New Preve - It's, well, a Proton

The Preve. Kinda hard to say much about it, because, well, it's a Proton.

As ride handling goes, if you're familiar with how solid and pleasurable the Proton Waja feels, then you're right to expect the same thing from the Preve.

It's also quite punchy. Without the turbo charger, the Preve manual feels similar to the Proton Waja manual version.

With the turbo charger, it's pickup is kicked up more than by several notches.

This means that, for those who have been waiting for a Proton sedan to have a turbo charger in it, the Preve would be just the thing for you.

But then, we come full circle. In the end, it's just a Proton.

Styling wise, it doesn't quite set the design trend like most Proton cars. The Preve, for all intents and purposes, looks like... well, it looks like the Kia Forte. This is not bad, but it's not refreshing either.

So, it won't quite be the head-turner that Proton may have intended it to be.

The Preve is cheap relative to others in its class, but herein lies a threat. Being protected by government taxes means that it can come up short in quality and value-for-money, and still have healthy demand, encouraging Proton to continue with its tendency to produce cars with poor quality control.

Hopefully, the Preve will prove to be different from many of its defect-prone forerunners (the Waja included). After all, Proton has a new tag line now "Committed to be better".

Yeah, well, it had better be. It's been a looooong time coming.

DRB-Hicom to Buy Khazanah Stake - The Proton Saga Continues

Yes, the secret is out. DRB-Hicom is buying out Khazanah's stake in Proton.

Was it such a big surprise? Not really. It was bound to happen.

Proton needs to be weaned off its "subsidies" or rather the protection it receives from the Government that causes the rakyat to pay more for cars.

But Proton is still a national project with a local vendor ecosystem, which means its control needs to remain in Malaysian hands.

And since Khazanah is not in the business of running a car company, it must hand it over to a capable Malaysian car company or a company whose core business involves manufacturing or assembling and selling cars.

So, in comes DRB-Hicom and out goes Khazanah, in spite of the fact that some argue that DRB-Hicom would overstretch its finances if it does go through with the deal.

In any case, the deal or any deal that puts Proton largely, if not exclusively, in private hands is long over due. It should have happened way back when Proton's existence began causing huge distortions to the Malaysian car market.

But instead of quickly letting go of Proton with a view to making it the catalyst for huge foreign direct investments in the automotive sector, Proton was protected even more. As a result, the car market was distorted so badly that, at one point in the early 1990s, you could sell a first generation Proton Saga for the same price you had bought it when it first came out in the the early 1980s, if not more.

I remember CNN making a special report back then about Malaysia being the only place in the world where second hand cars appreciated in value. A reason for taking pride in the national car project? No. Absolutely not.

The actual causes as to why Proton became the market distorting, highly uncompetitive giant has been debated to the point of nausea. So, instead of focusing on that, let's focus on when the punitive taxes on imported cars would be removed (whatever form these taxes may take).

This is the 'elephant in the room' that no one is really talking about and, perhaps, for good reason. Removing Proton's special protection in Malaysia's car market remains a sensitive issue, such that no private investor would want to take control of Proton in the sorry state that it is in right now if market protection did not remain, at least in the short to medium term.

Still, the DRB-Hicom/Khazanah deal is as good as done. So, let's just get straight to 'elephant in the room'.

DRB-Hicom would be obligated to engage Proton's local vendors that form the local automotive ecosystem. But targets must be set.

Those that cannot or will not help Proton become competitive by a certain period must go, because it is simply a question of survival in an open market now. Lest, there would be consequence from Malaysia's neighbours in ASEAN who are pressing for the Malaysian car market to be opened up.

If Proton continues to be protected without any regard for free trade in the ASEAN region, our neighbours will retaliate. Proton's share prices will then take a nose-dive at the very least - the fact that Proton would also then become a hot issue for the Opposition goes almost without saying.

Well, let's hope Proton's saga would continue in a way that would make all Malaysians proud in earnest. The company must be allowed to go on its way without anymore hand-holding or molly-codling by the Government because, in the end, that is the only way to make it truly competitive both domestically and internationally, and the only way to make the national car project a real success.

There is really no point in holding on to a symbol of an era gone by if Proton cannot do its part in generating economic growth for Malaysia that would be comparable to the growth of leading emerging economies like China and India.

Proton Finally Admits that It has Problems wth Power Window

Finally! Proton has acknowledged the long standing complaint about Proton cars having problematic power windows, albeit indirectly.

In the five years that I owned a Proton Waja, I repaired its driver-side power window twice. And I was considered lucky.

In the six, nearly seven years since buying her Proton Wira SE, my mother had to repair her power window around twice as well.

Well, thanks to the many complaints coming from people who suffer from power window issues with Proton cars, new Proton car owners now get a lifetime warranty for power windows. Otherwise, even more people would simply give voice to Proton's power window image problem, I suppose.

