A BLM on test (MTM thanks 'Slider' for the picture)

Platform for BLM is said to be enlarged from Savvy

In about six weeks from now, Proton is expected to launch a new model, its second brand new sedan in less than a year - a sign that the new management at least knows what the Malaysian buyers really want. Though criticised by certain quarters for having put Proton into the red, the fact remains that the new management came in and had to contend with many issues that were not of their doing, among them three new hatchbacks launched after the Waja which failed to make an impact on the market and sent Proton sales into a decline.

As anyone who understands the industry and is involved in product development will tell you, new products cannot appear in the showrooms overnight or even within a year; the period of development for a new model takes a few years, longer if the platform also has to be developed. Fortunately, there exist two modern platforms – the first which started with the Waja and variations of which have been used for the Gen2, Satria Neo and Persona, and the second one which the Savvy rides on. A third platform is said to be under development for use by the next generation of the Waja and a MPV, possibly for launch in 2009.

Having well-engineered platforms is extremely useful and with lessons learnt from its Lotus Engineering subsidiary, Proton has been able to exploit the original Waja platform (which had been adapted from the Mitsubishi Carisma/Volvo S40 platform). While Proton models get criticised for all sorts of quality issues, ride and handling are one of the vert few areas that get praise.

So having good platforms saves money and time, and Proton has been able to bring the Persona – the successor to the Wira - to market within an impressively short time, and soon will come the ‘BLM’ which is intended to take over from the 22-year old Iswara. Going by the success of the Persona and the fact that it’s average monthly volume has been higher than the Iswara’s, it is a sign that it is, as Proton MD Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin likes to say, “the right car for the right target market at the right price’. Not bad for an engineer who does not lay claim to being a marketing genius. He is very optimistic that the BLM will achieve the same success and has described it as Proton’s ‘Asean Car’.

So what do we know about the BLM so far? Pre-production units are already running around on roads for final real-world testing and there are many pictures on the Net, including some pictures from the design studio which show very clear shots of the car. Strangely, Proton has not kicked up a fuss about those 'unauthorised' pictures, unlike years ago when its legal department aggressively pursued the matter of Gen2 pictures appearing before launch and even going to the Police Commercial Crimes Division to demand action be taken to arrest those who posted the pictures, not to mention putting a full-page advertisement in the papers threatening action against anyone who possesses pictures of prototypes. A bit silly when you think about it because how would you know it is really a prototype if Proton won’t admit it? Presumably, the new management has a more rational view of such things and perhaps understands that rather than present itself as a ‘big bully’, it can instead exploit the spy photos to generate more interest and anticipation by the public.

When the BLM is launched, the Iswara will finally be able to go into retirement after a 22-year run

Some sections will be shared with the Savvy, reducing production costs. For example, the critical door openings are maintained (as can be seen from pictures). Many items under the skin would also be shared and this is how money is saved as economies of scale are gained. Perhaps finally Proton has settled down to making use of similar parts for more models rather than having unique parts for each model when the volumes are not exceptionally large to justify such an approach.

One interesting thing is the engine bay which was said to be unable to accommodate a Campro engine in the Savvy because it was ‘too small’. Yet for the BLM, it is known that an ‘enhanced’ version of the Campro 1.3 will be fitted. Whether this will have the CPS (Cam Profiling Switching) mechanism remains to be seen, or it may just have the Variable Intake Manifold (VIM) which would still improve torque to some extent. So it’s probably a wider car as well and this is quite possible because Proton did develop something referred to as a ‘variable platform’ (Honda used this concept in its Accord in the mid-1980s).

Modular assembly requires additional space alongside the lines for the large modules, something which the old plant doing the Iswara and Wira did not have, having been designed in the 1980s

The BLM will not be built at the Tg Malim plant but at the Shah Alam plant which has been refurbished to do modular assembly. This makes sense since the cessation of Wira production and soon, Iswara production, would mean that the plant is redundant as the Waja is assembled in a smaller plant adjacent to the main one and all other models come out of Tg Malim.

It was not possible to do the Waja in the old plant because it was conceived for modular assembly and this requires more space alongside the lines because the modules are large items. Processes also need to be different and given that the plant was originally laid out for manufacturing processes in the 1980s, it would be hard to change it immediately without disrupting production. Ending Wira production provided that opportunity for refurbishment.

Ending of Wira production made it possible to reconfigure the Shah Alam plant to make the new model

The price is still a big question mark and there is speculation that it will be between RM30,000 and RM40,000. Some believe that Proton will even push it down to RM28,000 although that could well be a very basic version. It has already been ‘conditioning’ the market to accept low-priced ‘Lite’ versions which omit certain features but enable those on a tight budget to still buy the car.

So while there is disappointment and disbelief at the way the Proton-VW thing ended, perhaps the company will show the Malaysian public that, even without VW, it can deliver new products that are well designed and engineered and most importantly, products which are not intended for a small segment of buyers only.

• Proton Gen2 with new Campro engine launched in Thailand