Newly-launched Iriz to drive Proton sales

The Proton compact car, Iriz has arrived and buoyed by several months of exposure, it has garnered 17,000 pre-launch bookings to date.

Proton Holdings Bhd expects Iriz, Proton's 23rd model, to drive its overall sales and help achieve its sales target of 160,000 units a year for all models.

Chairman Tun Mahathir Mohamed said contributions from Iriz would be substantial to Proton sales and more bookings were expected after the launch.

He said Iriz, which was positioned in the B-segment, would help Proton to further capture a larger share of the automotive market with its competitive prices and innovative technological features.

"Proton is in the right direction with the production of Iriz in meeting global standards and fulfilling global regulations," he told reporters after launching the car at Proton's plant here today.

The on-the-road price ranges from RM42,438 for 1.3 litre variant to RM58,268 for the 1.6 litre variant with seven colour choices.

Mahathir said besides being competitively priced, the car specifications meet global standards.

He said the car had been tested under extreme conditions including in snowy weather and desert heat.

Proton chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Harith Abdullah said Proton had invested RM560 million to develop Iriz since it was first mooted at the Geneva Motorshow in 2009.

Deemed as the best car ever produced by Proton, Iriz is equipped with a four-cylinder VVT engine which fulfils the Euro-4 standards to make it fuel-efficient and cost-effective.

The car also comes with the highest safety standards and was rated five stars by the Asean New Car Assessment Programe (NCAP).

Abdul Harith said the features were usually found in higher-end premium cars or international brands priced above RM100,000.

At the event, Mahathir also launched the Proton Customer Delivery Centre which will manage cars delivery nationwide.

Also present were Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Hamim Samuri.