credit to paultan.org
New Saga replacement Proton BLM sighted with minimal disguise on the road!
These shots (posted with permission) of the upcoming Saga/Iswara Replacement Model, the Proton BLM was shot by ephique74. If anything, it reveals to us one of the colour options available for the new Proton BLM, a turquoise-ish colour similar to the one available with the new iPod Nano.
We can see a little detail of how the front bumper will look like. This model doesn’t seem to have any foglamps, but since it is a test unit is not really indicative of whether the final product line-up will have a model that comes equipped with fog lamps. The headlamps look like they are reflectors instead of projectors, which isn’t surprising as this is a baseline budget model.
These clear photos were shot by KM_Survivor of the Lensa Malaysia forums, a Malaysian photography forum, which explains why the photos are of such good quality! It shows the side profile of the new Proton BLM very clearly, so we can have a rough idea of headroom and interior space as well as the general proportions of the car.
Just a recap for those who are not in the loop - the Proton BLM is supposed to be Proton’s base line model, a replacement for the aging Proton Saga/Proton Iswara model. It is said to be based on a modified Proton Savvy platform.
Two more photos after the jump.
Related Posts:
Is this the new Proton BLM?
Proton BLM Artist’s Impression
Tug-type door handles instead of the normal lift-up type gives the occupant more flexibility on how he wants to open the door - gripping from the bottom or from the top, which will be useful if he is carrying things.
There are also other spyshots floating around in email forwards which show a little of the interior of the car but I am unable to post it here as I do not know who the photographer is, so I am unable to obtain permission to post. If you look around the usual forums you’ll probably be able to see it posted up.
Now this is something really really strange. The upcoming replacement for the Proton Saga codenamed the Proton BLM has been spotted on the road, without any camouflage, and registered! Yes, the car had a proper number plate instead of a trade plate, but I’ve censored it off these photos. If you notice, there’s even a road tax sticker on the windscreen. The car only had its Proton badges removed/covered up, but other than that it shows pretty much the full details of the car.
The Proton BLM looks rather decent, and the rear will remind people of the outgoing Mercedes Benz W203 C-Class. Proton has taken the conservative route to the BLM’s styling as it has to have a huge mass appeal, and being safe is always a good idea when it comes to designing a car for volume sales, just look at Toyota’s design language. There are no oddities like the step-up window line of the Savvy, or the bling turbine wheels of the Satria Neo.
It looks like a nice, compact and anonymous-looking small B-segment sedan, with a boot that looks like it could store an estimated 400 to 450 liters of luggage. If Proton continues its new philosophy of designing cars for the consumers, expect nifty conveniences such as hinges that do not intrude into boot space, a decent amount of interior storage space, and a frugal 1.3 liter engine with both manual and automatic gearboxes.
The interior design should take cues from the current Proton Saga, which has had its interior updated with the latest facelift. Expect the interior to be a sensible one, something more Persona than Satria Neo - this means no crazy bright blue lights to light up your meter panel unlike the current Saga interior.
The word through the grapevines is that Proton is looking to a launch date sometime in the first half of January 2008. I cannot wait to see the old Proton Saga finally replaced! Not sure what the name is, but Proton might decide to keep the Proton Saga name for continuity, just like how it kept the Persona name for its new Wira replacement, as Persona was the Wira’s export name.
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