Still, while it is good for new Proton cars to have a lifetime warranty for power windows, it's better to not have power window issues at all - judging from my own experience with my Waja, the window could fail when I least expected it and getting it fixed would be time consuming.

In the five years that my wife owned the first generation Mazda 6, she never had a problem with any of the power windows in her car.

In the three years I owned the dreaded Ford Focus, I never experienced the slightest problem with the Focus' power windows.

This is something Proton should really take note of if it wants to survive in an open market.

Proton Adds CLASS to Its Supply Chain Management

Proton has been struggling with its supply chain management for the longest time. This is one of the main reasons why it is unable to compete in a free market in Malaysia and struggles to compete in the free markets overseas.

Fortunately, after more than 25 years of existence, Proton has finally put in place something that could bring it closer to the point where it can exist without Government protection – CLASS or Centre for Logistics, Allocation, Storage and Services. Two of them to be exact, that is one in Sijangkang and the other in Tanjung Malim.

“With this, we have the competitive advantage of a fast delivery system and centralised supply chain centre. We can proudly say that the centralised hubs give us the cost savings benefits in terms of operations and service charges compared to previously,” said Dato’ Sri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, Chairman of Proton Holdings.
Well hooray for Proton. But what does it mean for Malaysians?

According to Proton’s Group Managing Director Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abidin, Proton would be able to maximise its logistics efficiency by reducing delivery time, thereby helping increase customer satisfaction domestically. “Previously, pre-delivery inspection was handled by local and international dealers at the respective service outlets prior to handing the cars to customers. That is no longer the case, as the process is now done at the hubs,” he explained.

Furthermore, the hubs will help Proton standardise the pre-delivery inspection of all vehicles, thus enabling it to reduce a host of problems including multiple handling by 40%, unnecessary waiting time to a maximum of three days and secondary defects, he added.

Reading between the lines, I’d say this simply means Proton would be able to meet customer demand without rushing its products to market, thus upping the quality of its cars.

Well, anything that gets Proton on its feet without the help of “crutches” (or Government protection) is good for its shareholders and Malaysian consumers. And with better quality Proton cars, let’s hope “multiple defects and faults being part of the Proton package” would really become a thing of the past.

Non Proton car owner: “Hey dude, what’s that hissing sound?”

Proton Perdana owner: “Dude, don’t you know? That hissing sound is part of the Proton package!”

Both non Proton car owner and Proton Perdana owner: “HAAA! HA! HA! HA!”

Kia Forte - Last of the Straight-Up "People's Choice" Cars

At the recently held 'Car of the Year Carnival' by Cars, Bikes & Trucks (CBT), the Kia Forte was voted as the "People's Choice" by visitors. This was probably due to the Forte's design appeal and affordability.

A close second was the Hyundai Sonata, which missed winning the award by a small but substantial margin, according to CBT.

I predict that, next year, the "People's Choice" would be a hybrid car.

Why? This is because, in Malaysia, hybrid cars are beginning to be priced at the mid-range car level, if not less.

Yes, the cost of replacement batteries for a hybrid car is a factor to be reckoned with, especially when their replacement price could be about the same as that of replacing an automatic transmission (brand new). Nonetheless, with petrol and diesel prices steadily going up, the ability to cut back on the use of transportation fuel would result in tremendous savings - the hybrid car driver would pay far less for fuel, resulting from driving in the city and suburbs in full-electric mode.

And since the Malaysian Government won't have to dish out higher fuel subsidies (in total) due to reduced fuel consumption, the hybrid car driver enjoys substantial tax breaks, thereby making the hybrid car a value-for-money proposition.

That is to say, as a result of tax breaks given by the Malaysian Government, a hybrid car would cost about as much as its non-hybrid equivalent, if not less.

For example, the Honda Civic Hybrid, which reportedly performs like a Honda Civic 1.8L, is being sold for about RM109,000, which is cheaper than the Honda Civic 1.8L, thanks to the tax breaks provided by the Malaysian Government.

What's more, with the launching of the new Honda Insight Hybrid, prices of hybrid cars could go down even more.

Then there's the Proton Exora Extended Range Electric Vehicle, which is expected to go into production soon. When it does, it might be even cheaper than hybrid cars or cheaper than mid-range cars.

These are exciting times for Malaysian motorists. While the steady increase in oil prices is continuing to put pressure on the cost of living, the standard of living of many Malaysians who rely heavily on private transport can be sustained thanks to the timely affordability of hybrid and electric cars.

Proton's Uninspiring Inspira

Well, it's finally here, the Waja replacement model. It's basically a Mitsubishi Lancer with a face-lift that is less aggressive than the Lancer's looks.

It's about four years old, this model. And as with anything Proton, it's about as good as it gets.

Still struggling with supply chain management issues that keep putting the company on the back foot, Proton now has to ensure that the car's locally manufactured components don't result in the car being as problem riddled as the first generation Waja. Good luck with that.

