Malaysia: Proton to replace Saga after 22 years

Monday, January 21, 2008,

AutomotiveWorld.com

Proton has, over the course of the last three weeks, been revealing glimpses of a disguised version of its new Saga, a replacement for a model of the same name, at major shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur.

Until now, this forthcoming small four-door sedan was known only by its development code, BLM, but the firm has now revealed that it will retain the model name of the outgoing car.

The Saga evolved from the OEM's first car, the Iswara four-door sedan, build finally ending last month. Launched in 1985, the Iswara and Saga were re-engineered versions of an early '80s Mitsubishi Colt/Lancer.

In addition to this campaign, the new sedan has also been boxed up and sent on a road trip around the country, with a particular concentration on rural areas and townships, Proton says. Malaysians eager to catch a glimpse of the new car have been able to peek into holes drilled into the boxes, the state-owned company adds.

The only details of the new car, which is due to be unveiled later this month, is that it will have a 1.3-litre I4 gasoline engine and will be priced between Ringgits 30,000 and 40,000 (US$9,112 and 12,150).

Published on Monday, January 21, 2008