SUBANG JAYA, 14 October 2010 – National car manufacturer PROTON Holdings Berhad today announced the arrival of the Inspira, an all-new mid-sized four-door sedan in the Proton model line-up that will be unveiled in full to the public in November.

The latest edition to Proton’s line-up, the Inspira can be booked from today at all Proton Edar showrooms nationwide with price starting tentatively from RM79,888. With all that it has been packaged with, the Inspira, a C-segment car, is indeed a value-for-money. Bookings is set at a minimum fee of RM1,000. As an appreciation to early birds, those who book the car from today until 15th November 2010, will get a free two-year or first 50,000km (whichever comes first) Service Package which includes free labor charges and service parts worth RM1,658 in total.

Announcing the arrival of the new model and the winner of the car’s naming contest today, PROTON Holdings Berhad Group Managing Director Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said the Inspira is a step further in our efforts towards enhancing the company’s technological capabilities to emerge as a global car manufacturer.

“We maintain our stance in making valuable products more affordable for Malaysians. The car’s distinctive sporty personality has been further enhanced by us with the injection of the renowned Lotus DNA of excellent ride & handling, while localisation of parts has enabled us to introduce the Inspira at an affordable price. With these combined, what we have here is what we believe to be another right car, at the right price and at the right time by PROTON,” said Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin.

Elegance has also been emphasized on the model, and PROTON believes the Inspira will appeal to a wide cross section of car buyers, from professionals and senior executives to car enthusiasts and those in the market for a spacious and comfortable family car.

The Inspira also underscores a new strategic alliance with Mitsubishi Motor Corporation of Japan, becoming the first Proton car to be equipped with Mitsubishi’s Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control system or in short MIVEC technology. MIVEC optimizes valve timing to increase performance across a broad engine speed range.

PROTON also offers the Continuously Variable Transmission or CVT with Intelligent & Innovative Vehicle Electronic Control System (INVECS-III) in a variant of the Inspira. It is an advanced system that automatically selects the optimal gear ratio based on road and driving conditions with a self-learning ability to match an individual’s driving style. This new transmission will also offer customers paddle shifting capability for a new level of enjoyment and convenience.

Among the other practical features customers stand to gain from include auto-cruise; automatic light and rain sensors; welcome and coming home light system; fully automatic air-conditioning system with climate control system for both front and rear occupants; all-round airbags for the safety of all passengers; and a security tint film which will provide solar heat rejection of up to 48%.

Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin said Inspira originates from the Bahasa Malaysia word Inspirasi which in English means inspiration.
“It is a strong and fitting description of the car’s bold and stylish appearance and outstanding driving experience which we believe will inspire an individual to wanting to own one.”

The name Inspira was chosen from a list of 2,797 proposed names received in an internally-organized contest for employees held between the 10th and 25th February this year.

The winner, Saiful Yazan bin Nasir from the Electrical Engineering Department of PROTON’s Research & Development Division, received RM10,000 in cash, a GPS Navigator, two passes to the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show in December, and a special invitation to the launch of the vehicle in November.

Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin also thanked all Malaysians and prospective car buyers for their continued support and faith in PROTON, as well as their criticisms and concern over the national car company, all of which he said have been positively accepted and inspired us to strengthen the company’s resolve to emerge as a global car manufacturer.

News by www.proton.com

To learn more about the Inspira, visit your nearest Proton Edar showroom today

proton inspira inspira proton new model

Proton Inspira Promo Truck Finally Revealed



Proton Inspira replacement model for Proton Waja



proton inspira inspira waja

Proton has unveiled that Proton Inspira is the official name for its replacement model Proton Waja , which has until now been only referred to by its internal codename, the Proton P3-90A.

The Proton Inspira is developed from a Mitsubishi Lancer with the choice of a Mitsubishi’s 4B10 1.8 liter engine with a 5-speed manual, a Mitsubishi 4B10 1.8 liter engine with a 6-speed virtual ratio CVT gearbox, or a top of the range 2.0 liter 4B11 engine with the same CVT transmission with added steering column paddle shifters.

At launch, the Inspira will have about 26% local content at launch, with the aim of raising it to 40% within the next few months and straight up to 65% within a year from the launch date once the local vendors have been fully prepped. It is built at Proton’s MVF plant.

Available in red, white, black or silver, the new Proton Inspira is now open for booking at any Proton dealer with a deposit of RM1,000. As an appreciation to early birds, Proton will be offering a 2 year (50,000km) free service package worth RM1,658 including parts and labor to those who take delivery of their brand new Proton Inspira for bookings made by the 15th of November 2010 that are delivered before the 31st of December 2010.

The tentative pricing starts from RM79,888 OTR for the 1.8 manual up to not more than RM95k for the top of the line. The 1.8 CVT will be somewhere in the middle. The official pricing will be unveiled at the official launch by the 10th of November 2010.

The photos above is the only thing we can show you for now as there is an embargo that we must respect and official images will only be provided closer to the launch date in early November 2010.

Proton is having a Safety Recall for certain models sold between April 2004 to June 2008. There is an issue with the Clock Spring (slip ring), which is something that connects the switches and airbag in the steering wheel to the radio, horn and cruise control.

According to Proton, their engineers have identified irregular performance in Clock Spring components of the Proton Gen.2 and Satria Neo models equipped with the auto-cruise function, manufactured between April, 2004 to June, 2008. The affected Clock Spring may cause the following symptoms:

* Noises when turning the steering wheel.
* Unintentional triggering of the car horn.
* Malfunction of car audio remote button on the steering wheels.
* Self-deployment of the air bag in rare cases.
* Unable to start car due to short circuit of the electronic components.

If you drive a Gen.2 or Satria Neo purchased between April 2004 to June 2008 you are advised to contact your nearest Proton authorized service center to book an appointment for full inspection and rectification work. Call Proton for the full information:

* Proton i-care hotline: 1-300-880-888

“Although the number is small, the safety of our customers is paramount and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. The recall is an example of the commitment we place on our customers’ safety, and the reliability of our vehicles under Proton Global Quality Assurance programme. We hope our customers understand that this recall is necessary to ensure their continued confidence in the safety and performance of their vehicles,” said managing director Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

This is one of the rare few times we’ve seen any Malaysian company call a recall by what it really is – a recall, instead of ‘service campaign’ or whatever other alternative names they can come up with.

UPDATE: Proton says the recall affects a total of 5,836 cars in Malaysia, comprising 4,128 Proton Gen.2 1.6 A/T H-Line and 1,708 Proton Satria Neo 1.6 A/T Hi-Line cars, with auto cruise function.