Proton Exora 2013 News

Malaysian car maker Proton has been very quiet in Australia in recent times, but is planning to make more noise on the market in the coming few months. The company made some weird decisions on pricing in years gone by, asking big dollars for some models with the result that sales were all but non-existent at times. The lesson appears to have been learned and Proton is now proudly telling us its cars are amongst the cheapest on the market. Proton launched a model called Preve in four-door sedan format early in 2013 and will expand the range with the introduction of a sporty Preve GXR. It will be powered by the turbo version of the 1.6-litre Campro engine with 103 kW of power and 205 Nm of torque. Which should make it more lively than the sedan with its non-turbo 80 kW engine.  Preve’s CVT transmission has paddle shifters to let the driver choose between seven preset gears. Proton is proud of the fact that the driving dynamics of Proton Preve GXR have been Lotus engineered. This is something that has impressed us in previous Proton models, which had excellent ride and handling. Preve has a five-star crash test rating and will go on sale in Australia on November 1, 2013. An interesting model is the seven-seater Proton Exora people mover. Two models are coming down under; even the entry level Proton Exora GX is well equipped, with alloy wheels, a roof mounted DVD player; CD audio system with Bluetooth, USB and Aux inputs, reverse parking sensors alloy and an alarm system. To that list the Proton Exora GXR adds a leather trimmed interior, cruise control, a reversing camera, and a rear spoiler. Proton Exora GX will have a driveaway price from $25,990. The topline Exora GXR begins at $27,990 drive away. Both versions of the people mover are powered by a low-pressure turbo-petrol engine of 1.6 litres, producing 103 kilowatts of power and 205 Newton metres of torque. They will have a CVT automatic transmission, with six preset ratios for the times when the driver feels the computer hasn’t selected the correct ratio for the conditions. Major safety items are ABS, ESC and four airbags. However, the Proton Exora has only received a four-star ANCAP safety rating in a time when many cars gain the maximum five stars.  On sale date of the Proton Exora range is October 1, 2013. Proton’s newest model, the Suprima S hatchback is further down the track, with an on sale date of December 1, 2013 being currently planned for. Pricing will be announced at a later date. Just introduced in Malaysia, the all-new Proton Suprima S will be sold in two models, both using the same turbo-petrol 1.6-litre Campro engine and CVT transmission as are installed in the Exora and Preve. However, a six-speed manual version will be available from the first quarter of 2014. The Suprima S has also gained a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. All new Protons have five years capped price servicing, a five years warranty and five years free roadside assistance; all of these have a distance limit of 150,000 kilometres. We will be interested to see how the new Proton range works out. Previous models have greatly impressed us with their ride and handling, but left us distinctly unimpressed with engines that were down on performance. Build quality was on the variable side in years gone by, but has hopefully been brought up to date. Certainly our visit to the then new Proton factory in Malaysia about five years ago showed that the team there is very determined to produce world-class cars.  

It’s one of the cruelest ironies of the automotive world: those with the most mouths to feed can least afford a seven-seat wagon.But budget brand Proton of Malaysia may provide some relief, with a new cut-price family car to go on sale by the middle of next year. The new Proton Exora, unveiled at this week’s Sydney Motor Show, is expected to undercut the Kia Rondo7 – which starts at $25,990 plus on-road costs for a model with manual transmission.Proton says its Exora seven-seater will be priced below the Kia Rondo7 – and come with more equipment, including automatic transmission, a gutsy 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, a roof mounted DVD player, parking sensors, cruise control – and air-conditioning for each row of seats.In further relief to families, the Proton Exora will come with free servicing, roadside assistance and warranty for five years – the longest such coverage in the industry. “Australia is a tough market and Proton is still new to a lot of people, so we know we have to make a bold statement on price and peace of mind,” says Proton Australia general manager of sales and marketing, Billy Falconer.“The quality of our cars is now right up there with other manufacturers and the five-year coverage is about sending a message that Proton is here to stay.” Proton says it will offer two versions of its seven-seater when it goes on sale in June 2013 – both will be priced below $30,000 drive-away. The high-grade model also comes with a rear view camera.While the Exora is well equipped, a question mark remains on safety. The Exora comes with stability control (compulsory on all new cars from November 2012) but it only has four airbags – and they’re only protecting front seat occupants. The precious cargo in the second and third rows of seats have no airbag protection.Proton Australia is unsure what safety rating the Exora will achieve when it is tested by independent authority ANCAP. The highest ANCAP score Proton has received to date is a “marginal” three-star rating (out of five) for its S16 sedan tested in 2011. The Proton Jumbuck ute scored an “unacceptable” one star rating when it was tested in 2010.The Exora comes to Australia mid-way through its lifecycle. Released in Malaysia three years ago it has just received a facelift; this is the model that will go on sale in Australia. The next generation, all-new version of the Exora due for release in late 2014 or early 2015 will likely be a five-star safety car, Falconer says.“Proton as a company has fully embraced five-star safety for the future,” he says. “They see it as an essential part of any new model.” Falconer says interest in the Exora has been strong at the motor show. “We’ve got a long list of names of people to contact when it finally goes on sale,” he says. “One lady has already tried to buy the car on display.” 

