KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — National carmaker Proton expects sales of the Iriz and Persona to increase by at least 30 per cent with the launch of facelift models this month.
Currently, sales of the Iriz and Persona, stand at between 1,000 and 2,000 units monthly.
Proton Holdings Bhd chief executive officer Dr Li Chunrong said the new Iriz and Persona, along with the sports utility vehicle (SUV), the Proton X70, would be main contributors to the company’s target of breaking even this year and turning into profitability in 2020.
“We have good products and are working hard to achieve this target,” he told reporters at the 2019 Persona Media Preview here today.
He said the company also continued to receive support from its Chinese partner, Zhejiang Geely Holdings Group.
“Seventeen months after establishing the joint venture with Geely, we are now launching the new Iris and Persona with the latest interior and exterior features, and the most advanced connectivity technology in the segments,” he added.
On the new Persona, Li said the model received 303 improvements from its predecessor, including a recalibration of the engine for better driveability and fuel consumption.
He said the car would be equipped with an intelligent head unit that uses an embedded eSIM card and offers apps for music streaming, navigation and voice recognition, similar to the X70, Proton’s first SUV and the new Iriz.
The car is also rated five star for safety under the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP).
Li said four variants would be offered, namely the standard 1.6 litre manual transmission, standard 1.6 litre continuously variable transmission (CVT), executive 1.6 litre CVT and Premium 1.6 litre CVT
In conjunction with the upcoming launch of the car, Proton would be holding a “flash promotion” for the 2019 Persona, starting tomorrow until March 22, where interested buyers can make an online booking for only RM9.99.
The first Persona model was introduced in 2007 and since its inception, 322,623 units have been sold in Malaysia, ASEAN, the Middle East and Australia. — Bernama
