A prelude to the "real" Perdana There are many Honda worshipers in Malaysia. If you happen to be one but have no love for your own national car, my condolences. Because the collaboration between the two must have left you quite disenchanted aka peeved. But if you, like me, believe in Proton and at the same time admire the Honda, and can see their synergies, then the prospects from this kerjasama should excite you. Especially if you know that this Perdana (pic), which is an Accord rebadged as a Proton, is NOT their only or last project together.
In fact, this Perdana is a "prelude" (remember Honda's iconic model?) to an all-new, all-Proton, based on Accord platform, Perdana by 2015. Also on the cards are data, tech and inventory sharing, a Honda-Proton smaller car, and the introduction of an all-Malaysian, all-Petronas engine in future cars made by Proton-Honda, which may include hybrids.
Honda Prelude: My ex-dream car As for the rebadged Perdana launched on 11.12.13, it is an awfully awesome car. We were told at a briefing in Shah Alam last Friday that there are 17 changes made to the Accord, mostly - but not all - cosmetics. On the 2.0L version, for example, the Perdana is fitted with FOUR airbags instead of the original Accord's TWO (this Volvo-like obsession in safety aspects is something Proton will emphasize in future cars). I especially like the Proton DNA on the front end - handsomer than the Accord, IMHO. Under that hood, no changes made - it's Honda engine, tech and reliability down to the last nut and bolt. Even the H.O.N.D.A inscription on the engine block is left untouched.
My only gripe is the fact that it is meant ONLY for the Government. ie it will not be offered to members of the public who believe in Proton and admire Honda. Unfair and illogical. I was driving the Perdana for years (after the Saga, the Aeroback, and the Wira) before it was stolen from in front of the house. I have been waiting for a Perdana replacement ever since. Proton and Honda should consider offering it to the public (at Proton prices, of course).
The national car manufacturer is making some 3,000 units and they are meant for senior civil servants, deputy ministers, Cabinet Ministers plus 3 specially made stretched version for the PM, the DPM and Proton Adviser Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The "real" Perdana will be launched end 2015 or early 2016. I, for one, will start saving up for that turning point.
A Honda will be a Honda, stop having an illusion. Stop kidding yourself that you are buying a rejected Mitsubishi or a Malaysian made Proton with a glorified named of a Honda ! Born a Proton and will die as a Proton !
ReplyDeleteThe only thing stopping Proton from reaching further heights is the irrational hatred for the brand, perhaps because it has a such a strong association with Mahathir.
ReplyDeletesri hartamas
hahahahha nampak penatnya Rocky brute tulis pasal 'Proton Accord Perdana'. Masaalah power window dah selesai ke belum ?
ReplyDeleteBru, Proton must think out of the box don't follow je. The biggest buyers these days are the young flashy working adults, not family men who are too tied down with all kinds of mortgages/kids exps. Instead of coming out with many so so variants which don't drop jaws, Proton should launch an affordable fiery sports car to capture the imagination and attention of the market again who worship shapely cars these days, nevermind the costs/brands!Otherwise any more so so safe designs will make Proton liked by uncles/aunties only.
ReplyDeleteWe have 'loved' Proton for more than 20 years but they continue to produce inferior cars. AT best they only know how to do cosmetic changes and change badges. Whta's the difference between 2 and 4 airbags, there is no brainer technology. Proton can add another 8 airbags but still that's is a Honda made car. I wonder hoe Najib is thick skin enough to use this Perdana to ferry the foreign guests especially the Japanese and claimed that Proton made this car. Sungguh memalukan!
ReplyDelete"Under that hood, no changes made - it's Honda engine, tech and reliability down to the last nut and bolt. Even the H.O.N.D.A inscription on the engine block is left untouched. " and you are still proud of this, no wonder Melayu UMNO have no shame and tak tahu malu!
ReplyDeleteCharleskiwi,
ReplyDelete".....Born a Proton and will die as a Proton !...."
And you Charleskiwi, ".....Born a Charleskiwi and will die as a Charleskiwi!....", a ------- who are nor deserved to be a Malaysian
( if you are originated from a far, far away place )
Bung Mokhtar, help us to raise this in parliament like what you did for the lance owners. My accord RV has gone down like a stone in the lake.