The Exora has just been unveiled in Malaysia, and will come to Australia, but it's the mechanical package under the family wagon which provides the real breakthrough.It will be spun in a number of directions, including an all-new Persona family car.Talk from Malaysia also points to a potential successor to the Jumbuck ute, which has been a rare success for Proton in Australia, as well as the company's first station wagon.There is no confirmation of the extended model plan, but Proton Cars Australia is already looking at the potential for the Exora down under."The Exora will come. We're evaluating it and seeing how we can get it here, in what form and what pricing," says Proton chief John Startari, who was in Malaysia last week."It would be our first seven seater, so we need to check the positioning. It would need to be under $25,000 and the timing depends on negotiations on pricing and the market study. It would be next year at the earliest."In Australia we don't have the small people movers that work in Aisa.It would be interesting to see if there is an opportunity."The biggest shortcoming in the Exora is the baby 1.6-litre Campro engine which restricts almost everything the Malaysian company makes.It is fine for home sales but barely adequate for export use in countries like Australia.Startari refuses to talk specifics on the Exora's mechanical package but admits Proton is looking at ways it can exploit the latest engineering development."The plan is to rationalise the number of platforms. There are currently six from the Jumbuck to the Exora," he says."The new platform is the first one since the Satria, which came after the Savvy."Proton sales in Australia have been hit badly in recent months but Startari says is developing a plan to give the brand some renewed impact."I have to admit that we're down considerably. But we're preparing to work through the dealer network, moving from 25 back up to 40 in coming weeks," he says."That will give an immediate sales boost. And then we are planning to release a new small five-door model."That car will be coming in August, but I don't want to say too much yet. We have to get everything locked away."It has just been unveiled in Malaysia, and will come to Australia, but it's the mechanical package under the family wagon which provides the real breakthrough.It will be spun in a number of directions, including an all-new Persona family car.Talk from Malaysia also points to a potential successor to the Jumbuck ute, which has been a rare success for Proton in Australia, as well as the company's first station wagon.There is no confirmation of the extended model plan, but Proton Cars Australia is already looking at the potential for the Exora down under."The Exora will come. We're evaluating it and seeing how we can get it here, in what form and what pricing," says Proton chief John Startari, who was in Malaysia last week."It would be our first seven seater, so we need to check the positioning. It would need to be under $25,000 and the timing depends on negotiations on pricing and the market study. It would be next year at the earliest."In Australia we don't have the small people movers that work in Aisa.It would be interesting to see if there is an opportunity."The biggest shortcoming in the Exora is the baby 1.6-litre Campro engine which restricts almost everything the Malaysian company makes.It is fine for home sales but barely adequate for export use in countries like Australia.Startari refuses to talk specifics on the Exora's mechanical package but admits Proton is looking at ways it can exploit the latest engineering development."The plan is to rationalise the number of platforms. There are currently six from the Jumbuck to the Exora," he says."The new platform is the first one since the Satria, which came after the Savvy."Proton sales in Australia have been hit badly in recent months but Startari says is developing a plan to give the brand some renewed impact."I have to admit that we're down considerably. But we're preparing to work through the dealer network, moving from 25 back up to 40 in coming weeks," he says."That will give an immediate sales boost. And then we are planning to release a new small five-door model."That car will be coming in August, but I don't want to say too much yet. We have to get everything locked away."