It's a pity really. All the hard working men and women at Proton are really looking to this car to bolster the company's sales. Yet, all the protectionism that Proton enjoys makes it easy for some of their co-workers and contractors to be complacent about quality.

After all, the domestic car market is a captive market for Proton. It doesn't really have to compete against non-national car players.

So, it's kind of difficult to be enthusiastic about the Proton's Inspira, although a lot of Malaysians who cannot afford to buy non-national cars are looking forward to owning one.

I just hope that in trying to make the car more 'affordable' to Malaysians, Proton hasn't cut too many corners. One corner cutting is obviously the smaller size rims and tyres that makes the Inspira wheel-well gapingly large. Sigh!

Price for price, the high-line Inspira is only about RM4,000 cheaper than the next best thing, which is the Kia Forte 2.0SX. Between the two, I'd go for the Kia Forte any day - the Proton Inspira 2.0 (high-line) is about RM90,000, whereas the Kia Forte 2.0SX is about RM94,000.

With the Forte, the design is far more fresh looking. Plus, with the Forte, you don't have to worry about poor quality issues that many Malaysians have come to expect of Proton cars.

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Addendum: The following was initially a response to a comment, but it's important enough to be placed as part of the main blog entry.

The Proton Inspira is not actually a car whose production is licenced by Mitsubishi. Rather, it is the result of a sale & purchase agreement to buy Mitsubishi parts and put them together with Proton manufactured parts to produce a car that looks like a Mitsubishi Lancer but is actually a Proton Inspira.

It's rather screwy, if you really think about it. Proton is Malaysia's national car company, but the technology behind it is, on the balance, really nothing "national". Initially, Proton was supposed to start off with Mitsubishi technology and graduate to its own technology as a result of technology transfer and know-how.

To a certain degree, it has accomplished that with the Savvy, New Saga and New Persona. But other models still rely heavily on Mitsubishi technology and parts, e.g. Exora and Inspira.

I sympathise with the hardworking men and women of Proton who are trying their level best to make the best of a bad situation.

At the same time, I am enraged by the fact that Proton's lack of competitiveness has caused Malaysians in general to suffer from artificially inflated car prices for more than 25 years, just to keep Proton afloat - the protectionism comes chiefly in the form of steep duties levied on fully imported and locally assembled foreign marquees, all of which is made worse by the Applied Permits for importing cars, which in themselves can be bought and sold.

For all these reasons, I am one of those who have vowed not to buy Proton. While I am patriotic, I believe that, on the balance, protectionism is more harmful than good to Proton and Malaysians in general. And it's high-time that protectionism is removed.

On the upside, Proton appears to be making strides overseas, as it should be, because there lies the larger market. For instance, its Exora hybrid (an electric-cum-gasoline seven seater car) recently won acclaim in the UK. It's not much, relative to the achievements of other international marquees, it's still significant enough to make Malaysians hopeful.

If, like Malaysia's national oil company PETRONAS, Proton is able to make international revenue its largest source, then it would make some (not all) of the suffering it has caused fellow Malaysians justifiable.

New Saga is the Best Selling Malaysian Small Car - But Not by Much

Based on the data on car sales published by the Malaysian Automotive Association for June 2010, Proton's New Saga is the best selling Malaysian car. Among the reasons why this is so is Proton's smart pricing placement, beginning with the slightly under RM40,000 baseline New Saga models.

This, in a way, justifies Proton's decision to not bother putting in additional safety features into the New Saga, like anti-brake locking system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and curtain air-bags.

Also, time and again, data shows that motorists tend to prefer sedans over hatchbacks, most likely because of the extra boot space sedans provide. For June 2010, as many as 6,649 New Sagas were sold, whereas only 6,495 Perodua MyVis were sold for the same period.

However, the fact that the New Saga managed to outsell the MyVi by only 154 units goes to show that smartly pricing a sedan like the New Saga cannot be relied on too heavily. It could be that many car buyers still consider MyVis as offering better quality and come with better after-sale service. If this were true, then it shows Proton as continuing to suffer from the problem of poor quality image (imagined or otherwise).

This could be the reason why Perodua's Alza outsold Proton's Exora by 721 units for June 2010, which is far more than the figure for the New Saga outselling the MyVi - the Alza is smaller than the Exora but cheaper.

There is really nothing more Proton can do about its poor quality image problem other than to continue producing good cars and providing good after-sale services. What it can do to make the New Saga sell even better, apart from introducing the SE variant, is to introduce New Saga variants that come with ABS with EBD, and even those that come with curtain airbags. This would help Proton expand the New Saga's market share in the small car segment for Malaysia, which is currently dominated by Perodua.

Yes, Malaysians in general don't mind going without ABS or EBD, as the June 2010 figures show. But now that Proton's New Saga is leading in that segment of the small car market, Proton should really look into getting a chunk out of the small-car-equipped-with-ABS segment where MyVis and Vivas dominate.

