Proton Exora officially revealed: Full details

It has been 18 months since Proton’s first MPV project was conceived, and now after many spyshots and teaser images, as well as an embargo break, Malaysia’s national auto maker Proton has finally revealed the Proton Exora MPV, which carries a huge potential in reshaping Proton’s image. The launch event took place in Kuala Lumpur and was officiated by the newly appointed front man of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as well as Tun Dr. Mahathir, the former prime minister who helped introduce Proton about two decades ago.

Exterior, Body Structure & Powertrain.

The Proton Exora is currently offered in two forms; the base Exora 1.6L A/T M-Line priced at RM69,998.00 and the top-of-the-line Exora 1.6L A/T H-Line which can be fetched for RM75,998.00. Compared to the Nissan Grand Livina which is pitted as the Exora’s top competitor, Proton’s MPV is heavier at 1,422 kg compared to 1,245 kg. The Exora is also longer by 172 mm at 4,592 mm, wider by 119 mm at 1,809 mm and stands taller by 101 mm at 1,691 mm. It also has a longer wheelbase of 2,730 mm instead of 2,600 mm with the Nissan.

The front wheel drive 7-seater Proton Exora is pinned on a platform that was co-developed with LG CNS and on the outside it features a pretty good looking, matured design that is finished with LED brake lights, bee-sting antenna mounted at the front, chrome on the rear strip (for H-Line), chrome trim on the front grille (for H-Line), electric wing mirrors as well as 15 inch wheels wrapped with either Goodyear Assurance or Silverstone Kruizer tires in 195/65R15 sizes. The H-Line also gets black-out stickers on the B-pillar and C-pillar.

Suspension wise, the Exora features MacPherson struts up front with a torsion beam setup at the rear. The interesting part is that Proton has also made ready a multi-link rear suspension for the Exora, in case Proton sees a potential for it in the future, for the domestic or international market. The Exora is powered by a 1.6 liter Campro CPS that is able to produce 125HP at 6,500 revs and 150Nm of torque at 4,500 revs. Although on paper the Exora has an extra 21HP compared to the Livina with the same torque figures, the Exora is heavier, by 177 kg, which is a pretty huge margin actually and which also means that the 1.6 Campro CPS has more work to do. With the 4 speed automatic, the Exora cruises at 110 km/h with the engine working at 3,000 revs. Fuel consumption is rated at 9.2 liters per 100 kilometers based on the combined cycle, while consuming 7.2 liters at a constant speed of 90 km/h. Key safety features are made up by dual airbags and an ABS system. Continue reading for the rest of the report and to view an image gallery.

According to Proton, the Exora was designed to achieve a 4-star rating in the Euro NCAP system and has thus far passed an equivalent test in a testing facility in Spain. The Exora also features a single front end module that is made of a combination of composite resin/high grade plastic and metal in certain areas to reinforce it. It serves as the front end structure while integrating the heat and fluid system mounts, bumper mounts and lighting system mounts. This results in a slight decrease in weight, higher control of quality in terms of production, lower cost, ease of assembly as well as provides a better fine-tuning ability for the crumple zone, since it uses 5 parts instead of 12 major parts of a conventional module.

Exora’s Body Control Module (BCM).

As reported earlier, the Proton Exora MPV is also fitted with a Body Control Module (BCM) that helps control a number of functions in the Exora. Supplied by Continental AG (Siemens VDO unit), the BCM offers the following:

* A battery saver for room lamps, luggage and key ring illumination. These turn off after 30 seconds to ensure they do not make your battery flat if for some reason they are left in a situation where they are on all the time.
* Follow-me-home headlamps stay on for a certain period of time to help light up your walkway when you park and want to enter your house.
* The battery level for the remote key is indicated on the car’s instrument panel briefly when you turn the ignition on. The remote key has a range of 20 meters.
* The remote control will not work if your front door is not closed. The vehicle will also remind you if you activate a remote command if the rear door is not closed.
* There is a door open indicator on the instrument panel that indicates exactly which door, engine bay hood or rear hatch is not closed.
* There is a door opening warning when you reach a speed of 7km/h if any doors are open.
* Tap feature for the signal indicator stalk. This is similar to alot of modern cars – you just have to tap the indicator stalk (not press fully) for the signal to flash 3 times to indicate a lane change and stop automatically, no need to press fully to turn on and reach for it again to deactivate it.
* Dim-in and dim-out feature for the interior room lamps – Proton says this is better for the eyes at night and it also adds a certain touch of class. The interior room lamps turn off automatically after you lock the car, or they also stay on for 30 seconds and then fade out in 2.8 seconds. When you unlock the car, the room light fade-in in 3.4 seconds.
* Front and rear wiper washer drip wiping – automatically wipe to remove excess water. What happens is when you operate the front washer, it will wipe 4 times and then pause for 5 seconds and then wipe one more time, to remove all the excess water effectively. This is because some of the washer liquid from the top of the windscreen will slowly drip down after the initial wiping, so the last wipe completely removes the washer water.
* Programmable front wiper interval. This can be anything from 1 seconds to 25 seconds. The default is 4 seconds. This is how you program it – you put it into INT and then back to off. Then you wait for the duration you want and turn switch it to INT again. The time duration you waited will become the new interval, up to a max of 25 seconds.
* The rear wiper turns on automatically when you engage reverse gear if your front wipers are on.
* If in SLOW mode, the front wiper changes mode to INT mode when you bring the MPV to a complete stop, let’s say in a traffic jam in the rain.
* The remote unlocks the drivers door only if pushed once – probably push twice to unlock all doors. Apparently you are able to configure this to unlock all doors at once by default.
* There is an alarm activation history kept but I am not sure how to access it, perhaps only at the service center.
* The doors will lock automatically once you reach a speed of 20 km/h.
* The doors will unlock automatically once you remove the key from the key barrel.
* All doors unlock automatically upon a crash via a signal coming from the airbag control unit.
* If you perform any sudden braking at speeds of at least 96 km/h, the hazard lights will flash automatically.


Interior.

The H-Line Exora comes with cruise control, an LCD screen with DVD player, leather seats as well as a touch screen portable GPS device while both models retain the Bluetooth hands-free system, audio streaming functionality of the 2-DIN head unit and air conditioning with two blowers and air vents for all three rows. There are also ample cup holders as well as a “teh tarik” hook. The leather seats on the H-Line also have a suede-like material at the sides that would be allowed to expand and contract in a certain way under the hot Malaysian climate which then reduces the chances of them cracking, something common for full leather seats. The third row seats can be folded down flat while the second row can be folded front wards. There is also a compartment on the floor behind the third row.

The DVD entertainment in the H-Line variant is mounted at the roof of the 2nd row. Othar than being able to take in DVDs, it can also read files from an SD Card. It also allows you to stream the audio from the DVD to the head unit installed up front via FM transmission. There are also two headphone jacks.


Current OTR Pricing with Insurance:

Proton Exora 1.6L A/T M-Line Metallic – RM69,998.00
Proton Exora 1.6L A/T M-Line Solid – RM69,548.00
Proton Exora 1.6L A/T H-Line Metallic – RM75,998.00
Proton Exora 1.6L A/T H-Line Solid – RM75,548.00

PROTON EDAR TARGETS TO SELL 165,000 PROTON CARS THIS YEAR.

SHAH ALAM, Feb 3 — Proton Edar Sdn Bhd, the marketing arm of Proton Holdings Bhd, aims to sell 165,000 proton cars this year from 148,027 units last year, says Chief Executive Officer Mohamad Shukor Ibrahim.

He said the higher sales target stemmed from aggressive marketing strategies to compete with established car companies, introduction of new upper-end sedan model and rising consumer sentiment in view of improved economic outlook.

“We’ll unveil new models towards the second half of this year to attract customers and excite the car industry amid the competitve market,” he told reporters after the Proton Drive for Holiday Campaign prize-giving ceremony.

Mohamad Shukor said the company sold 14,485 units or 14 per cent increase last month as compared with 10,134 units in the same period last year, driven by strong sales of Proton Saga, Proton Persona and Proton Exora.

He said Proton Edar was confident of consolidating its 257 outlets, including outlets under Edaran Otomobil Nasional Bhd and authorised dealers, to 191 by year-end.

