PROTON’S REVOLUTIONARY COMPACT CARS AT THE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

Malaysian car manufacturer Proton, represented in Malta by Famalco Group’s Fapi Motors Ltd, has unveiled a series of concept global cars at the prestigious 80th International Geneva Motor Show.

The three concept global cars, EMAS, EMAS Country and EMAS3, signal PROTON’s long-term plan to expand its footprint within the global automotive market. EMAS, which means gold in the Malay language, stands for Eco Mobility Advance Solution, and is the result of a joint collaboration between PROTON, its subsidiary Lotus, and Italian design house Italdesign Giugiaro (IDG).

The EMAS series is a family of compact yet spacious, low-environmental-impact cars, and are expected to revolutionise the traditional car market segmentation.

The range comprises of “EMAS” – a five-door, four-seater hatchback designed for comfort; “EMAS Country” – a three-door, five-seater hatchback which is ideal for country driving; plus the “EMAS3” three-door 3+1 plus-seater, for city driving.

The cars are powered by a serial hybrid plug-in drive system developed by Lotus Engineering, which includes a 3-cylinder 1.2 litre internal combustion engine yielding 51 horsepower (38kW) at 3,500 rpm. The engines can run on petrol, ethanol, methanol or natural gas.

The cars feature the following benefits:

• Innovative interior space which is both customisable and spacious
• An interactive and user friendly hi-tech multifunction display
• Fuel efficient styling, with a low drag through sleek silhouette
• Safety features such as excellent all round visibility via panoramic glass + LED clusters
• A practical, compact exterior, offering ease of manoeuvrability

Proton’s latest range of concept cars was unveiled at IDG’s booth by Proton Advisor and former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, and was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show throughout the exhibition from 4th to 14th March 2010.

Speaking on the collaboration with IDG, Proton’s chairman, Dato’ Mohd. Nadzmi commented: “We constantly strive to acquire and jointly develop new knowledge, skills and technologies that will ultimately benefit our customers. While we continue to gain progressive technology from our subsidiary Lotus, our design collaboration with IDG will further strengthen our position within the global automotive industry. Proton wanted to work with the best and IDG topped other styling and design houses with their ideas, credibility and creative flair. Their brief was to design a compact car which offered drivers the roominess of an SUV, maximising interior space and improving access to the vehicles.”

Group Managing Director Dato’ Syed Zainal Abidin said: “Concept cars are the yardstick to gauge public opinion – Proton strived to listen to its customers to ensure that the development of a global car met their requirements and expectations. Proton’s aim is to produce the global car for the world market in the near future.”