Goodbye darling, hello baby!

Sometimes you get things wrong to get things right. That's just the way it is.

After deciding to upgrade from my Proton Waja, I scouted around for a worthy replacement and found the Ford Focus S2.0.

The fun lasted for a while, until the car started to act up, requiring thousands upon thousand of ringgit in repairs.

So, I sold the Focus and bought the Kia Forte 2.0 SX. After driving the Forte for more than two weeks, I've come to realise that this is what I should have bought right after selling the Waja.

Of course, the Forte would not have been around about 3 years ago. Still, looking back, I can't help compare my old Waja to the Forte and conclude that the Forte is what the Waja should have been.

Let me explain.

You see, the Proton Waja was the first "performance" car that I owned. Yes, do laugh out loud, because we all know that, as far as performance goes, the Waja can't come close to being called that, at least not without heavy modifications.

And heavily modified was what my Waja was. From custom made extractor, to soft turbo, to spark plug enhancers, to adjustable coil springs and shocks, to stabiliser bar, etc, the Waja was quicker at standing start and around corners than most other cars on the road.

But then, it had two basic flaws. The first was its under-powered engine, which needed several thousand ringgit more to boost, and second, it didn't come with anti-brake lock/electronic brake distribution system (ABS/EBD).

Now, the Kia Forte 2.0 SX is not a performance car either, but it's what I aspired my Waja to be. With a 2.0 litre engine, the Forte 2.0 SX can outpace most cars on standing start without going all the way to 5,500 RPM (revolutions per minute) and it takes corners without tilting a lot (almost flat) or without swerving, thanks to its stiff chassis and traction control system (TCS).

Granted that the springs and shocks are a little soft, at least they allow the Forte 2.0 SX to perform well around corners, whilst providing a comfortable ride on bumpy straights - not like the Waja's adjustable shocks and absorbers that tended to bounce the car quite a bit.

As for overtaking, the Forte 2.0 SX is surprisingly eager to rev, such that I have to be careful when pressing down the throttle to shift automatically to a lower gear before passing other cars.

Once, I kept up with a Camry 2.4L that tried to outrun my Forte 2.0 SX for the fun of it. The Camry didn't manage to outrun my Forte 2.0 SX.

More interestingly, when I looked down at my speedometer and my rev metre, I saw that my Forte was doing 170 Kmh at 3rd gear and still accelerating.

"Okay, time to throttle back", I said out loud. "This is not why I bought this car," I added, reminding myself loudly that I didn't buy my Forte 2.0 SX for racing about.

Interior wise, my Forte 2.0 SX reminded me a lot of my old Waja. The central column cup holders are where they were in my Waja and the handbrake is on the right side (which is the correct side) of the cup holders instead of to the left. The seats are firm, yet comfy. And the cabin space is sufficiently spacious.

Plus, unlike my old Waja, my Forte 2.0 SX has most of the "bells and whistles" you'd expect in the latest generation of high-end cars, such as push-button start, keyless entry and locking, lighted-speedometer, 6-CD MP3/WMA player with bass-boost settings, auto-dim rear view mirror, etc.

All for the price of RM94,000++.
Again, I say, this is what my old Waja should have been like. In one word, the Forte 2.0 SX is "perfect".

That is to say, you don't need to tweak its performance and you certainly don't have to try very hard to do up its looks - I just added wider and slightly larger tyres because I like how larger tyres look on a car and I swapped out the honker for something more macho sounding.

The original honker sounded like a Kancil's honker. Not so perfect, huh? Well, swap that out and the car will be :)

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Addendum: Notice that I didn't compare my Forte 2.0 SX to my old Focus S2.0. Well, that's because the Forte 2.0 SX doesn't pretend to be a performance car like the Focus S2.0.

Proton at No 2 Spot Despite Frost & Sullivan Awards

It's so funny. Despite having won Frost & Sullivan Awards, Proton manages to screw-up by coming in as No 2 in a domestic car market that's protected mostly for Proton's sake!

Compact car maker Perodua retained its leadership with a market share of 31.5 percent, followed by Proton with a distant 26.6 percent share. Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corp secured 14.8 percent of the market, followed by Honda Motor Co with 7.4 percent and Nissan Motor Co. with 5.8 percent.

See http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20100720/tbs-as-malaysia-auto-sales-f8250da.html

It's hard to feel sorry for Proton. With so much bad publicity on poor quality control and over pricing, it's hard for Proton to get back its No 1 spot. And really, Proton is largely to blame for its own fate.

After 25 years of being in the business of making cars for Malaysians, it ought to be able to compete confidently in the free market already, thus allowing Malaysians at large to benefit from competitive pricing and higher quality services. Yet, Proton continues to hold the rakyat back, forcing us to pay more for cars in general.

