Now and Then

In the project Window Movie Maker with title “Compare and Contrast” we have done before, we have chosen to compare and contrast between the first generation of Proton Saga and the latest Proton Saga which is the second generation.

The first Proton Saga that rolled off the production line was presented to the Malaysian National Museum as a symbol of the beginning of the Malaysian automotive industry. The design of the first generation Proton Saga is based on the design of the third generation of Mitsubishi Lancer - Lancer Fiore. The front view, head lamps, rear lamps, the bumpers and rear view of the Saga are designed square. Due to the lack of experience, all of these are lookalike Lancer Fiore. In the middle of the head lamps, there is a logo of the Saga which is a combination of fourteen sides star above a new moon with blue background. The logo is used because the combination of new moon, fourteen sides star, and blue color background is as same as the national flag of Malaysia. This Saga models were powered by SOHC 8-valve 4-cylinder petrol engines sourced from Mitsubishi available in both 1.3- and 1.5-litre displacements. Both engines were available with a 5-speed manual transmission, but a 3-speed Mitsubishi Tri-matic automatic was available with the 1.5-liter engine in 1987. In the interior of the Saga is also almost the same as the Lancer Fiore. The meter of the Saga is divided into three parts. Meter on the left side is the RPM meter, middle is speed meter and the right side is fuel and temperature meter.

Now, the latest generation of Proton Saga, The new model is an in-house design developed in collaboration with Korea's LG CNS and Lotus Engineering. This model enables the Malaysian company play to its strength in the home market, as an example the three-box sedan. The whole Saga now give people a fresh feeling, not like the earlier Saga give people a feel of hard. The front view, head lamps, rear lamps, the bumpers and rear view now have been well designed and calculated for the aerodynamic. The logo for the new Saga is also changed. Now, there is a golden tiger head and above it is the brand of the car-PROTON. The new Saga is powered by the same 1.3-litre Campro engine which was co-designed with and it has a new Integrated Air-Fuel Module (IAFM) which varies the airflow into the engine to improve efficiency, smoothening out the problematic dip in the torque curve in the lower and middle rev ranges. The 5-speed manual is from Aichi Kikai, Suspension setup consists of MacPherson struts and a stabilizer bar up front with a torsion beam in the rear. The electrical system has also been updated with coil-on-plugs instead of the traditional ignition cable system, eliminating power loss. The interior of new Saga has boot space of (413 l (14.6 cu ft)). The car is also designed to accommodate a compressed natural gas tank without considerably restricting boot space Airbag is also fitted to the medium-spaced models onward. While the meter has just divided into twe part only which is RPM meter and speed meter. The temperature and fuel meter has been changed into digital meter.

As a conclusion, from the big changes in these two Sagas, we can see that, the technology of Malaysia in heavy industry has improved and can compete with the import cars.