Proton Perdana Spyshots & Its Motherhood Story

Much has been said about the new Proton Perdana. It has been an ill-fated project since the mid of last decade and until today it is yet (albeit assumed nearly) to materialize. The original model was introduced back in 1995 to provide an upgraded mobility for the Malaysia aspire to own the stuff like Honda Accord. Things soared to a great success back then with many, many unit sold.

As I recalled, Proton glory days then are over. So are all the mega car plan. The earlier effort was in tandem with the defunct Proton MSX, but canned indefinitely The the resurrection plan was announced to the public with the old bed-partner Mitsubishi Galant and finally there was a hurrah on Nissan Fuga too. Volkswagen Passat was also mentioned somewhere somehow in between. Then Proton shocked everyone by announcing Honda deals, and Perdana-badged on a generation-old Honda Accord soon hits the (government) street.

For the civilian model, Proton said they have re-designed the car in total. How total is that remains to be seen. But judging from this latest spy photos, the changes are quite there.

Comparing it with the 2008 Honda Accord, it can be seen the design lineage is still there. Look at the A-pillar shape and its angle together with the front door cut-out, the car is still visibly carrying large chunk of Accord chassis there. The location of door outside handle, for both front and rear too mimics the positioning on its older Japanese brother. Ditto for the metal trailing edge of the rear door. However the rear door top opening possibly has been altered, together with the redesigning of the C-pillar. The whole rear appears longer then the donor car.

I am not sure if Proton still lengthen the car still, as the old Accord is pretty much "whale-like" already at 4,940mm. Inching to 5m magical mark won't be a case more than extra stroke of styling lines.

The front area will no doubt features Proton trade-mark fascia of wing-like grille ornaments with headlight fixed on the same similar like. Whether it is going to be elaborated like Iriz or subtle like Preve remains to be seen. 

The rear end is described by someone who has seen it as "has a hint of Jaguar". However, I take it as layman description as there is a similarity in Proton Preve rear fascia with the current crops of Jaguar too.

Powertrain-wise, do expect Honda powerplant to stay on. If miracle happens, the Malaysia-design Petronas engine could make it appearance. But since the NE01 is yet to make it launch in its intended market, don't hope too much.

In one of the interview with Paultan, Tun Mahathir says “For high end cars – Nissan has Infiniti, Toyota has Lexus. The Perdana will be our high end car". High expectation indeed.

Is this Perodua Alza SE?

There is a new photo of the new version of the ageing Perodua Alza, confirmed to be Perodua Alza SE from the rear badging. This is another leaked from the factory, in addition to the one we've seen before HERE.

From here we can see the new front bumper which features a new bumper with swept up outer edge fog lamp housing. The upper radiator grille is chrome trimmed while the headlight is carried over from the 2009 car. At the back, the rear light is all-clear item instead of partially, while the license plate garnish is all is a full-width item. SE badging can be seen clearly. The rear bumper too is an all-new, and it features a vertical reflector, which is now becoming a design trait of Perodua SE series.

Full photo can be seen here:

http://rahmanheman.blogspot.com/2013/12/perodua-alza-2014_3.html

Spot : New Color For Proton Preve?

There could be new color scheme coming for Proton Preve, and it is not in the Proton Edar website just yet. On the way to work on recent morning, I came across a transporter with a bunch of Proton Suprima S, accompanied by one peculiar looking Proton Preve. It is in shade that is unseen before, a very light purple, baby purple I would say. It is a Preve Executive variant. Apart from the new color, the rest are the same. A few photos can be seen after the jump, snapped at SKVE highway.

LEAK - Honda's Avanza Rival

Our friend in AutonetMagz keep the interest in the Honda Mobilio up and running with the new leak. It is low-res grainy photo but it keep us in the clarity on how the Honda's Avanza rival shaping up. While front front fascia is very Honda Brio-like, although the grille assembly is stubbier. While the side profile is akin to Toyota Avanza with its long and slim structure, we expect the Honda Brio MPV version to be lower overall as it does not sit on the lorry platform. Official unveiling is 19 September 2013. One more photo after the jump.

Lexus Preparing Hot GS-F?

It seems so, at least from the uncamouflaged photos spied by a Japanese car magazine. Nothing is firm although the magazine claim the super-sedan will be powered 5.0L V8 mill punching 456PS. More obvious than the hidden engine is the more aggressive outtake of GS F-Sport version bodykit, with more pronounced front bumper opening, flared front airdam with blistered front wheelarch, more aggressive side skirting and rear lower valence accompanied by quad exhaust setup arranged in similar manner to the older IS-F. The skirtings are all carbon fibre finished. Similar finishing is spotted on the side mirror rear duck-tail spoiler. The larger alloy wheel is finish in dark tone as well. Two more photos after the jump.

