A few weeks ago, Proton made the news in a big way through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Licence Agreement to build and sell Suzuki models, with the first car – widely tipped to be an A-segment car to allow Proton to gain traction in a market that’s a Perodua stronghold – expected to see the light of day as early as August 2016.
Fast forward to today, and rendering whiz Theophilus Chin has whipped up his second vision of what that car could look like. You may remember that soon after the signing event, he Photoshopped a photo of the Indian-market Alto K10 with Proton badges; now, he believes a Celerio would actually be a better fit, and has modified Suzuki’s global city car to suit, dubbing it the Proton Aria.
Apart from the obligatory Proton emblems on the grille and wheels, Theo also got to work on extending the grille downward (much like Toyota’s Vios-based Yaris), adding a silver skid plate-like appliqué and finishing it off with some neat SUV-like plastic body mouldings.
Theo also added the Iriz‘s steering wheel to the no-frills interior – equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox! The result, in this writer’s books at least, certainly succeeds in adding some visual flair on what was a slightly bargain-basement car.
The Celerio is available with either a 67 hp/90 Nm 1.0 litre three-cylinder petrol engine (which we probably will be getting) or a 47 hp/125 Nm 793 cc two-cylinder turbodiesel (which we probably won’t), mated to either the aforementioned five-speed stick shifter or a CVT.
If Proton is serious about retaining its safety credentials, the Celerio would be a good fit, as it’s available with stability control and even six airbags in other markets. So, what do you think of Theo’s efforts?
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AI-generated Summary ✨
Comments mostly focus on skepticism and criticism of Proton’s strategy, emphasizing rebadging Suzuki models, questioning whether Proton has genuine R&D, and expressing disappointment in design and innovation efforts. Some comments praise minimalist safety features and compare Proton's progress unfavorably with other brands. There are also references to political and national pride issues, with some sarcastic remarks about Proton’s branding and perceived lack of originality, while a few express appreciation for the design work.