He said the rationalisation would ensure profitability for all dealers and benefits to existing and new customers as a stronger network would improve services.

On challenges in the automotive industry, Mohamad Shukor said the likely increase in the overnight policy rate (OPR) this year would affect sales, adding that the market was currently enjoying lower rate over the last 20 years.

He said the hike in OPR towards the second half of this year was sensitive to the industry as banks would start tightening lending criteria while household finances become fragile following lower disposable income.

Specification of Proton Exora

The Proton Exora is a New Lifestyle Family Mover which combines advanced styling, space and multi usage, high quality design, and good performance without neglecting the value for money factor.Proton Exora is built with a spacious interior which sits 7 adults comfortably. The dual blower air cond with individual vents for each row adds comfort for all passengers. Its safe cabin features high tensile steel cage coupled with hydro forming sub-frame providing high level of safety.
It also features several intelligent functions such as programmable door lock and programmable front wiper speed which are controlled by an integrated module.Proton Exora High Line AT is available at OTR RM 75,998 and Medium Line AT is available at RM69,998.
There are six (6) body colours offered for Proton Exora:
* Genetic Silver
* Tranquility Black
* Blue Haze
* Solid White
* Gaia Blue (new)
* Pyrite Brown (new)
The manufacturer warranty period is 3 years or 100,000km. Extended Warranty Period (EWP) is 2 years or 75,000km. This makes total warranty period of 5-year or 175,000km.
Interest rate is 3.75% up to 9 years with EWP. This is a standard offer to all Proton Exora customers. EWP is NOT an optional feature.A very reasonable maintenance cost is estimated at RM 1,980.00 for the first 2 years. Service intervals, after the first 3 services, are at 10,000km intervals.For the time being, Proton Exora is not offered under the Xchange Program.EON will also be selling the Proton Exora
The Proton Exora is the 7th product developed by Proton after Waja, Gen2, Savvy, Satria Neo, Persona and Saga. Proton has been improving its products in terms of quality and reliability each time through its experience and lessons learnt.A lot of effort has been made to ensure that The Proton EXORA gives maximum driving pleasure, including the application of damping pads
and noise suppressors in strategic location within chassis and body panels. Internal test shows that Proton Exora noise level is lower than previous models.
The Proton Exora uses a 1.6L Proton CamPro Engine, with CPS (Cam-Profile Switching). CPS benefit aids fuel efficiency as well as enhances uphill driving.Our Testing team has proven the output of the 1.6L CamPro CPS meets all the criteria set forth. The development team has put great effort to ensure the powertrain meets not only running performance targets but also fuel consumption.
The new hydro-forming material used to reduce its total bodyweight allows for 1.6L CamPro CPS to reach its maximum power of 125hp.Maximum speed for Proton Exora automatic transmission is 165km/h.BCM is a module designed to control every basic plus additional functions of the car electronically e.g. central locking, alarm, timer etc
Several additional features which is very useful for customers has been added to the BCM, such as:
1. Programmable Wiper Speed
2. Programmable Door Lock
3. Battery Saver Function
4. Follow Home Function
5. Auto Door Unlock
6. Auto Hazard Lights Function
7. Auto Block Door Lock Function
Proton Exora’s body structure is engineered to offer the best crash protection among competitors in its class. ABS and dual airbags, which is specially tuned for the Proton Exora’s extra weight and size, are part of the standard package offered for all variants.
High illumination LED rear combination lights is an extra safety feature.
Proton Exora is developed with the international market in mind, and Proton has adopted European safety standards as guidelines. Proton Exora now meets the strict European safety requirements which are also adaptable to other markets such as Australian Design Rules and GCC Gulf Standards.

Mulling over MPVs

With two child seats, it appears that neither of our cars is able to accommodate anymore passengers. So, we've been feasting our eyes on 7-seater MPVs and have test drove a number of them. Here's a quick personal review.

Toyota Avanza 1.3/1.5: Popular and has good kerbweight/torque ratio. However, the 2nd row is split 50-50 and does not slide (but folds forward... easy access to 3rd row). 2nd and 3rd rows do not fold down flat. Drive is OK. Affordable.

