Proton presents safer wares

Proton Cars Australia has announced the release of three new models over the next three months, but only two of them will come with a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

First cab off the rank will be the October 1 launch of Proton’s first people-mover, the Exora, which will be marketed as “Australia’s lowest priced seven-seater”.

Priced from just $25,990 drive-away, the Exora GX will be joined on sale here by the Exora GXR ($27,990 drive-away), both fitted with a turbocharged 103kW/205Nm version of Proton’s 1.6-litre Campro four-cylinder petrol engine.

The seven-seat Exora will come standard with electronic stability/traction control, anti-lock braking, four airbags, a roof-mounted DVD player, 16-inch alloy wheels and Bluetooth connectivity.

ANCAP praised the strides made by the Malaysian car-maker, whose discontinued Jumbuck ute famously scored just one ANCAP star in 2010 and whose new Suprima S hatch goes on sale from December 1 with a five-star ANCAP safety rating – matching the Preve sedan upon which it’s based.

However, the Exora’s sub-standard crash-test performance and lack of rear curtain airbags attracted criticism from ANCAP, which last week awarded it just four safety stars.

“It is encouraging to see better performance by Proton particularly in relation to the Suprima result, but clearly more work needs to be done on the Exora to improve safety,” said ANCAP Chairman, Lauchlan McIntosh.

“The lack of rear curtain airbags is also of concern for a people-mover which will inevitably be marketed to families.”

ANCAP said the Exora result reflected its performance in the 40 per cent frontal offset test, in which the risk of serious injury to the driver’s legs was high. Side impact performance was rated as good, but overall pedestrian test results were poor.

The Suprima S five-door, meantime, comes standard with six airbags, electronic stability/traction control and anti-skid brakes, while the premium version will add a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.

Pricing is yet to be announced for the Suprima, but should be in line with the Preve, pricing for which was cut to $15,990 (manual) and $17,990 (CVT) in August, when its five-year free-servicing offer then changed to five years of capped-pricing servicing.

The Suprima is billed as the best-equipped Proton ever sold in Australia. Standard equipment includes the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four, seven-speed ProTronic CVT auto, a seven-inch touch screen with sat-nav, rear LED light guides, daytime running lights, hill-holder, front/rear parking sensors and 17-inch alloy wheels.

The top-shelf Suprima hatch variant will add leather seat trim, push-button starting, paddle shifters and cruise control.

A third new Proton model, the Preve GXR variant, goes on sale from November 1 following the launch of the Preve GX.

It will be powered by the same 1.6 Campro turbo-petrol engine, matched as standard with the Suprima’s more advanced CVT -- seven-speed unit with steering wheel paddle shifters.

Manual versions of both the Suprima and Preve GXR will become available in the first quarter of next year.

Proton’s Persona sedan and Gen.2 hatch are currently in run-out in preparation for the Suprima and Preve models.

All new Protons sold in Australia continue to be backed by a five-year warranty, capped-price servicing and roadside assistance program.

Proton hopes the Exora people-mover, Preve GXR sedan and Suprima S hatch can reverse a sales slide that could otherwise have led to Proton’s worst year of sales since it arrived in Australia in 1995.

Proton sales have slumped by more than half this year, with just 389 vehicles sold to August.

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