What Malaysians ought to be asking is whether this is the best way for a government linked corporation such as Proton to return shareholder value? If MAS can compete with Air Asia and other international airlines, and still provide good returns to the government, why can't Proton, which has been around long enough, do the same? If PETRONAS can compete in the open downstream market without protection from international competitors, why can't Proton do the same?

This is not about national pride. This is about economics and commerce, and the future income for the government of Malaysia as well as the well-being of the rakyat moving forward.

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Addendum: On the upside, Proton is pretty smart in producing the red Exora with nice looking trimmings. While I'm against Proton in many ways, someone like me who is partial to red cars can't help but notice....

Frost & Sullivan Awards Proton for Not Just Car Quality

Proton's Exora and new Saga were awarded Best Automotive Debut Model of the Year and Best Passenger Model of the Year, respectively, by Frost & Sullivan at the 2010 Malaysia Excellence Awards held on 12 May 2010. Proton's communications team quickly spun it as acknowledgment of Proton car quality.

So, if Protons are so good, why does the national car company still require market protection? What's amiss here?

Well, if you go to the Frost & Sullivan media release webpage, you'll see that the award is not really about car quality. The 2010 Frost & Sullivan Malaysia Excellence Awards are based on a variety of actual market performance indicators, which include revenue growth; market share and growth in market share; leadership in product innovation; marketing strategy and business development strategy. If product quality is a component, it really is not the only one.

Plus, the award is given to Malaysian companies only. If it were open to international companies like VW, Toyota, Honda, etc, one seriously doubts that Proton would have received the Frost & Sullivan Excellence Awards.

See http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?Src=RSS&docid=201750778

As much as I'd like to be patriotic about Proton, I can't help but think, again and again, that Malaysians are being taken for a ride. With such paltry returns, relative to other government link corporations, of RM285 million before taxation for FY2010, one can't help but ask, "Is Proton really maximising shareholder value by existing the way it does today?"

Without market protection, Proton is not competitive. This comes with a second whammy, in that with market protection, Proton can continue to be complacent and inefficient in managing product quality and its supply chain, the two key factors that are causing it to be uncompetitive in the first place.

So, now we wait for something bad to happen to Proton before something good comes out of this Proton debacle.

Proton Profits Up Due to Sustained Market Protectionism

I'll believe it when I see it - Proton succeeding purely on merit, not market protectionism. Right now, Proton's profit before tax of RM285 million for the financial year 2010 ended March 31 is nothing more than the result of being "jaguh kampung".

Bring in the big players in the industry onto a level playing field with Proton, and the latter is toast.

How much longer should Malaysians molly coddle Proton? Another 25 years?

Meanwhile, Malaysians are forced to settle for substandard quality in national cars like Protons because that's all that most of us can afford anyway. In truth, we deserve better.

For as long as Proton does not improve upon its supply chain and quality control management, to the point where it can compete on an equal footing with leading car makers of the world, Malaysians far and wide would have to bear with national cars that are "jaguh kampung" - over priced and low in quality.

Enough already!

Proton Must Be Quaking in Its Veritable Boots

Yes, the pressure is on for Proton. Well done, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Proton has had around 25 years of market protection and enough is clearly enough.

In order to transform Malaysia from a middle income economy to a high income one, Malaysia needs a new economic model (NEM), in which Malaysians are no longer hobbled by a giant like Proton that really can't compete without domestic market protection.

While Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib hasn't mentioned it outright, we all know that the writing is on the wall for Proton, what with the National Economic Advisory Council saying or reaffirming that it is time for the Approved Permit system to be removed.

Yes, Proton jobs are on the line. And while one sympathises with Proton employees, change must come in order for there to be greater prosperity for all.

What is more, Malaysia's automobile industry has already lost out to Thailand by coming in at second with 536,905 car sales last year compared to Thailand's 548,000 car sales. If Malaysia doesn't start liberalising its domestic automobile market further and soon, it would be more than just Proton jobs that would be on the line.

Proton must, therefore, adapt in order to survive the process of change.

Let's hope that when the time comes for there to be concrete action, Datuk Seri Najib would have the political will to carry through with his reforms. The key to this is the rakyat's understanding of what's at stake - the nation's future.

If Malaysia doesn't reform, it'll be left behind, overtaken by other nations more willing to do what it takes to get ahead in the brave new world of the future.

Satria Neo R3 - Lotus Racing: Impressive? Not Nearly...

Proton's R3 division has teamed up with Lotus Racing to produce the Satria Neo R3 - Lotus Racing. Only 25 will be built in conjunction with Proton's 25th Anniversary celebrations.

Capable of churning up to 145BHp, the Satria Neo R3 - Lotus Racing has Lotus' DNA imbued in it, such that car enthusiasts are bound to take interest in it. Never mind that it's a Proton and with it comes the bad image of quality control issues.

