Can Iriz help Proton make a turnaround?
Published on: Saturday, February 28, 2015
Kuala Lumpur: During the recent Proton media drive the compact car traversed the roads of Borneo with ease, starting from Miri in Sarawak and cutting through Brunei and ending the journey in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The car was nimble and stable at sharp bends, absorbed the road imperfections well and cruised with ease on straight roads. The car is no more than the Malaysian made Proton Iriz that has recorded 17,000 bookings since its launch in September 2014 with almost 10,000 units already on the road.
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Could this car be Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn. Bhd.'s (Proton) best bet in turning around the company's flagging fortunes? Or is it just another run of the mill vehicle loathed by the average Malaysian? Proton over the years has revised its strategies to emerge as a competitive player in the automotive sector and distance itself from its unenviable past record as a manufacturer of cars that fell short in quality and features. The point of contention now is quality and up-to-date features and Iriz stands testament that Proton has come of age. Who would have thought a Proton car equipped with Variable Valve Timing (VVT) engine, CVT gearbox, electronic stability control (ESC), antilock braking system (ABS), traction control and chassis control. And there are numerous safety features as well including up to six airbags.
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These are the key features that make Iriz stand out from its competitors. Chief designer, Azlan Othman told Bernama the Iriz on the road is the result of four years of development since the first unveiling of Iriz at the Geneva Motorshow in 2010.
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Iriz is also the first B-segment car for the national car manufacturer whose domain all these while has been the C-segment and to a lesser extent the D-segment (Proton Perdana) and the SUV (Proton Exora). Iriz also competes with Malaysia's second national car Perodua Myvi but the array of features and fuel efficiency gives the former an edge over its competitor. Proton's engineering division general manager Tengku Azizan Tengku Ahmad noted that the Valve Timing (VVT) engine mated with the CVT transmission contributed to enviable fuel consumption figures. During the Proton media drive the 1.6 litre automatic variant recorded the lowest fuel consumption of 4.9 litre per 100 kilometre, while the lowest fuel consumption for the 1.3 litre manual was 5.2 litre per 100 kilometre. While Iriz may have opened a new chapter for Proton, the road ahead remains long for Proton. While technology may not be the issue for the company in competing with other marques, it is the economies of scale that Proton desperately needs in moving ahead. This means Proton has to look outwards, export its cars overseas where it has to compete with well established players in the automotive industry. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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