

The 4G93 is available in both SOHC and DOHC versions. Turbocharged variants are also produced. The 4G93 was the first modern gasoline direct injection engine on its introduction in August 1996, and Mitsubishi produced over a million GDI engines. The SOHC 4G93 provides 86 kW (117 PS; 115 bhp) at 5500 rpm and redlines at 6500 rpm. The DOHC 4G93 GDI has 103 kW (140 PS; 138 bhp) at 6000 rpm and redline at 7600 rpm.

4G93 DOHC 16 Valve

Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI)
Total Displacement - 1834cc
Bore - 81.0mm
Stroke - 89.0mm
Compression Ratio - 12:1
Maximum Output - 96 kW (131 PS; 129 bhp) / 103 kW (140 PS; 138 bhp) @ 6,000 rpm
Maximum Torque - 177 N·m (131 ft·lbf) @ 3,750 rpm / 181 N·m (133 ft·lbf) @ 3,500 rpm

Its engine bay also can equipped with the 4G9x series or 4G6x series.

The Putra is a two-door coupe with front end styling similar to that of both the Proton Wira and the first generation Proton Satria.The taillights of Proton Putra is similar to those of the first generation Satria.The chassis for Proton Putra is M21.In the United Kingdom and Australia, the Putra was sold as the Proton Coupe or Proton M21 but sales were not strong.

Interior side, The standard equipment for Proton Putra included Recaro N-Joy seats, leather Momo Daytona 4 steering and leather Momo gearknob.However, during the relaunching units of Proton Putra in 2004, the interior Recaros, Momo steering and gearknob was not included as standards.

Proton Tiara

The Proton Tiara was a Malaysian automobile based on the Citroën AX, built under licence by the automobile manufacturer Protonbetween 1996 and 2000.

[edit]History

The genesis of the Tiara was the result of an agreement during the mid-1990s between Proton's then CEO, Tan Sri Yahaya Ahmad, andPSA Peugeot Citroën, a producer of Citroën and Peugeot vehicles. Yahaya had expressed wishes that Proton not use Mitsubishiplatforms, and that Proton cooperate with PSA Peugeot Citroën for access to its diesel engines.

Yahaya Ahmad was killed in a helicopter crash in 1997, and Proton returned to using various Mitsubishi-based platforms and developed in-house designed models later. Production of the Tiara ceased in 2000 due to low sales volume; in 2005, the Proton Savvy was launched as a successor to the Proton Tiara.

[edit]Design and market

The Tiara was known as the cheapest used car in its market.^{[verification needed]} Its appearance mimicked that of more powerful Citroën AXs, such as the AX GT, but the grille was restyled to match the existing Saga and Wira models. Other cosmetic differences included different bumpers and taillight clusters. It was only available with a 1.1-litre 45 kW (60 hp) engine.

The Proton Tiara was sold only in the Malaysian market, due to similarities with the Citroën Saxo.