Leak: Land Rover Discovery Facelift

Land Rover Discovery has been in its current form since 2009, when it received a host of styling and drivetrain update from the original 2004 model. For 2013, LR Discovery is set to be updated again to bring the styling on par with Land Rover latest design theme.

The front end will get new headlight, grille and bumper assembly. The current LR Discovery embodied the LED-laden light arranged in intricate structure which was the trend back then, and now as the LED tube come into play, the new headlight is set to change again for a sleeker and more modern appearance. The upper radiator grille insert also is redesigned, together with minor enhancement to the bumper detail.

The change at the back is more subtle, appreciable only by the eagle-eye observer. Customary update include the new rear combination light, albeit very minor as the major detailing is retained.  The rest of the item looks visually similar to the current car.

Facelift photo source: Jokeforblog

Proton Suprima S Interior : Recolored Preve

This the initial photo of the forthcoming Proton Suprima S interior. As for the front half of the car, the dashboard is purely re-trimmed Proton Preve item. There is however several notable differences, particularly the massive "Bentley-inspired" plank of either wood or golden in Preve has been painted in silver, the audio unit has ditched the small screen stuff and in comes the full sized item (rumoured to be Android-powered) and the steering wheel garnish has been colored glossy black replacing the previously silvered item on Preve. The version pictured here should be the top-line version judging from the existence of manual slot for the gear console, paddle shifter and starter button. What do you think? My view is : New Designer Required. More photos after the jump.

Proton Suprima S : Exterior Photos

Additional photos of the exterior:

Source

Proton Suprima S Brochure Leak (+ Photos of Test Car)

Proton Suprima S brochure has found its way into the internet. It can be seen that, as expected, the front end has changed slightly from the donor Preve. The only differentiation is the main grille now sports mesh motif and it looks like the fog lamp housing and lower front grille has different insert design too.

Apart from the name change from the global Preve to more local tongue Suprima, Proton also has rebranded CFE as simply Turbo, and more prominently capitalized on "Handling By Lotus", which admittedly carries higher weightage than "By Proton", which is a good move to give a racier image. More photo after the jump, of the test unit.

Hyundai Elantra Facelift Spotted

Hyundai teased us with several clues on what to expect on the Elantra facelift recently. One knows that the headlight inner detailing is going to change, new look for rear lamp, as well as some update on interior display. The car is due to be launched in Korean market later this month. Prior to the launch, it has been spied by Car And Driver.

The new headlight internal can be seen clearly from this photo, as well as reprofiled front bumper lower section with more plunging fog lamp housing with the fog lamp itself more vertically oriented than before. The grille arrangement is surprisingly identical to pre-facelift car.

The giveaway for the rear end is the new redesigned lighting with more classy internals, as well as the redesigned bumper with blackened lower section. The earlier teaser from Hyundai can be seen after the jump.

Proton P3-22A Preve Hatchback Leaked Again

This is the clearer and closer shot of Proton forthcoming Preve Hatchback. This is far closer than before and we can clearly see how the rear end is shaping up, from the tailgate contour to the rear bumper garnish.

The photo was spread through Whatsapp earlier today.

Proton Preve Hatchback P3-22A uncamouflaged!!

It has been months that we have been served with the heavily camouflaged P3-22A (Preve Hatchback) and several rendering, and only now someone managed to spy a totally un-taped rear end of the new Proton hatch. It may look a little bit lacking in the styling umph, but thing could change upon the full reveal using a more flattering angle.

The rear light carries no resemblance with the Preve sedan, and the surface-breaking line on the sedan's rear light is gone too. In comes a larger, more vertical light flanking an elaborative tailgate fascia. The rear bumper lower garnish is quite tall too, incorporating a reflector mounted centrally.

Source

Proton P3-22A uncamouflaged photo leak!

Photo below shows the rear end of the forthcoming Preve hatchback fully uncamouflaged. From the background, this is from Proton plant. This model also seems to conform to Proton latest design trend. Whereas the older Proton such as Gen2 and Satria Neo majors on the aesthethic, the current generation of Proton cars quite lacking in that. 

Apart from the obvious rear end panel design change compared the P3-21A Preve, the rear bumper lower valence is different in design too. There's a centre-mounted rear reflector, and there's no exhaust outlet to be seen.

Source
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First Sighting of 3rd-Gen Honda Stream

It is the 7th year of service now for the sleek Honda Stream since its 2006 introduction, and the first sight of its replacement has been caught, in China. Set to be inspired by the Concept S previewed in Beijing Motor Show,  the next Honda Stream will be introduced in China market in the middle of the 2013, with the debut scheduled for April's Shanghai Auto Show.

