The Proton Hybrid Car

Once and a while, I do tend to talk about cars in my blog, most particularly about national car manufacturer, Proton and Perodua.  Not that I think they are good enough, but it’s rather because of my pride of being a Malaysian, and I do feel a little sense of joy when they do get things right.  One in particular was when they Proton introduced the very affordable SAGA BLM which I currently own.  Another was the fantastic driving experience I had with the Perodua MyVi which my sister has purchase.

Well, design wise, Proton hasn’t been that bad, although they are lagging behind the ‘giants’ of the automotive industry.  Even if you are a die hard fan or Proton and Perodua, you’d have no choice to admit that cars like Honda City, Toyota Camry and Suzuki Swift are far way better shaped that Proton and Perodua’s latest models.  I think it’s probably due to the fact that Proton design engineers are so concern about space and price that their final designs have lacked it’s ‘fire’.

Take a look at the Exora and Alga Alza and you’d just have this feeling that these cars are similar to others produced by some other manufacturer.  The only thing that makes the Exora, an Exora is it’s fat ass (which I do not admire at all), and as for the Alza, it’s just a sedan version of the MyVi.  Serious lack of ideas indeed.

But I’ve got to know that Proton is showcasing a hybrid concept car in Geneva on March 2, and the model doesn’t look like a Proton car at all.  Now, feast your eyes on this:

I don’t know what you guys think of it, but I feel that it looks like an angry bulldog.  Nevertheless, I like this design.  It looks sort of like the Smart Mini Car, but better. BUT WAIT! Don’t jump of joy yet because this is only a concept car, which normally is a little, okay… hugely different from the actual car which would be produced.  In fact, concept cars rarely get sold and are widely used for show only, but in my books, this is a good start fro Proton.

I guess, Proton is starting to make better designed cars.  The only problem now is the name they choose for it because names like SAGA BLM (Base-Line Model), Wira, Gen.2, Waja, Perdana etc just don’t really make the cut.  Need I say more about the Alga Alza produced by Perodua?  What a hideous name.

Got anything to say on the new Proton hybrid concept car? It’s half Italian you know, maybe that’s why it looks so different.