UPDATED PERSONA, IRIZ TO INCREASE SALES BY 30 PER CENT
PROTON Holdings expects the sales of the 2019 Iriz and Persona facelifts to increase sales of the two models by at least 30 per cent. “We have good products and we are working hard to achieve this target. The sales of the Iriz and Persona are about 1,000 to 2,000 units monthly,” said its chief executive officer, Li Chunrong, at the Proton Persona media preview event on March 11.
Li said that the Proton X70, with the 2019 Iriz and the 2019 Persona, will be the main contributors to the company’s target to break even this year and turning to profitability next year.
The 2019 Proton Persona was unveiled to the media at Proton’s Malaysia Design Centre in Shah Alam.
It has received 303 improvements, including better brake performance, better fuel consumption, quieter cabin and better driveability.
Some changes include a chrome trim that spans across the width of the car, redesigned grille similar to the Proton X70, LED daytime running lights, revised rear bumper with chrome strip and difusser, rear bootlid garnish with Proton wordings, 15-inch two-tone alloy wheels, frameless rear-view mirror, updated instrument cluster and gearknob.
Similar to the Iriz, the 2019 Proton Persona will have an intelligent 7-inch full colour touchscreen head unit that uses an embedded eSIM card and offers apps for music streaming, weather updates, navigation and voice recognition.
The B-segment sedan has achieved five-star rating for the Asean New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP).
There are four variants: the Standard 1.6L Manual Tranmission, Standard 1.6L Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), the Executive 1.6L CVT and Premium 1.6L CVT. In conjunction with the upcoming launch, Proton will hold a Flash Promotion’for the 2019 Proton Persona.
Buyers can place a booking online for only RM9.99, which ends at 11.59pm on March 22.
Li said: “Proton aims to make its car accessible to as many potential buyers as possible.
“That is why the RM9.99 flash promotion is offered for the 2019 Persona. The low commitment fee is just one part of the deal.
“The convenience of doing booking online is the second part of the equation, making the act of booking a car simple and fast.”
After the preview, the media drove the 2019 Proton Persona a few laps around Proton’s test track.
The 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder VVT petrol engine was responsive and could reach 100kph without revving too hard. The CVT changes gear smoothly.
At high speed, the tyre noise and wind noise were kept away from the cabin, but the engine roars loudly above 100kph. The steering wheel feels lighter than the predecessor.
A high-speed lane change course was set up to allow the media to have a taste of the electric brake distribution, brake assist and stability control system.
There is no indication on the price of the 2019 Persona . However, we were told that the 2019 Proton Iriz and 2019 Proton Persona will be launched at the same time later this month.