Taking center stage at Proton's 2010 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show booth alongside the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO-esque Jebat study, is yet one more concept model based on another manufacturer's vehicle, the Lekir. This time, Proton looked into its own car bin and in particular, Lotus, which it acquired back in 1994, as the Lekir is essentially a rebagded Europa coupe. Mind you, it's not the first time we've seen the Europa wearing different logos as Dodge displayed an EV concept of the model at the 2009 Detroit Show.
Depending on which part of Proton's description of the car you read, the Lekir is powered either by a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit or a 1.6-liter engine with some 220-ponies (167kW). Malaysia's state-controlled carmaker didn't say whether it plans to resurrect the Europa as a Proton.
The 2010 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show at the Putra World Trade Centre in Malaysia saw local automaker and owner of Lotus, Proton, revealing a host of concept models including a sport prototype of the recently launched Inspira called the Jebat. Needless to say, it's clearly inspired from the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X.
As you may remember, the Inspira is a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer sedan and is the result of an OEM collaboration between the Malaysian automaker and Mitsubishi Japan. However, we're not so sure if Mitsubishi had this in mind when it was signing the agreement with Proton.
In any case, the Jebat study, which could very well lead to a similar production model, features a wide body kit with blistered wheel arches and splashes of matte black paint all around the car. Power is provided by a turbocharged 4-cylinder MiVEC engine producing 237HP (177kW) at 6,000 rpm and 343Nm of peak torque at 3,000 rpm.
No word if the pseudo-EVO (that does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?) comes with the real EVOs four-wheel drive system, but Proton has announced that the Jebat completes the standard 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in 5.6 seconds and tops out at 232 km/h or 144 mph.
Proton has officially unveiled its Mitsubishi Lancer-derived Inspira mid-sizer, after its soft launch to the public and media in late October. Since then Proton has received over 1,800 bookings from customers around Malaysia in anticipation of its market launch this month.
The new model is the result of an OEM collaboration (the word "rebadge" sounds nastier...) between PROTON and Mitsubishi Japan, the latter providing the mechanical and design basis and the former tweaking the model for the Malaysian market.
Among those changes are the signature Proton grille and -according to the Malaysian company- the incorporation of Lotus DNA in the Inspira's ride and handling.
Dato' Sri Mohd. Nadzmi Mohd, the Chairman of Proton parent corporation Proton Holdings Berhad, explains:
"PROTON is ready to move even further ahead to become a recognised player in the global automotive industry. We have been working and collaborating with Mitsubishi for the last 25 years and its a natural step forward for us to continue to work with them in this project. One of our product strategy is to introduce non-core models through strategic collaborations which provides a more efficient, timely, and cost effective product to the market. The Proton Inspira is an excellent example of this strategic collaboration."
Proton Holdings Berhad's Managing Director Dato' Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir is equally enamoured with the new model:
"The enormous level of interest shown since we first announced the introduction of the new model is certainly a big sign of approval from car buyers. PROTON would like to thank all those who have placed a booking for the Inspira and believe me, they will not be disappointed with the new generation of Proton cars coming their way."
The Inspira uses Mitsubishi's existing 1.8 and 2.0 Liter MIVEC engines, the latter of which is only available with the CVT transmission. Scroll down for the image gallery that includes pictures from the official brochure and a video from the presentation.
Proton, Malaysia's national carmaker and owners of Lotus, has taken the wraps of its latest model. No, you aren't looking at a cheesy Photoshop and this isn't an April Fools joke come six months late: this is the firm's new mid-sized Inspira sedan.
For those of you fooled by the *cough* deceptive *cough* restyling Proton has done, the Inspira (from the Bahasa Malaysia word 'Inspirasi' which means 'Inspiration') is based on the current generation Mitsubishi Lancer.
Priced at a tentative RM79,888 (US$25,654), deliveries of the Inspira will start in November. For some comparison, in Malaysia a base model Mazda3 sells for roughly RM30,000 (US$10,000) more.
Managing Director Dato' Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir is very happy with the new model:
"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."
The Inspira gets all the goodies the Lancer gets including a choice of a 1.8-liter or 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engines, adaptive CVT with paddle shifters, cruise control, dusk-sending headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, climate control air conditioning and (presumably) 5 star ANCAP safety.
The Inspira is the first tangible result of the new strategic alliance between Proton and Mitsubishi, though the two companies have had close ties for years. In the mid to late '90s, Proton brought three cars to Australia that were little more than rebadges of current generation Mitsubishi models. Suffice to say, only the most cash strapped of buyers saw the Wira, Satria and M21 as anything but knockoff Mitsubishis.
ZoominCars will have more details and pictures as they come through.
Italdesign Giugiaro's latest design study is a three-car plug-in collection debuting under the name EMAS, which stands for Eco Mobility Advanced Solutions (Emas also means "gold" in Malay). Built in collaboration with Proton and Lotus Engineering, their goal is to showcase variable-design mini-sized cars that provide the interior space of mid-sizers.
For reference, the silver 5-door is the Emas Comfort, the orange one is the Emas Country, and the white 3-door is the Emas3 City.
The shared platform was designed in-house by Italdesign Giugiaro, and with its hybrid system's layout the seating position the Emas family retains a crossover-ish ride height. Thanks to their nifty packaging, interior space is at a maximum.
The Comfort can carry 320 liters and features 4 "business class" seats inside. The Country, an "urban SUV", can seat five and can carry from 390 liters (seats up) to 780 liters seats down.
The Emas3 City's seating gets switched around due to the shortened wheelbase and is now called 3+1 Plus, because "the passenger seated behind the driver has less leg-room but there is still enough space even for an adult."
Power for all three comes from a 45 kW (75kW peak power) electric motor that is recharged by a 1.2 liter 3-cylinder engine. The hybrid plug-in drive system has been developed entirely by Lotus.
0-100km/h (62mph) surges by in 14 seconds, top speed is a hairy 170 km/h or 105 mph, and the electric range is 50 km or 31 miles. Currently the City's numbers are "being assessed", but for stylish EREV city cars there's no denying the stated numbers are good. Small, Giuguaro-designed economobiles? The Japanese need to get on this while it's hot.
