While travelling in Malaysia for business purposes, Carscoops’ reader Henk stumbled upon two prototypes of local manufacturer Proton’s new Perdana sedan.
“On Sunday, January 24, I spotted the following camouflaged Proton’s on a parking along the Kuala Lumpur-Melakka highway,” Henk told us. “Shortly spoke with the 2 test drivers who forbid me to take pictures of the interior. So just the outside.”
Proton’s Perdana sedan series can be traced back to the mid-1990s, when the company badge-engineered the seventh generation of Mitsubishi Galant (also called Emeraude and Eterna) up until 2009.
In late 2013, after signing a collaboration with Honda, the Malaysian carmaker re-introduced the Perdana as a re-badged eighth generation Accord, albeit only for government use, with a few of those cars finding their way into private hands in the used car market. Now, Proton wants market the new Perdana to the general public as well.
Rather than using the ninth generation Accord’s underpinnings, the Malaysian company is sticking to the previous model’s hardware, but it’s dressing the 2016 Perdana’s platform with a completely new body. Paultan reports that the new model will gain 150mm (5.9 inches) in length stretching to 4,999mm (196.8 inches), which places it well-into full-size sedan category – the latest Acura RL, for example, is 4,917 mm (193.6 inches) long.
It’s difficult to decrypt the design details with all that swirly camouflage covering the car, but we did take note of the sportier profile with the more sweptback roofline and the more modern front.
Proton is expected to roll out the new Perdana in the coming months, with possible engine choices including Honda’s 154hp 2.0-liter and 177hp 2.4-liter gasoline fours at launch, while the Petronas-derived 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated and turbo units as well as the company’s own 1.5-liter turbo four are rumored to replace the Japanese-sourced mills within the next year or so.
Thanks to Henk for the scoops!
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