SOME of Proton Holdings Bhd's five "Pahlawan" concept and customised cars shown to the public recently may turn into production models that could hit the market next year.
Proton group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said two concept cars shown at the recent Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS 2010) will likely head for the national carmaker's production lines.
The Pahlawan series boasts of three concept cars - Tuah, Lekir and Lekiu - and another two based on existing production models namely Kasturi (essentially facelifted Saga) and Jebat (Inspira).
Syed Zainal did not identify the models that may be bound for production but it is no secret that Proton is planning to replace its Persona model with the new Tuah concept.
The Tuah concept, or codenamed Espire, is built on P321A platform and is in the same class as the Corolla Altis and Honda Civic.
Another concept car that will likely join the Proton model portfolio is the Lekiu crossover concept.
Also known under its codename Xactive, the mini SUV (sports utility vehicle) concept is said to be bound for Proton's Chinese partner Youngman.
The SUV, using similar platform as that of Proton Exora multi- purpose vehicle, could be manufactured at Youngman's plant in China and subsequently be shipped back to Proton under a local production programme.
Syed Zainal spoke to reporters after launching the Saga facelift, or Saga FL in Shah Alam yesterday.
Proton is targeting to sell 6,500 units of the enhanced Saga.
Since its launch in January 2008, the Saga has risen to become the country's second top selling model with a monthly average sale of 6,200 units, he added. As of October, Proton had sold some 204,150 Sagas.
The Saga facelift comes in two variants, namely the 1.3 Standard and the 1.3 Executive. Both are available in manual and automatic transmissions.
No comments:
Post a Comment