While I haven't test driven it personally, judging by the video shot by Cars, Bikes & Trucks (CBT), the car's performance is, well, not nearly as impressive as it could have been (click on link below).

On the test track, the car could hardly go beyond 160Km/H+ on straights. This is not surprising, considering that cars with 145BHp under the hood need a bit more road to reach 170Km/H+.

What would have really been impressive is a turbo or compressor to go with the souped up 1.6L engine straddling the front of the Satria Neo R3 - Lotus Racing. The car would have really flown then.

Alas, that is not to be. And what a wasted opportunity.

Consider the fact that only 25 are being built. This means that the buyers are already going to pay premium for the cars. And they are going to be from among an exclusive bunch of people who have more money than they know what to do with.

So, arguably, Proton could have gone all the way by boosting the engine output to 180BHp+ with a turbo or compressor, and still have people waiting in line to buy the Satria Neo R3 - Lotus Racing.

Well, that's Proton for you - getting things both right and wrong at the same time.

For more information, visit CBT's website at http://cbt.com.my/100330/proton-satria-neo-r3-lotus-edition

Proton Launches New Concept Car

Proton's been working with Italdesign Giugiaro to produce a compact concept car that's both a hybrid and a pseudo SUV. The car is being showcased at the 80th International Motor Show in Geneva.

Judging by the picture on the left, the yet-to-be-named concept hybrid car looks novel and attractive, and has interesting features to boot.

For instance, the compact-size concept hatchback maximises interior roominess (hence its tortoise-like shape) and comes with seats that are positioned at a height where most people can simply hop on and hop off easily, like the way we do with SUVs.

Its floor is raised to accommodate a conventional engine as well as a hybrid system’s batteries in the rear.

No information has been given in the initial Press Release on when the proof-of-concept car would be produced. Reportedly, one of the three being showcased in Geneva runs, although that remains to be seen.

Also, judging by how much more refinement is required from concept to production model, it may take a while and the process may result in disappointments.

For instance, those funky windows that slide downwards from midpoint are way too small to be safe. So, you can expect the production version to have more conventional windows, thus changing the concept car's novel look and shape substantially.

Those LED front lights are also non-commercially attractive for the mass produced low-to-mid range production version. So, we'll have to expect them to go as well, hence compromising the look and shape of the concept car further.

And of course, there's the question of rims and tyres. The concept car comes with suitably sized large rims, low profile tyres and sporty ride height. You can expect those to be excluded from the production model due to cost cutting considerations.

Also, for the sceptics whom Proton has cultivated through the years with its perennial quality control issues, the production model that comes from the concept may be riddled with quality problems as well.

So, on the balance, well done Proton for coming up with a good looking concept car that's distinctive. Let's hope you don't "screw the pooch" by producing shoddy production versions of the concept car, thereby dashing the hopes and expectations of Malaysians who are forced to continue supporting your need for domestic market protection.

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Addendum: Proton's named its concept car EMAS - Eco Mobility Advanced Solution. Not very imaginative, albeit the acronym makes sense. According to CBT, the car will be produced in the next 18 months.

For more information, visit http://cbt.com.my/100302/geneva-pre-motor-show

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Addendum II: Catch the video of the concept car EMAS being driven around on its own power. Clearly, it moves. Can't say for sure if it's using a hybrid engine or a conventional engine, but it moves. As for the other two variants, they're CGI.

See http://www.protonconcepts.com.my

Lotus Evora - I Want One!

When it comes to desirable cars, the Lotus Evora is ranked very high in a lot of people's list. Hailed as one of the best two-seater sports cars in the world, the Evora is an Elise with plush trimmings that make it more than just a damn good track car.

Proton intends to start selling it in Malaysia. Sadly for middle-class people like me, the Evora would be sold at a price higher than RM265,000, which means only people who have more money than they know what to do with will be able to afford this beauty.

Oh, well. Takde rezeki (yet).

Meanwhile, middle-class people can eagerly anticipate the introduction of Campro Turbo engines to the car market towards the end of this year. And about time too.

Straight up or naturally aspirated cars tend to use a lot of fuel to produce the kind of power that turbo cars produce. It's like comparing a big bonfire to a blast furnace - so much more burning material or fuel is required to light up a big bonfire compared to the blast furnace, which uses compressed air to produce more heat.

Let's hope Proton doesn't disappoint car enthusiasts with its perennial poor quality control issues when it introduces the Campro Turbo engines. It would be yet another slap in the face to consumers who turn to Proton if they have to contend with turbo or engine problems.

Also, let's hope that with the introduction of the Campro Turbos, Proton would be able to sell more cars overseas. That way, it can let go of the domestic market protection that it clings on to for dear life at the moment.

All the best to Proton.

Proton has Quality Issues, Still

It's not my intention to turn my blog site into a Proton hating site. I just want to share a piece of advice I gave to a friend recently about buying a Waja.