The recipe for the new Stream will be very much similar to its predecessors, i.e a low-floor 7 seater concept. Traditionally, Honda Stream is based on the Honda Civic, so the Civic FB will be the donor vehicle, albeit with a lengthened wheelbase as it has always been for the last two Streams.

The sole photo here shows that the new Stream will get a swoopy glass house, similar in trend with the Concept S, as well as a nod the the first generation. This rear shot also indicate a possibility of the switch from the vertical rear light to a horizontal one. The squarer rear end too bears some resemblance to the current Odyssey.

Malaysia typically gets a CBU Stream, with launches way later than any other market. Expect at least a year delay compared to other essential market, so that will take us into 2014.

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2013 Toyota Corolla Sedan Spied - Sharp New Look

The previous spyshot of the forthcoming Toyota Corolla provided no clues whatsoever on the front and rear styling, and with just a glimpse of the dashboard. Things are a little clearer, sourced from the Portuguese website. The bare-bodied Corolla here revealed an Auris-derived front end styling with visibly shapelier fascia.The headlamp is set plunging down, creased back up to meet the wide radiator grille. Big Toyota emblem takes the centre stage, whereby beneath it lies an enlarged air intake.

The side profile shows the kinked up rear door trailing edge, much like how the Lexus IS looks like. The clearer interior shot shows that it is indeed Auris-inspired instead of Corolla Axio derived, which is far more conventional. 

The rear end is however still unknown. This series of photos still can't uncovered it. Two more photos can be found after the jump.

Volvo XC60 Facelift Spied Uncamouflaged

Volvo's popular XC60 SUV will be facelifted to keep it fresh after being in the market since 2008. The facelift mainly consist of the nose job, where the front end design is updated to bring it in-line with the looks of the recently introduced Volvo, the V40. The small inset headlight unit is now gone, and re-placed at the outer, lower bumper, which itself is a totally new design. The radiator grille has been lightly retouched too.

At the back, there rear light does not seem to differs. The main shape of the rear bumper remains too, albeit the lower part with the reflector unit has been revised with a more slender unit. The tailgate panel looks carry-over too, but the appearance has been updated with the chrome strip.

Inside, the main switchgear has been updated. This mainly consist of the new steering wheel and the new meter binnacle. This sightings was in China, so it remains to be seen when the updated XC60 will be seen at other market around the globe. Some more photos can be found after the jump.

Proton P3-22A (Preve hatchback) starts road testing

It is well-known fact way before the Proton Preve was launched that the hatchback version is being developed as well, and it is not too far behind the sedan in its timeline. Now the P3-22A starts making its inroad into the real life testing program, and immediately spied by the usual publisher. Spied here by Paultan and Funtasticko, we can see that the basic front architecture is similar to the sedan version all the way to the B-pillar. The rear end can now be seen as a "conventional" hatchback, instead of the swoopy type like the Gen2. The rear screen is quite upright, similar in trend with the likes of Mazda3.

While Proton Preve is a bit flawed in its rear aesthetic, the hatchback version gets the new light assembly. The inners of the rear light is different from the LED-encrusted Preve's top part, but more like the glowing bars not unlike those found on the newer BMW cars, or Proton Lekiu concept car if we are to be patriotic.

Prior to the launch of Proton Preve, there was a rumour about the sportier positioning of this P3-22A, and will be available with the combination of the CFE engine with a manual gearbox, 6 speed in this case. However, after the successful DRB bid, there was a whisper of the drop of the CFE version for this car. Expect the truth to surface out nearer to the production. Don't rule out the integration of the PETRONAS engine too, although it is still an early days to know whether the PETRONAS NE01 can be packaged into the engine compartment of the Preve. However, since the previously national oil and gas engine-owned engine has found its way into the Exora MPV, itself is a host to Proton's CFE engine, vehicle integration could be just as ABC.

One more photo after the jump.

The 4th-gen Toyota RAV4 image leaked

A couple of days before the fourth generation Toyota RAV4 makes its official unveiling on November 28th, a small gallery of the new Toyota SUV made their way to the net. As depicted by the spied camouflaged cars, the new RAV4 does indeed wears the same styling theme as its hatchback cousin the Auris. 

The now familiar Toyota new design language theme is accentuated by the beak-type front snout where the large Toyota emblem resides. The headlight is slim and sharp and join the grille, a transition made seamless using the horizotal "whisker" bar that rooted from the emblazoned beak. Other place of the body is characterized by the crisp character lines as per the Auris, but toughened for the RAV4 by the black-colored  body cladding. The rear light stands proud of the bodywork, increasing the presence of the new generation Toyota RAV4. The side profile meanwhile, looks familiar to the current RAV4, saved for several new crisp lines to inject some excitement into the otherwise conventional soft-roader look.

