Proton Lekir Two-Seater Sportscar Coming Within Two Years

Malaysian carmaker Proton will deliver a new two-seater Lotus-like sportscar within two years. The model will be significantly cheaper than the Europa it is based on, and will complement the sporty Satria Neo three-door hatchback already in Proton’s model range.

The announcement was made by Dr Badrulhisham Mohd Ghazali, Corporate Planning General Manager of Proton, who revealed to Malaysian TheStar newspaper, at the ongoing Proton Carnival, that the sports car is in its planning stages. According to him, we can expect a wait of “a year or one and a half” before the car will be ready for production.

A few weeks ago, we showed you the Proton Lekir Concept, which made its debut at the 2010 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show. The concept looked very similar to the Lotus Europa it was based on, and was meant to determine how well a Proton sports car will be received by Asian customers and the international press.

Selling in European markets since 2006, the Europa boasts the same handling prowess as the Elise on which it is based on. The Europa has been rendered obsolete with the launch of the Evora, so Proton is said to be ready to offer the sportscar, this time sporting Proton badges. Powering the new model should be Proton’s new turbocharged Campro 1.6-liter engine, that will be introduced starting next year.

Potential buyers can expect to pay in the region of MYR150,000 (around $48,000), which is less than half of the MYR300,000 ($96,000) an Europa costs in Malaysia.