Screenshots

The Persona looks like a longer version of Gen 2.

Come on Proton what your R & D is doing just put a backside and call a new model.

Where is your creativity?

Worse that the Wira, at least the Wira, Satria and Putra backsides are different.

AverageJoe,

According to Paul Tan
http://paultan.org/archives/2007/08/15/proton-persona-protons-new-sedan-details/#comment-105599

"t is a supply issue. The previous management overestimated by a large margin how many GEN2 cars they were going to sell. So certain commitments have been given to suppliers to enjoy a certain price for a certain amount. As usual in business larger quantity means lower price. Now Proton has to continue with that amount of rear taillamp orders, so they have to use them on the Persona. Hopefully with a facelift later the design will be changed."

That's why Proton is using the same crop design tail lamp. :)

Proton's market share is now around 23 percent - down from 60 percent in the heydays of 2002 and is banking on this new model (& more models in the pipeline) & export sales to regain its days of glory. But it will be a "virtual reality" as seen in their newly opened Virtual Reality Centre as duties have been slowly lowered in line with a regional trade pact, and locals find it more reliable to get imported cars

\Proton had thrived for years in a protected environment in which high duties were imposed on imported vehicles, forcing many Malaysians to buy Proton cars.

Proton now aims to sell 30,000-40,000 units of the 1.6 liter Proton Pesona in the first year of launch but analysts have their doubts. The sales target is “achievable but at the expense of other models” and predicted its car sales “for the full year is likely to be flat” More details & pics of the model at:
http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2007/08/more-pics-video-clip-16-litre-proton.html

This is what Proton gets when Proton is helmed by the pretender who know nuts about car industry. The Proton Persona pricing is being used to target it's own other models, rest assured, now everyone who wants to buy Proton's other model will stand back and wait further for other model's price revision. So Proton gains some 2500 orders for its Persona prior launching, what about other models? The fact that we can see the sales being slow all these time confirmed that Proton is going no where as long as Proton has incompetent people running the show. Persona may bring in some sales but at the expenses of other Proton models, not competitors.

feel sad since there is not even a single minister attended to this launching while Minister Rafidah is busy launching Naza's new Spectra 5. Look like proton is no more clever boy for grandma.

I have said this before, all proton models are similar in size and price except for the savvy.
with the persona, proton can save hundreds of millions by focussing on ONE platform and two models for the midsize market i.e. Neo for the young ones and Persona for the older guys, and discard the rest (waja/gen-2/wira). another vehicle using similar platform should be introduce in similar guise to the HONDA FRV using 3+3 sitting for the family. The 1.6 campro engine could be modified into 1.8 for the sportier models and by using 3 cylinder of similar unit, a 1.2 CAMPRO replacing the renault 1.2 on the savvy.

But having said all that, if VW or GM were to buy over poton, they have no need for all the models made by proton.

Therefore,I think proton management is banking on this new model to stay independent.

It is quite simple actually.

Proton (the new Proton that is) want to put behind all the old models which are inherited from Tengku Mahaleel/Mahathir & The Gang which has problems in many areas - qualities are the most obvious. So it is now banking on the Persona, and if the old model sales suffer a lot - so be it! Little else can be done, and this variant of Gen2 (not a new model) has lots of improvement compared to R&D cost -

Basically I think this is a good move (maybe the only move left), but it could be a little too late.

Persona vs Gen2 = "Lam Par" vs "Par Lan" , Nothing new! Sorry! This is Malaysia Boleh! Very sad!