Having been a proud owner of a first generation Waja 1.6L (M), I can say that the car has good acceleration and handling for something bulky that comes with a relatively puny engine. I spent more than RM10K doing it up so that it could go faster and handle corners better, aside from looking better as well.

So, when a friend asked what I thought of the Waja and if I'd recommend buying one, I felt rather mixed.

I like the Waja a lot. Yes, it looks dated now. Still, it has a lot going for it.

At the same time, Protons are known to have annoying quality issues. My first generation Waja had loads of them and, after taking a cursory survey among Proton owners, I've deduced that nothing much has changed.

Yes, Proton has improved somewhat in relation to quality. At the same time, it's not quite there either.

My mother-in-law recently took delivery of a Savvy AMT. Guess what? Something underneath its chassis rattles annoyingly when it's cruising.

This only strengthened my belief, based on my cursory survey, that Protons aren't quite there yet when it comes to quality control.

So, my final advice to my friend was, "Waja is good. Proton has quality issues." If you don't mind spending time going back and forth to the Proton service centre to repair a brand new Proton car, then, go ahead. If you're too busy for that, buy a different marque.

Toyotas Now Worse Than Protons

Who would have thought that, someday, Toyota's reputation would take such a beating that it would be considered as worse than Proton? Well, with the massive recall of Toyotas because of faulty brakes and accelerators, Toyota is experiencing a massive drop in sales and, more importantly for Toyota car owners, massive drop in the resale value of Toyota cars.

It used to be that people would buy Toyotas if they wanted high resale value. Well, not anymore.

These days, you're better off with - hey! What do you know? - a Proton. At least Proton cars don't face brake failure and accelerator problems on a massive scale. And that's quite amazing, considering that Protons are not the best locally-produced cars in Malaysia.

Industry analysts have been quick to point out that the problem with Toyota lies in its corporate culture, which has reached such a state of complacency that, at the first signs of trouble, it went into a state of denial.

Well, Toyota is the vanguard of automotive quality, is it not? Truth be told, had Toyota been quicker to respond, in terms of reviewing its supply chain and quality control processes as well as responding to negative media publicity, it would not be facing as much trouble as it is facing now.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to be the "low hanging fruit" by responding to every single negative media publicity. Other times, foot dragging makes things worse. Clearly, for Toyota, these are the "other times".

Interestingly enough, there were already signs of trouble way, way before the Press caught on to the problems faced by Toyota. In the first episode of the first season of Vampire Diaries, a Toyota Prius was shown skidding and swerving when a crow hit its windshield.

Well, with ABS working properly, that Prius should not have skidded or swerved at all. In fact, it takes a lot for an ABS-equipped car to skid uncontrollably.

Lo and behold! Today, Priuses are being recalled because of faulty ABS.

Anyway, it would take a lot for Toyota's reputation to recover. Meanwhile, consumers would be making beelines for other marques when buying new cars. At the very least, they won't have to worry about brake or accelerator problems.

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Addendum: I can't help but wonder if Nizar's accident, whereby his Camry overturned, is related to faulty accelerator? Camrys are among those being recalled.

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Addendum 2: When it comes to damage control, the game that companies play is basically "wait and see". It's quite normal to hold back for fear of adding fuel to fire. So, the reputation that I am referring to here, as asked by Anonymous, in the comments section below, is one that is hinged on timeliness.

With so much being said about Toyota's woes in America, the same kind of foot-dragging takes place, as it did in the US, in Malaysia. And I don't think that the back-log in order books for Toyota by one month is truly indicative that its brand image has been unaffected. If anything, the fact that the top producer of cars globally plays second fiddle to Honda in Malaysia is indicative that it is not coming out of the brake/accelerator debacle unfazed (despite the supposed fire-prone nature of Hondas, as alleged by Anonymous).

Of course, for people who have been loyal to the Toyota brand, they'll continue to buy Toyotas. Well, good for Toyota. What would have been better is if it came out strongly in support of itself in Malaysia and quickly at that.

For those who don't really care much for the brand, the beating Toyota is taking is just one more reason to look elsewhere.

Top Gear Not So Cocked Up After All

You know how Top Gear is filled with a bunch of cocks as programme hosts, with Jeremy Clarkson as Cock-in-Chief. Well, Top Gear online has come up with a predictably cocked-up Top 20 list of the worst cars the Top Gear cocks have had the displeasure of reviewing.

It's interesting to note that some of the things they say are pretty accurate, albeit their cock-eyed view of what's right and proper in this world when it comes to cars.

What's even more interesting is that none of the cars featured in the Top 20 worst list are Protons.

What gives, you bunch of cocks? I thought you all hated Protons so much, nothing could ever surpass Protons when it comes to being the absolute worst.

