The Saga continues

It's a relative youngster compared to the Hindustan Ambassador, but the Proton Saga, after just 21 years in continuous production, has been replaced by a new car, also named Saga.

The new model is fitted with a 1.3-litre version of Proton's 'Campro' DOHC four which develops 71kW of power and 120Nm of torque. Fuel consumption figures are 6.0L/100km for the five-speed manual variant or 6.3L/100km for the four-speed auto.

MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam axle at the rear are matched to 13-inch steel wheels for lower spec cars or 14-inch alloys for vehicles of a higher trim level.

The new model is priced from the equivalent of AUD$10,000 for Malaysian consumers and, for that money even the base models come with dual front airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners.

Proton expects the Saga to find export markets in ASEAN countries like Thailand, China and India. There's also potential for the car to sell in the Middle East.

Proton anticipates producing between 5500 and 6000 units per month and there's a possibility of the car coming to Australia during the first half of this year, as the company will be building the car in both LHD and RHD versions.