The fairly-new-to-South Africa Proton product range has been boosted with the news of the imminent arrival of a fresh three-door hatchback. The Malaysian-born Satria Neo will be available in the local market from early 2007.
By Hailey Philander
The fairly-new-to-South Africa Proton product range has been boosted with the news of the imminent arrival of a fresh three-door hatchback. The Malaysian-born Satria Neo will be available in the local market from early 2007.
The single hatchback model will be available from January 2007 with a 1,6-litre double overhead cam engine mated with a five-speed manual transmission. Producing 82 kW at 6 000 r/min and 148 N.m at 4 000 r/min, the Satria is reportedly capable of achieving a 191-km/h top speed and a 0-100 km/h time of 11,5 seconds.
Designed in partnership with Lotus, the three-door Proton utilises a MacPherson strut and multi-link suspension arrangement. The manufacturer claims that the newcomer, which will be equipped with driver and passenger airbags, ABS with EBD, front seatbelt pretensioners, front fog lamps and Isofix child restraints, offers handling abilities to match its sporty image.
Comfort features include a tilt adjustable steering wheel, climate control, power windows, rear park distance control, CD and MP3 player with Bluetooth capability, and the Satria Neo will cost R139 950 when it goes on sale. Look out for this interesting new hatchback at South African showrooms in January.