Pearl Automotive has launched the Malaysian-built Proton Gen.2 subcompact in South Africa. The Gen.2 has stand-out looks and a sporty character, but with prices starting at R137 995, will the novel newcomer attract customers away from market mainstays?
By CAR Correspondent
Pearl Automotive has launched the Malaysian-built Proton Gen.2 subcompact in South Africa. The Gen.2 has stand-out looks and a sporty character, but with prices starting at R137 995, will the novel newcomer attract customers away from market mainstays?
By CAR Correspondent
content here
Pearl Automotive has launched the Malaysian-built Proton Gen.2 subcompact in South Africa. The Gen.2 has stand-out looks and a sporty character, but with prices starting at R137 995, will the novel newcomer attract customers away from market mainstays?
Proton will be a brand new name to most South Africans (at least to those who don’t follow the MotoGP, where a Proton KR V5 tries its utmost to compete with the Yamahas, Hondas and Ducatis). But when one takes considers that the Malaysian manufacturer has considerable interests in exotic marques such as Lotus, MV Agusta and Husqvarna, it’s clear that Proton isn’t a trivial company.
The South African public already has way over a thousand models to choose from, and Pearl Automotive, a subsidiary of Imperial Motor Holdings, this week added another four. The Proton Gen 2 is powered by a 1,6-litre 16-valve engine manufactured in-house rather than by Mitsubishi, and will be available with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission and in two specification levels – GL and GLS. Starting with the most important aspect for potential customers, price, the range starts with the R137 995 GL manual and goes up to R169 995 for the GLS automatic.
The second most important consideration (for most buyers) is the level of after sales back-up that one can expect from a fresh-on-the-block newcomer. Pearl Automotive says that existing MG-Rover dealerships have been equipped to handle initial operations, while more dealers will be added in phases to meet the demand. Each Proton has a three-year/ 60 000 km warranty, three-year/ 75 000 km service plan with three years roadside assistance.
To read a launch report of the Gen.2 and view the range’s specifications, click here.
