Lancer-Based Proton Inspira Released

Thanks to some well chosen words and a very lucrative collaboration, the Malaysians from Proton have managed to take all they've needed from the Japanese from Mitsubishi and launch at the end of last week the Inspira, a model which is, in essence, a rebadged Lancer.

The car is equipped with the technologies and engines used by Mitsubishi, which means it packs both MIVEC engines, the 1.8l and 2.0l. The customers will have a choice between a manual or a CVT transmission.

"Proton is ready to move even further ahead to become a recognised player in the global automotive industry,” said Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohd Tahir, Proton's managing director.

“We have been working and collaborating with Mitsubishi for the last 25 years and its a natural step forward for us to continue to work with them in this project.”

Minor tweaks were made to the exterior of the vehicle to make it look like a Proton. Standard equipment includes cruise control, dusk-sending headlamps, rain-sensing wipers and climate control air conditioning.

The car equipped with the 1.8l engine will be sold for RM79,880 ($25,800), while its 2.0l version for RM95,000 ($30,700).

The vehicle is hoped to sell rather well in Malaysia, where the carmaker says it has already received some 1,800 orders since the car was announced at the end of October.

“One of our product strategy is to introduce non-core models through strategic collaborations which provides a more efficient, timely, and cost effective product to the market,” added the director. “The Proton Inspira is an excellent example of this strategic collaboration."