Nissan Grand Livina 1.6/1.8: Popular and has good kerbweight/torque ratio. However, roof is slightly low which may affect perception of space. 2nd row splits 60-40 and slides (access to 3rd row may be tricky for the less agile). 2nd and 3rd rows fold down flat. Very nice to drive. Pricey.. we're misers remember? :o).

Naza Citra 2.0: Popular and has good kerbweight/torque ratio. However, 3rd row seats are quite low and the floor of the 3rd row seems uneven. Very affordable. Probably good as a very affordable 2-litre sedan :o). Did not test drive this one.

Perodua Alza 1.5: Newly lauched and has good kerbweight/torque ratio. However, space seems limited... and the roof is quite low. Nice to drive, better than the Avanza. Very affordable.

Naza Rondo 2.0: Not so popular and has reasonably good kerbweight/torque ratio (it's the heaviest MPV in our list: about 1,600kg). In the new CKD version, the 2nd row slides but only the back splits 60-40, i.e. the entire 2nd row slides (which is rather silly). In the slightly older CBU version, they can slide separately. However, the split seems rather odd because the smaller part is behind the driver. 2nd and 3rd rows fold down flat. Nice to drive. Slightly pricey.

Proton Exora 1.6: Launched earlier than the Alza (still not that very many on the road yet) and does not have an inspiring kerbweight/torque ratio (kerbweight is about 1,400kg). 2nd row is split 60-40 and folds forward. 2nd and 3rd rows fold down flat. Nice to drive inspite of its so-called "underpowered-ness". We test drove it on the steep slopes of Bukit Jambul with 5 adults and 2 kids... no problems. There are aircon vents at all 3 rows. Affordable.

Which one will we choose?

EOCM 2010 Genting Highlands Road Tour

The 1.6 liter Campro CPS engine used in the Proton Exora has been the subject of much criticism, whether called for or not. Yes, having a relatively small engine in a large vehicle is bound to require a little more pedal to the metal but everytime there is a story about the Exora or the Alza on this site there is bound to be those who pop up and say that they’ve tried the Exora in so and so situations and the MPV failed to deliver.

I think other than Proton themselves, the next group of people who are likely to be infuriated by such allegations are the Proton Exora owners themselves. After all, they’ve committed to years of monthly repayments to the Proton family vehicle of their choice and having a personal connection with their car, insulting the Exora is almost like insulting their logic or choice of picking the Exora over its competitors.

Quite interestingly, the Exora owners over at protonexora.com.my (Exora Owners Club Malaysia) have decided to take the matter into their own hands. They’ve actually organised a convoy together up to the Genting Highlands Resort. The EOCM 2010 Genting Highlands Road Tour convoy began last Saturday at the Genting Sempah Rest Area. The Exora went up and down (with no sweat) and the members had a great time. The “Jom Ronda Bersama Proton” crew from TV3 also joined in to feature the convoy in an upcoming segment.

It’s nice to see how much passion these guys have for their Proton Exoras. It’s one vehicle that Proton has managed to tick all the right boxes for its intended target customer – space, comfort and price. It just shows that although you could say Proton has failed us in the past with products that don’t quite right hit the sweet spot, when Proton delivers something good, Malaysians will reciprocate.

Check out the EOCM.

Proton (Carmaker)

Proton LogoPerusahaan Otomobil Nasional better known as National Automobile Enterprise or PROTON, is a Malaysian automobile manufacturer founded in the year 1983. It was Malaysia’s only carmaker for a span of 10 years, until the establishment of Perodua, its competitor. The company has its headquarters at Shah Alam, Selangor, with a manufacturing plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak.

Proton started production of its first car, Proton Saga, in September 1985, with the technology and parts from the Mitsubishi Motors. All the components were at first manufactured by Mitsubishi. As time passed, Proton started producing local parts. Proton Saga was a big hit and they went on to produce the 100,000th Proton Saga in January 1989. The company changed their logo, a year later.

Based on Mitsubishi Lancer/Colt, Proton introduced a new model, Proton Wira, in the year 1993. More than 220,000 units of this model were sold between the years 1996 and 1998. They also started producing their new model, Proton Perdana (which is based on Mitsubishi Galant/Eterna), in 1995. Proton started designing their cars internally by 2001; Proton Waja was the first car and it came out the same year.

