Proton Gen-2 already in UAE as 2012 model
Proton, Malaysia’s national carmaker, was first made available in the UAE more than a decade ago. Using Mitsubishi-derived designs and engines, the two models never made waves, quickly disappearing long before we were even out of college. Now, it looks like Proton is preparing a comeback with their Gen-2 model.
These pictures were sent in by reader Sree P. and taken by Pradeep B. at the shipping yard in Dubai. Proton is already available in Saudi Arabia, for many years now.
The Proton Gen-2 isn’t even close to being a new model though. It debuted way back in 2004, so it is already ancient by compact-segment standards. Available in sedan or hatchback form, the Gen-2 is powered by a 110 hp 1.6-litre engine, developed in-house, while the suspension tuning was done by Lotus, the British sportscar company that is owned by the Malaysians. A 95 hp 1.3-litre might also become available, all with 4-speed automatics.
The UAE dealer, which also handles Chevrolet, hasn’t made any official announcements yet, and pricing is still unknown, although we’d estimate a base price below Dhs 50,000 to keep it competitive.
Keep track of updates in the Proton Gen-2 buyer guide.
Comments
Rahul Jones
What a coincidence…. Yesterday my bro was asking about Proton and I said it might have stopped production.
SC
Last week Ive seen a couple of new Proton vehicles with omani registration in Dubai
Faisal Khatib
Is it me or do these have a slight Mazda 3 (previous generation) and 323 feel/look to it…??
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The 3 and the Gen-2 came out at roughly the same time.
BJD
The deigner must have been a Mazda 3 fan. 😛
royer
Very difficult to sell these, until you reduce the base price drastically, may be all will go to rent a cars at discounted prices.
bunkie79
Do they charge extra for the wheel hub caps?. Seems all cars are without them
Rahul Jones
They are removed while shipping. Will be installed back before delivery.
Mohammed Osman
I wonder why didn’t they get the version/trim where the door handles and mirrors have the same color as the car body, we have Highline model in Egypt, which comes with sport rims and cruise control. This one looks very ugly.
Mohamed
why there is no new shap from 2006 till now?