ReplyDeleteAh Kord
Rocky.
ReplyDeleteI think you have finally gone insane.
What pride is there in having a rebadged old model Honda with a Proton sticker on it??? Whats the point?
The 'new' Perdana is just an 'older' Accord. Why not just get the new Honda.
Proton has been around over 20 years and still rebadges?
In that time the Koreans have come up with their own designed and built cars which are sold around the world and are bestsellers in Europe and the US.
Our Protons can find a market outside of Malaysia.
What has Proton been doing the last 20 years?
I had a Saga for 8 years and liked the car; but now own a Korean car and after 3 years I can say the quality of the Kia is a million times better than the Proton.
How long more can Proton be a 'Jaguh kampong' brand. Why can't they design and build cars that can sell in the top 10 around the world?
How long must we put up with protected brand that can't get beyond our borders?
There's no pride in being third rate... we must be world class or there is no point in having Proton.
I am the real supporter of proton, never bought car other than proton. So far i have used 4 models from proton. Two of them still using. I am still looking to buy another new proton car which could be soon to replace the old ones.
ReplyDeleteGood luck & All the best to proton.
Waiting the time proton would be most sought car in the world.
Aiyah, lu olang semuak boloh ka? Kalau national enterplise fail, always use Zamlogik(TM), maaaaa:
ReplyDeletehttp://theunspinners.blogspot.com/2013/12/cina-perleceh-proton-model-baru.html
HAAAAAAAAAAAA, itu macam lah! Kalau Ploton mampus, itu semua cinababi punyak pasai. Jangkan rupa, everything can be made a racial issue if you twist it enough! Tapi, kalau lu umno cloni, lu jangan lisau. itu kileta mahal, lu boleh dapat itu "AP", Manyak wang, gaji buta wor!
Aiyah, sikalang gua mahu pigi londa-londa dalam gua punyak ori (bukan lebadged) Honda. Wa mintak ma'af. See you later, buaya-gator. While gua pigi makan ankgin, lu boleh pakai "kambing scape" (scapegoat lain), sepertli:
Syiah Punyak Olang
Olang Merayu Riberal
Olang Chlistian
Olang PAS
Enjoys!
ReplyDeleteProton is a bound to fail project.
It can only serve as a cheaper car available in Malaysia vis-à-vis more expensive car as a result of high tax structure on imported cars.
To be competitive for exports? Please don't put much (or any) hope. We can never compete on such low volume of production at the sort of technology we (or our partner) are offering.
Proton is a symbol of wannabe locally produced car (including engine parts) at the expense of people paying more for imported cars.
We aint an inventive people like the Italians or Germans in automative industry. Please stop dreaming and come back to reality.
Tak tau malu betul atau, apa nama,tiada kemaluan!
ReplyDeleteSeronok lah pegawai-pegawai Jusa Kerajaan dapat merasa pakai kereta baru.
ReplyDeleteIf Proton is damned so good, why impose stiff taxes on foreign imported cars, thus leaving the consumers no choice except to buy the rubbish.
ReplyDeleteIt appeared that Rocky is severely inflicted with the same disease as the old mamak in Putrajaya who is well known for twisting every words just to save his sickening skin.
I never blame proton Production Operator..same type of operator in UMW plant-Perodua/Toyota.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do hate is their Rnd Level..especially for PM car- (except to 'body elongation') I believe Brothers shop can do better than the Rnd Group.- change lamp/bonnet/bumper only?
They have no taste to make car beauty
US/Arab/Japan Presiden feels Malaysian 'making joke..'
Not irrational. Proton and EON created a car for the masses and treated them like dirt. They aimed their cars at the lower-income and civil servants. When these people gained more income as the years passed, they associated Proton with poor quality and poor man's car. So the customers moved on and Proton sales remained stagnant.
ReplyDeleteIf you cannot manufacture 365,000 cars a year your are a dead duck.
ReplyDeleteRocky!
ReplyDeleteA Perdana is never Proton as its a MITSUBISHI designed body...and both are more or less designed by some old outdated designers...Look at the KIAS and the Hyundais and their latest designs...you tell us or you must be getting blurred...its a pariah shaped thats it...with Honda to give a helping hand!
You call that a beauty???