In the year 1996, Proton owned Lotus Cars. The gain of additional source of engineering, technology and automotive expertise lead to the production of Proton Gen-2 (code named Wira Replacement Model, WRM). This became the first car to be manufactured and assembled at the new plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak. In 2005, Proton acquired MV Agusta. The same year, they introduced Proton Savvy, the 1200 cc 5-door supermini. It became the second model to be manufactured in Tanjung Malim.

In 2007, Proton launched Persona, its new sedan, a replacement version for Wira Sedan. The consecutive year, the replacement model for Proton Saga, code named Proton BLM, was launched. Soon, they came up with Proton Exora, a multipurpose vehicle.

Proton announced developing of a new fuel efficient model, a hybrid car which would address the environmental concerns, in the year 2008. The same year they again entered in talks with Mitsubishi, for the replacement of Waja (based on Mitsubishi Lancer) and entering certain markets of Proton Persona and Exora as Mitsubishi vehicles.
For over 20 years, Proton exports their cars to more than 25 countries including United Kingdom, Thailand, Iran, South Africa, Australia, Singapore and several Middle-East countries. They began exports from Malaysia and moved on to New Zealand in the late 1980s. But their success was limited to United Kingdom, a market that it entered in the year 1989, along with Ireland. Proton withdrew from New Zealand and Irish market by 1990s.

The company’s sales dropped in the year 2006, and this paved way for Perodua, their competitor, to overtake Proton to become the top selling carmaker in Malaysia. Although the spot is still held by Perodua, it is a fact that Proton have sold about 3 million cars till August 2008, starting from 1985; the 3 millionth car being the second generation Saga.

Proton has initiated talks with Germany’s Volkswagen, to explore the possibility of beginning a strategic partnership. In 2008, Detroit Electric came up with the proposal for production of electric vehicles around the world. According to them, Proton cars are to be used and tested for validation of their technology.

- Devu Narayanan

Proton moves closer to consolidating plants

Proton Holdings Bhd (5304) expects to complete a feasibility study on the consolidation of its car manufacturing plants by the end of the year.

The national carmaker has two plants in the country: in Shah Alam, Selangor, and Tanjung Malim in Perak.
It is understood that the plan is to relocate the Shah Alam plant to Tanjung Malim where the facility occupies 518ha, five times larger than the former.

The Shah Alam plant can produce 230,000 cars a year, while that in Tanjung Malim can make one million.
Talk of consolidating the two plants first surfaced during the stewardship of Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff, who was the chief executive officer until July 2005.

On Proton’s latest offering, the Exora, chief executive officer Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamad Tahir said it had secured 38,000 bookings and that 24,000 units were already on the road. Another 2,300 units have been sold in the Asean region, outside Malaysia.
He was speaking at a press conference after launching Proton’s Family Day at the Shah Alam plant site last Saturday. The event was also attended by Proton adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Salleh.

The Exora is sold in three Asean markets apart from Malaysia, namely Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.
It is set to be launched in the Middle East in the second quarter of this year.
Tun Mahathir, meanwhile, said that one of Proton’s achievements this year would be its participation in the Geneva Motor Show in March.

“This signifies that we have come of age … It will be the first time that the Proton logo will be displayed in such a core show. We won’t tell you what car we will be showcasing,” Syed Zainal Abidin said.

New Exora set to boost Proton sales

PETALING JAYA: The launch of the Proton Exora will boost national carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd’s sales, enhance competition in the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) segment and lift the total industry volume (TIV), analysts said. The Exora, launched on Wednesday, is Malaysia’s first locally produced MPV.

OSK Research auto analyst Ahmad Maghfur Usman has estimated that the Exora could account for 22% to 25% of Proton’s revenue if the company could sell 25,000 units by year-end.

