الموضوع: Proton's High Performance Engine To Be Ready By 2011

BERNAMA - Proton's High Performance Engine To Be Ready By 2011

Proton's High Performance Engine To Be Ready By 2011

By Mahanum Abdul Aziz

NORWIRCH (United Kingdom), Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Proton Holdings Bhd expects its new high-torque pressure-charged performance engine to be ready by 2011.

Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd's Engineering Division Director Tajul Zahari Abu Bakar said Proton was developing the engine in collaboration with Lotus Engineering with the active involvement of Malaysian engineers and vendors.

" Fifty per cent of the special components of the engine is supplied and developed together with Malaysian suppliers," he told Malaysian reporters in Norwirch today.

He added that the objective of this engine development was basically to improve its capability as well as facilitate the transfer of technology to Proton and Malaysian suppliers.

Saying that 70 engineers were involved in the engine development, Tajul Zahari added the performance of the 1,600 cc engine was equivalent to that of a 2,000 cc engine.

The engine promises a high torque for enhanced driveability with improved economy, performance and emissions, he added.

Tajul Zahari said the engine, which was launched by Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin here on Friday, has been tested under all weather conditions and is compatible with the RON 95 and RON 97 fuel.

He said the engine, designed to have reduced emission level, low maintenance as well as better service ability, would be fitted in Proton's export models.

-- BERNAMA

للفائدة يا جماعة: نبذة من تاريخ بروتون

با ريت في حد يترجم إلي العربية

The birth of a vision

cbt.com.my


His decision to buy Lotus Cars has drawn a fair share of praise and criticism from the motoring world. His tenure in Proton Holdings Bhd has left an everlasting mark that will continue to divide the opinions of Malaysian motorists.



According to former Proton CEO Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel, his decision to buy Lotus Cars was done in the greater interest of Proton’s future. A decision that has brought Proton into the world’s spotlight and Malaysia’s into the limelight with the entry of the 1Malaysia Lotus F1 team, making it Lotus’ first appearance in Formula One in 15 years.


The story started at 10am on April 13, 1996, in the Prime Minister’s office. Present were the late Tan Sri Yahya Ahmad, himself and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, then Prime Minister of Malaysia. “There we evaluated how Proton was doing as a car company, as well as our current strategy of rebadging cars,” said Tengku Mahaleel, who was then the vice-chariman of strategy and operations for Proton.
“Mahathir had this vision of the industrial master plan, the first phase involving assembly. However, we discussed about moving on to phase two which involved design and engineering our own cars, which was targeted to be done at the end of 2005. “Imagine we were talking about achieving this second phase nine years ahead of schedule, and I was presenting it to the Prime Minister on the eleventh day on the job.
“
We knew that with the current arrangements of rebadging, we were paying – hidden costs and all – to the tune of RM500 million for just one platform. “Then based on our calculations with the additional technical fees, we were paying RM25,000 worth of parts that only cost RM18,000 if we were to make them ourselves. Furthermore, we couldn’t export such products and expect to turn over a profit, as with the then arrangements, Proton’s exports were bleeding the government to death. “The only solution was to create Proton’s own car and engine. What followed next was five minutes of absolute silence. “Then Mahathir turned around and said ‘We will have to make our first car by the year 2000 then’.”


In 1996, the Japanese ranked Proton as 20 per cent capable of producing its own car.Without any hope of drawing support from other companies and four years given to design and build a car of its own, Proton came to two decisions – either work with a consulting firm or enter a joint venture to design a car, or acquire a design and development company. “If we worked with a consulting firm, we could only get designs that were as good as we paid them for. We won’t have full access to the talent and skills behind the design that we need for a sustainable future,” said Tengku Mahaleel. “If we bought a company instead, we will have the rights to all of their engineering skills, blueprints and knowledge we could use to take that leap forward as a car maker.” Tengku Mahaleel had to settle for the second option of company acquisition. Eventually, a list of potential companies were drawn up, including AVL, Cosworth, Pininfarina, Porsche and Lotus. The criteria was an engineering company with the experience in building cars.
Tengku Mahaleel flew down to Germany for a secret meeting with Dr Radman, a representitive from Porsche. “I can remember the conversation, when I asked him if we can have a stake in Porsche, he asked if I had a return ticket, to which I said yes, and his answer was ‘Good, because Porsche is not for sale’,” he said. “That brought Proton to the second choice on the list, Lotus Cars, which in 1996 was up for sale. We then acquired Lotus Cars for a sum of RM503 million, and with that Lotus Proton finally had the expertise, knowledge and engineering drawings to build cars of its own.”
From there, Proton bought an old Mitsubishi platform, and with the help of Lotus engineers, started work on redesigning, modernising and developing the GX41, which would become the Waja. Launched in 2000, right on schedule, the Waja was the first Malaysian-designed car. If one would think that RM503 million was too high a sum, Tengku Mahaleel said that Lotus paid its price through cost-saving in just two years of Proton’s operations.
“When a Campro 1.6 costs RM4,500 per engine and you are paying close to RM6,500 each from a Japanese manufacturer, you can save nearly RM2,000 per engine,” he said. “If you sell 150,000 engines a year, you will be saving the company nearly RM300 million a year. Do the maths and the investment in Lotus would have paid for itself in just two years.”
When asked about Petronas’ own P98 engine, Tengku Mahaleel said: “It was an engineering exercise for Petronas, involving an engine unit from Yamaha. When the P98 costs more than RM18,000 each, with no gears, there isn’t any economies of scale to support it.

“Furthermore, with Lotus’ expertise, we developed our own engine management system which saved us RM400 per unit, which equates to a saving of RM22.57 million in the first year alone.” Tengku Mahaleel said that with subsequent model launches, Proton lowered its development costs through platform and parts sharing.
Input in Lotus extends more than just the current range of Proton cars, with production ready projects like the ‘New Engine Family’, a prototype electric hybrid drivetrain powered by a rotary engine desgined five years ahead of Chevrolet’s Volt, and Proton’s future product range which includes a RM10,000 city car and future all-aluminium Perdana platform, all thanks to knowledge gained from Lotus know-how and technologies.

“Much of the public doesn’t realise that Lotus brought much needed knowledge and expertise to build Proton into what it is today, a proper car manufacturer,” he said. “Recently, the Japanese placed our production capability at 90 per cent in almost every field. “We spent RM500 million acquiring 50 years worth of experience in designing, developing and making engine and chassis, which in itself is impossible to quantify.”
The acquisition of Lotus wasn’t an exercise in branding, nor was it because of Lotus’ racing heritage. Instead, it was a logical decision in order to bring Proton’s production capabilities up and compete in the world stage. Tengku Mahaleel said he doesn’t dwell much on the past, and that he has moved on to take on other positions outside the motoring industry.
By Daniel Wong