Saturday January 19, 2008
New chapter for the rakyat’s car
KUALA LUMPUR: After 23 years as the original Proton model and easily the national carmaker’s most recognisable car, the Proton Saga has progressed to the next generation.
Launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi here yesterday, the new Saga four-door family sedan contains many of the out-going model’s well-appreciated features, namely affordability, a spacious boot and low-cost of ownership.
Five variants of the new Saga in three trim levels of entry, base and medium lines, and options of four-speed automatic and five-speed manual transmissions are offered with on-the-road prices ranging from RM31,500 to RM39,998.
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Attractive model: People having a closer look at the new Saga at a showroom in Mutiara Damasara, Petaling Jaya, on Friday. |
“With such pricing and value for money proposition, anyone who earns about RM1,300 a month can afford the new Saga,” he said.
With the launch of the new Saga, Syed Zainal Abidin said the company was bidding farewell to “a very grand and dear old lady of Proton – the original Saga.
The original Saga was launched in July 1985 and more than 1.2 million units have been sold since.
Syed Zainal Abidin also noted that around 38% of the new Saga’s pre-launch customers were Chinese, indicating that Proton had gained the confidence of more Chinese buyers.
He said the Chinese usually accounted for between 10% and 15% of Proton owners.
The model comes with a service interval of 10,000km for lower cost of maintenance and something that will help give owners more peace of mind – a three-year warranty plus the option to extend it a further two years.
The new Saga claims a fuel consumption of 6 and 6.3 litre per 100km at a constant speed of 90kph for the manual and automatic variants respectively.
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