Another analyst from a local research house agrees, saying the Exora could contribute 15% to 25% of Proton’s sales by year-end.
Nancy Boyd with her brand new Proton Exora. Boyd was one of the 10 earliest Exora customers who received the keys to their car on Wednesday

As of yesterday, Proton had received some 3,500 orders for the Exora since Feb 21. Maghfur reckons more than a few potential buyers will flock away from the current popular MPV models given the Exora’s cheaper price and “very spacious interior.”

“Likely models to be affected would be the Toyota Innova and Nissan Grand Livina, given their higher prices relative to the Exora,” he said.

According to the Malaysian Automotive Association, as of February 2009, the local MPV segment had been dominated by UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd’s Avanza and Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd’s Nissan Grand Livina.

The Avanza, with its 1.3 and 1.5-litre models, collectively comprise 34% of the local MPV market while the Grand Livina has 31.6% share. The Exora is about to give the Avanza, Innova and Grand Livina a run for their money, analysts said.

“Challenges faced by the Exora would be meeting the expectations of new and more affluent customers in terms of quality, performance and reliability,” said Kavan Mukhtyar, Frost & Sullivan partner and head of automotive and transportation practice for Asia Pacific.

“If the Exora can meet these demands, then it is likely to steal market share from the medium-to-large car segment and current MPV models.

“We believe that customers will go for newer-looking, contemporary and stylish models since the existing MPV models have been in the market for a few years,” he added.

An industry observer, who claimed to have tested the Exora, said he was impressed with the MPV. “It’s really not bad. I think it will give the other players a run for their money,” he said.

Affin Investment Bank analyst Chong Lee Len said the selling point of the Exora was its price.

“The Exora is not subject to import duties, hence the ability to be priced lower than its competitors. Parts and components are also 90% local,” she said.

Mukhtyar said: “The Exora will definitely help boost TIV for 2009 but it will not be very significant due to the relatively small MPV segment, which accounted for about 10% (of TIV) in 2008.”

“There will be some replacement buyers from the MPV and mid-segment car customers and it will have some positive impact on MPV sales,” he told StarBiz.

proton secures encouraging bookings at the 2009 thai motor expo with exora leading the way

exora-side

Proton received an encouraging number of bookings at the recently concluded Thailand International Motor Expo 2009, which was held from 2 to 13 December in Bangkok. The company’s order books were filled with 1,388 bookings from a total of 25,220 orders placed at the Expo.

In fact, Proton recorded higher figures than all brands except for Toyota, Honda, Isuzu, Mazda and Mitsubishi, most of which have pick-ups in their range. Not bad at all for a relatively new player in the market.

The Exora, which made its Thai debut at the show, was the best selling Proton model with 825 bookings, or almost 60 per cent of total orders. The Savvy was the next best-seller with 270 units. Proton’s MPV is priced from 700,000 baht in Thailand, while its supermini starts from 399,000 baht. Meanwhile, 155 people put their names down for the Persona CNG, which is powered by compressed natural gas.

Since entering the Thai market in 2007, Proton has successfully placed itself among the top 10 brands in passenger car sales and things are definitely looking up for them in the Land of Smiles.

proton exora(mpv)

This is an updated post on the Proton Exora-Protan MPV which i posted last month. The new Proton MPV is given name of Proton Exora based on the name of the Ixora flower, with the tagline “Keriangan Keluarga”.
Proton MPV will be launched by April 2009. It will be priced under RM 80,000 and will be available in 5 colours - Genetic Silver, Tranquility Black, Blue Haze, Pyrite Brown and Gaia Blue. It will have SRS airbags as standard. Proton Exora will be expected to use Campro CPS engine. The image of Proton Exora is white but its not in the colours provided by Proton. (Source)

The instrumentation panel hood and upper dash seems to have a different texture from the rest of the dashboard and the center dash area where the 2-DIN head unit and air condition controls are also seem to have a sort of brushed look to it.
The seats are in the typical three-row MPV 2-3-2 order for 7 seats, and Proton claims them to be suitable for full adult seating.

The Proton Exora will have an overhead LCD player that can read VCDs and DVDs along with a variety of other storage devices such as devices using USB input, and a memory card slot that supports SD and MMC.

It looks like most cars have foldable back seat. Even the new Honda City 2009 and Myvi has foldable seats to ensure more space if need to transport things. Most Image and infomation is from (Paultan)