Slap a karipap with a Proton badge and call it a Proton.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are insinuating the silly idea that Proton has improved the Accord. In five years time Proton should set their target higher and rebadge a Lamborghini as our Police car... hahaha.
ReplyDeleteAgain spining for syed mokhtar
ReplyDeleteAnon 2.07p.m.,
ReplyDeleteI am so very glad that I do not have to die as a forsaken soul, all thanks to the egregious Mahathir. It was he who had encouraged millions of us to seek greener pasture outside of Malaysia when he was the P.M. that led Malaysia into the recession !
Unfortunately now the Talent Corp is now going round to beg these millions to return to serve and with lots of incentives and added incentives.
You know why ? The warlords have all the figures to know that the country can't survive for very long and is now in a bloody shamble.
Example just recently the health minister revealed that they the country is now only having 44 Oncologists it their service, when it should have at least 220 of them ? Less than what Singapore have in one hospital !
Plus you know what, just go and look at any hospital in Singapore.
There are on the average on any given day, more Malaysian patients on any given day than Singaporeans. Including some family members of the royalty from Malaysia and paid for by the Malaysian government !
One more information you might be interested to know many of them are VIP Malay patients ! Now you know why Talent Corp was formed to bring back the immigrated professionals. Please ensure that you will not be one of them, if you can afford it, in due time and please don't feel bad about it as many of them, including the wife of your former P.M.'s wife, who die in U.S. while getting cancer treatment there and many other Malaysians !
Yoo...anonymous 1:53, we do have a race car,Lotus..
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why proton not fully utilise it for the malaysian public to own it. Lotus is not doing well too.Sell it at a reasonable price. make it a win2 situation. there is no point creating a marque but the company is not doing well. See what happen to Hummer or few others brands, end up..sold to China..ishh
-CamShial-
why add another layer of cost (profit to an unnecessary toll-gate co.) that bring along absolutely no added value, infact worsen the car's image due to their poor brand name!!!
ReplyDeleteInstead, govt would have saved some money by asking honda to make those minor modification to the 3000 units ordered!
we the rakyat pay for it, as usual.
Just yesterday, I saw a well known VVIP (complete with escort and bodyguards), who has been in the news recently, at the KL Hilton.
ReplyDeleteGuess what? He certainly wasn't being driven in a Proton Perdana. In fact, his car looked suspiciously like one of Germany's finest!
Different strokes for different folks?
Salam Datuk,
ReplyDeleteDuring Tun Dr Mahathir tenure as PM,all Malaysians (whether pros or oppositions )has enjoyed an economic bliss.
With their accumulated wealths and complacency, today are vying their lust on expensive imported cars,frowning local,citing poor quality and design.
Read here for US vehicle recall lists. www.ohiolemonlaw.com/vehicle-recall-list.html
It is a myth to say that imported car are of high quality.
Timeline for Korean car industries
Hyundai-manufactured car/truck/buses in 1967
Kia/Kyungsung Precision Industry
manufacture:Motorcycle in 1957
Truck in 1962
Car in 1974
Koreans supported their car industry and today are doing fine in design.
Proton is a late comer only in 1983
So,please give Proton a chance and time will tell.
Fadzireen
Salam Datuk,
ReplyDeleteDuring Tun Dr Mahathir watch as PM,Malaysians(whether pros or opposition)enjoyed an economic bliss that was set in motion.
Policy on nation wealth distribution is crafted based on proven methodology thru the years by Govt of the day and not otherwise.
As an opposition they benifitted same and piggybacked the wave of prosperity.
Today,Malatsians (whether pros or opposition)being affluent are spoilt for choice.
They even frown on locally made car citing imported are superior.
Imported are superior is only a myth.
Read here for Vehicle Recall Lists
www.ohiolemonlaw.com/vehicle-recall-list.html
Timeline on Korean car industry.
(1)Hyundai founded 1967,built car,truck and buses.
(2)Kia/Kyungsung Precision Industry.
1957 built motorcycle
1962 built Truck
1974 Cbuilt Car
Koreans being supportive and patient,their car designing are more refine today.
Proton is considered a late comer to this industry in 1983.
Just be supportive and patient with Proton.
Fadzireen
Compared to Proton, I like Honda best, such as Honda Malaysia !
ReplyDelete