The Proton Perdana is a mid-size car
Mid-size car
A mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
produced by Proton. It is a badge engineered
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is a term that describes the rebadging of one product as another. Due to the high cost of designing and engineering a totally new model, or establishing a new brand , it is often more cost-effective to rebadge a single product multiple times.The term derives from the trademark...
version of the seventh-generation Mitsubishi Eterna. Perdana is a Malay
Malay language
Malay is a group of languages closely related to each other to the point of mutual intelligibility but that linguists consider to be separate languages. They are grouped into a group called "Local Malay", part of a larger group called "Malayan" within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of then word for "Prime".
The Perdana was first introduced by Proton in 1995 with Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
's proven 2.0L 4G63 engine. It was based on the Mitsubishi Galant platform and was thus similar to the Mitsubishi Eterna in Japan, but received minor internal and external changes when it was launched locally in Malaysia.
The Proton Perdana is a mid-size car
Mid-size car
A mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
produced by Proton. It is a badge engineered
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is a term that describes the rebadging of one product as another. Due to the high cost of designing and engineering a totally new model, or establishing a new brand , it is often more cost-effective to rebadge a single product multiple times.The term derives from the trademark...
version of the seventh-generation Mitsubishi Eterna. Perdana is a Malay
Malay language
Malay is a group of languages closely related to each other to the point of mutual intelligibility but that linguists consider to be separate languages. They are grouped into a group called "Local Malay", part of a larger group called "Malayan" within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the...
word for "Prime".
Perdana SEi (1995-1998)
The Perdana was first introduced by Proton in 1995 with Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
's proven 2.0L 4G63 engine. It was based on the Mitsubishi Galant platform and was thus similar to the Mitsubishi Eterna in Japan, but received minor internal and external changes when it was launched locally in Malaysia. The first generation Perdana was also Proton's first car to offer an anti-lock braking system (ABS)
Anti-lock braking system
An anti-lock braking system, or ABS is a safety system which prevents the wheels on a motor vehicle from locking up while braking....
and cruise control
Cruise control
Cruise control is a system that automatically controls the speed of a motor vehicle. The system takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a steady speed as set by the driver.-History:...
.
In 1997, the Perdana was given a facelift with a chrome grille, a new rim design, new body colours and upgraded interior trimmings.
Perdana V6 (1999-present)
In 1999, Proton shoehorned a 2.0 L 6A12 V6 engine
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...
(also sourced by Mitsubishi) into the Perdana. The so-called Proton Perdana V6 also had a new bodykit and 16" rims. The original Perdana in Malaysia is soldiered on for a short while before it was dropped. With Lotus-tuned and upgraded suspension settings, the car handles well through tight corners and it is a good high speed cruiser.
In 2003, the Perdana V6 was given a major facelift, gaining a new Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automaker founded on June 24, 1910 in Milan. Alfa Romeo has been a part of the Fiat Group since 1986, and since February 2007 a part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. The company was owned by Italian state holding company Istituto per la Ricostruzione...
-esque front grill (earning the moniker "Alfadana" in Malaysia) and new bumpers. Inside, it was given a new aluminium-effect trim. This iteration remains on sale to date. Also made available is a luxury variant of the Proton Perdana V6 with an extended length of 25 cm (10 inches) in the rear door, dubbed the Proton Perdana V6 Executive. The Executive is essentially a conversion of the Perdana V6 by Automotive Conversion Engineering (ACE), a subsidiary of EON specialised in developing limousines for statesmen and building TD2000
TD2000
The TD2000 is a retro-styled roadster styled after the British MG TD. Produced by TD Cars Sdn. Bhd., a 70% Malaysian-owned operation with the remaining 30% share owned by Australian partners, the car is assembled in Malaysia and exported overseas...
s. Two Perdana V6 Limousine variants are additionally released by ACE with extended lengths of 66 cm (26 inches) and 91 cm (36 inches), and sport far more luxuries then the Executive variant.
Like the original Perdana, the Perdana V6 was not exported to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, although it was tested by Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
's Top Gear magazine
Top Gear (magazine)
Top Gear is an automobile magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBC's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £3.95. The major presenters of the television series - Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson -...
in their April 1999 issue, as there were plans at the time to sell the V6 in Europe. The plan never materialised.
Use in the Malaysian government
Under the guidelines of Malaysia's automotive policies, cars for use by federal and state governments
Official state car
An official state car is a car used to transport heads of state. It is usually a limousine or an executive car. Official state cars are often those of domestic manufacturers, giving leaders an opportunity to demonstrate faith in their nation's products and therefore domestic manufacturing...
are required to be of national makes. As Proton is the only purely local carmaker to produce cars large enough to qualify as upper-range vehicles, the Perdana, along with the Waja
Proton Waja
The Proton Waja is a saloon car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton, first released in August 2000. The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car, with a chassis derived from a Mitsubishi Carisma and a Volvo S40. The name Waja, which means "tough ", reflects the strength of the...
, is favoured as a government car for high-ranking government officials, including the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is formally appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, and is invariably the leader of the largest party in the House of Representatives, the elected lower house of Parliament...
. With the exception of Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , it is situated on the north-west of the island...
, the Proton Perdana V6 Executive is currently the standard Perdana in use for such purposes.
Maintenance cost controversy
The build quality and cost of maintenance of the Perdana V6 Executive was questioned following a controversy in July 2008 on a move by the Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia. Formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance , it has been Malaysia's ruling political party since independence...
-ruled Terengganu
Terengganu
Terengganu is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Iman...
state government to purchase 14 Mercedes-Benz E200 Kompressors
Mercedes-Benz W211
The Mercedes-Benz W211 series entered production in 2002. They are sold under the E-Class model names. The W211 models replaced the W210 E-Class models.The W219 CLS-Class, which was released in 2005, is based on the W211's mechanical package....
, which were intended to replace existing 2004 Perdana V6 Executives as part of their fleet of state government cars. Terengganu State Secretary Mokhtar Nong argued that the decision was made as a result of the Perdanas' lack of reliability, explaining the Perdanas often require costly maintenance, especially on the gearbox, when used for continuous, long distance journeys. Two of the Perdana V6s in particular needed cumulative repair costs of RM
Malaysian ringgit
The Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 sen and its currency code is MYR...
175,229.97 and RM132,357.76 respectively since 2004.
Proton denied the allegation of high maintenance costs from Terengganu state government, citing the regular maintenance (motor oil and oil filter replacement) for the Perdana to be around RM200. The controversy has raised suspicion of maintenance fraud by the state government of Terengganu, as the regular cumulative maintenance costs of a typical Perdana V6 for the same period is far lower than the claim by the state government and also due to the fact that there was no such warranty claims being made by the state government since October 2004 for one of the defected cars.
The Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR was established on April 1, 2008. The political coalition comprises a group of Malaysian political parties, namely, the People's Justice Party , Democratic Action Party , and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party , who collectively worked together as the Barisan Rakyat during the 12th...
-ruled state of Perak
Perak
Perak is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is the second largest state in Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor southward and to the west by the Strait of Malacca.Perak means silver in...
also said the same for the Perdanas, and has recently purchased a fleet of Toyota Camrys
Toyota Aurion
The Toyota Aurion, is a mid-size car produced by Toyota in Australia and parts of Asia since 2006. The Aurion, given the model designation GSV40R, is essentially a Toyota Camry with revised front- and rear-end treatment, along with changes to the interior...
to replace the Perdanas. It is said that after 3 years in service the cost of servicing those cars was so high that buying Toyota Camrys would save money.