The interior is best described as typical 2012 Toyota from the shape of the steering wheel, door trim design and the compartment in front of the front passenger. It carries the cues from the freshly-introduced Toyota Auris and Toyota Corolla Axio.

More details are expected to be unravelled over the next two days so stay tune.Some more photos can be found after the jump.

New Toyota Corolla goes Camry-inspired

In May this year, MMN published an article about the next Toyota Corolla going radical, as described by Car and Driver (our article HERE), where insiders tipped about the crisper body lines and tauter detailing not unlike the US Toyota Avalon. We became unsure about this fact when the JDM version, Toyota Corolla Axio came out and it can be perfectly described as conservative. The anxiety was remedied somewhat upon the arrival of the European Corolla, named Auris which wears a distinctive styling that resonates well with the idea of a radical Corolla. Now, for the first time we can catch a glimpse of the American-bound Corolla, which traditionally is equivalent to the Asian Corolla Altis, saved for some minor styling revision.

The front end is characterized by sharper, more protruding bumper and grille assembly, with widened lower intake section. It is expected that it will resemble the larger Toyota Avalon to certain extent. The front windscreen seems to be more rakish but mounted on a slightly higher cowl top section, perhaps indicating a forwarded cabin section. 

Another look towards the rear of the side profile indicates a C-pillar that resembles the new Camry. The overall glass house is less rounded than the current Corolla. The panel surfacing around the roof line and topping the door section is visibly more crisp, eschewing the soft-look of current car. In this trim at least, the door sash is chromed trimmed, and heavily at that.

Much like the front end, there's not much to be seen in terms of rear fascia detailing. The interior shots however, revealed a more upmarket move is on the card. From this limited view, the meter cluster is chrome-ringed and the steering wheel is adorned with operational button. The current Toyota Corolla is no slouch when it comes to interior quality. The only downside is the uninspiring design and conventional layout. 

In the American market, the new Corolla is expected to continue to be powered by the familar 1.8L engine. If this is true, it means that the engine will be carried over for the 2nd time as the current Corolla is powered by the powertrain set carried over wholesomely from its forebear, albeit with retuning to conform to newer emission standard. What is certain is the 6 speed manual will make an appearance in place of the older 5 speeder stick shift, but the automatic gearbox is well, we don't know, as the Malaysian Camry is happily cruising using its 4 speeder automatic. Maybe a CVT like the current 1.8L and 2.0L will be retained hopefully.

The 11th generation Toyota Corolla is tipped to be launch in the American market in the second quarter of 2013. We are probably looking into late 2013 or early 2014 for Asian launch. The interior photo and one more exterior photo can be found after the jump.

Updated American Honda Civic Spied

We reported last week that the US Civic is due to be updated at the end of the November (read HERE), and now this is the proof. Spied recently, the camouflaged Civic visibly wears the newly designed front bumper with more prominent sculpture around the radiator grille housing. The much-thicker grille surrounding is probably following the same trend as the recently introduced Honda Accord. The hood too looks set to receive a restyle with an added creases near to the centre bulge to further emphasize the raised centre section. The bumper fascia is different too with revised surfacing design and lower grille design.

While there's not much can be done on the side profile, the rear end is set to be heavily revised. We think the whole trunk lid, rear light and rear bumper are all set to be revised. The rear light cluster sports a revised internal graphic and will protrude more into the trunk lid panel. The license plate garnish and the fascia surface are revised too as a results of the new tail light. While the upper section of the bumper looks almost similar, the same can't be said for the bottom section. The lower edge has been sharpened and probably will get a reflector panel to increase its appeal, one up from the plain blunt design it is now.

We believe the US version of Honda Civic has a cheaper interior materials than our version. although plastic quality is never been the Civic's strength. However based on our earlier article (HERE) some panels are visibly different in design. The textures evaluation however will need us to fly abroad to test it but we think the Asian version should be more expensively detailed due to market positioning of the car. US media is predicting an improved in material and draw a comparison with the Asian and European Civic.

Despite the bad review and critics from the journalist (and online media worldwide), the sales of the 9th generation Honda Civic in the North America is not that bad actually. This could be the difference between the car reviewer and the car buyer in terms of priority of things and for the buyer, the bland looks could be secondary as they don't look their car while driving. Other aspects like reputation, build quality and service excellence probably overrule everything. Honda however has taken the critics seriously and indeed reacting. Quite an excellent company I would say. 

The enhanced Honda Civic will be introduced at the Los Angeles Motor Show later this month. It will go on sale as the 2013 Model Year in North America. It remains to be seen if the update will filter out to the rest of the market, however it could point to the direction of the facelift version will take in the near future. Some more photos after the jump.