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is it proton mpv?
There has been lots of talk in town on the next new model by Proton. As revealed by Proton’s MD, the MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle) will be hitting our roads early next year. According to sources, the MPV may be launched earlier (possibly before Hari Raya), as an effort to capitalise on the current hype created by the new Saga and PersonaSales on the new Saga is still soaring with total units booked are in 5 digits.
Thanks to Josh, here are some pics for you to have a glimpse of the Proton MPV’s possible design. The MPV may look like the Mazda8 with a Proton emblem slapped on, but I think it is worth our imagination.
The actual name of the MPV is unknown, even the codename of the MPV is unheard yet. The engine for the MPV must be of the Campro family and should offer between 1.8-liters to 2.0-liters.
My say would be that Proton should offer a Campro 1.8L diesel engine, besides the usual petrol motor. Of course, the CPS (Cam Profiling System) and perhaps the VIM (Variable Intake Manifold) would not be a question at all when the MPV arrives.
Price should be attractive (isn’t this Proton’s strength?) and should give the Nissan Grand Livina and Toyota Innova a good fight on our wallets and, heck, the RM149,000 Honda Stream as well.
Proton must take advantage of this year’s Hari Raya if they want to have the first bite on the MPV pie. Hari Raya is where everyone goes back to their hometowns or kampung and there will be lots of travelling to do. The MPV would fit the bill for such festival.
The chassis reveals quite a bit about the car. There is also a model of the interior hidden in a box with holes cut into it, much like the peekaboo promo that Proton did for its previous two models. The following are what I gathered on the MPV:
Exterior
Interior
Chassis
So there you have it. If you want to look at the interior and chassis for yourself you can head to the Proton Technology Week event tomorrow. The event is happening at the Proton plant in Shah Alam. On the KESAS highway heading towards Klang, turn left after the Center of Excellence and then turn left into the Proton plant.
An initial concept sketch of the Proton MPV interior, but the production version will be tamed down.
Proton MPV teaser video gets attention…
Day 1 visitors having a peek at the new MPV’s interior.
A forumer posted photos of a Proton MPV test mule with a Toyota Wish body. Proton is currently performing on-road tests of the new MPV and is either:
a) employing a well known disguise technique of using the body of a similiar vehicle to hide the chassis of a car being tested, or…
b) is currently performing powertrain tests with a body of a similiar weight and size.
The photos show that the interior features a Toyota Wish dashboard with a Proton steering wheel. The interior seems to have a bad fit and finish - weird gaps here and there very atypical of a Toyota.
Look at the area around the left-most air conditioning vent as well as the area where the dash meets the center tunnel which runs between the two front seats. The dash could be looking that way because it has been adapted to fit the Proton MPV’s interior. If you look closely, there’s nothing where the dash-mounted shift lever is supposed to be. There is very likely a Proton powertrain and gearbox under this test mule’s engine bay.
On-road tests with a different body can be done if the air intakes provided by the donor body’s grilles and bumper vents as well as undercarriage design are modified to match amount of air cooling that the final product’s design will give the engine bay. Adding ballasts or stripping unnecessary equipment is done to ensure the final body is the same or similiar weight to the actual product.
Hopefully more photos of the new MPV will surface soon, perhaps later in the year we’ll see some with the actual body.