Don't get me wrong. I don't like Protons either. As a Malaysian, I'm entitled to hate the very car marque that's causing cars in Malaysia to become inordinately expensive because Proton needs protection from free market competition for the longest time.

Unlike Top Gear, I still acknowledge that Proton gets things right and can't possibly get everything wrong, a thing which Top Gear cocks appear to insist on establishing and are failing woefully.

Well, perhaps the fact that Protons are not in the Top 20 list of the worst cars shows that the cocks of Top Gear are not so cocked-up after all, if only just...

See http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/worst_20_cars?imageNo=19

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Addendum: Anonymous, in the comments section below, wants me to give bright ideas, so that we can have a nice discussion on what to do to help Proton improve. If he takes a bit of time to read more of my entries, he'd see that I haven't been short on such ideas.
So far, there have been no takers...

GM Pulls Out from JV with DRB-Hicom

DRB-HICOM Bhd and General Motors Corp (GM) have mutually agreed to part company. Starting 1 January 2010, DRB-HICOM would no longer import GM cars into Malaysia, albeit Chevrolets would continue to be imported and sold.

I can't help but think that this has something to do with the lack of a level playing field in Malaysia's automotive sector. With so much done to protect a company like Proton from foreign competitors, other industry players have to struggle with slim margins and low volume sales.

As it is, GM is facing financial difficulties at home (back in the US). This makes it all the more difficult for it to continue being a big player in the Malaysian market.

What a lost opportunity this is. GM had expressed interest in setting up a manufacturing base in Malaysia, much like it has in Thailand. Clearly, this is not going to happen any time soon; not while a company like Proton continues to rely on market protectionism at the expense of foreign direct investment.

How can we expect foreign investors to come to Malaysia to set up an automotive manufacturing base if we continue to molly coddle Proton? Malaysia has already lost two decades of auto-manufacturing lead to neighbouring countries. Another lost decade may reduce Malaysia to a state of insignificance as far as major players in the automotive industry are concerned.

The writing is on the wall for Malaysia's automotive sector. Its contribution to government revenue continues to pale in significance compared to other sectors.

How much longer should this be ignored?

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Addendum: Reportedly, car sales in Malaysia number around 500,000 units a year. Under GM's partnership with DRB-HICOM, Chevrolet sales would be more than 3,000 units in a good year. Sales have since fallen to fewer than 1,000 units.

Why is this not surprising, especially when Proton continues to have preferential treatment? Not only is this a turn off for foreign investors, Malaysian consumers also suffer from artificially inflated car prices.

It is rumoured that Naza is now interested to step in where DRB-HICOM left off. Well, good luck with that.

See http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/gmos-2/Article/

My Beef with Proton - Over Reliance on Market Protection

I have vivid memories of my Proton Waja 1.6L(M). It was filled with all sorts of defects, which I had to address over a two year period.

At the same time, it was the first ever mid-range car I ever owned. And I put in time, effort and loads of money to do it up, so that it could more than keep up with more powerful cars as well as look stylish while doing it.

Would I go out to buy another Proton now that I'm able to afford far more expensive cars? After careful consideration, the answer to that is "not likely".

There are several "national car" companies to choose from. While Proton may offer relatively cheaper options, I'm pretty annoyed by the fact that it's Proton's inability to fully compete in an open market that's causing car prices in Malaysia to be inflated artificially.

Just to spite this complacent company, I would opt for other local makes like Perodua, Naza and even Innokom, because I can. Proton has become too comfortable with over two decades of protection and is, thus, rightfully branded complacent, and deserves to be shunned.

While the protection Proton enjoys also benefits other local marquees, it does not change the fact that domestic car prices are artificially inflated mainly because of Proton's inability to compete in an open market more than anyone else.

Thus, market protection should be removed.

Perodua has Toyota's backing. Remove the local market protection and it could simply adapt by selling more re-badged Toyota's instead of just a handful of models.

Naza has Kia and Peugeot backing. Remove local market protection and it could simply adapt by selling more re-badged Kias and Peugeots.

Inokom has Hyundai backing. Remove local market protection... well, you get the idea.

As for Proton, remove local market protection and it'll sell more Proton cars? Not likely or at least not without a strong partner to back it.

For market protection removal to work in Proton's favour, it needs a strong partner like VW or whoever else that's in the market to buy into Proton. The objective is so that Proton becomes lean and far more competitive.

Yes, there will be changes, which could also include a management buy-out. In the end, the government and the rakyat stand to gain from higher revenue and profits from the sale of Protons and other locally assembled cars, both domestic and overseas.

Foreign direct investment would also increase because of the new breath of life given to the Malaysian automotive industry.

Also, Proton prices would be comparable to those sold more cheaply overseas currently, that is relative to the cost of living.

So, will I buy another Proton? Until there is significant reform of the local automotive industry, the answer to that is again "not likely".

At the very least, I'd feel satisfied that I'm doing my part to press for change.