The 2019 Proton Persona was officially unveiled to the Malaysian media yesterday morning at PROTON’s Malaysia Design Centre in Shah Alam. The B-segment family sedan has been given an exterior redesign as well as an intelligent head unit identical to the one in the 2019 Iriz and based on the system used in the Proton X70. Both the Persona and Iriz are the first models in Proton’s current range to be updated following the collaboration with Geely and the official launch of both vehicles is currently planned to occur simultaneously in March 2019.
Flash booking promotion to start on 12 March
PROTON will be holding a ‘flash promotion’ for the 2019 Persona. Interested buyers can place an online booking for only RM9.99, which begins on 11 March 2019 and ends at 11.59pm on 22 March 2019.
“PROTON aims to make its cars accessible to as many potential buyers as possible. That is why the RM9.99 flash promotion is being offered for the 2019 Persona. The low commitment fee is just one part of the deal. The convenience of being able to place a booking online from virtually anywhere there is a data line is the second part of the equation, making the act of booking a car simple and fast,” said Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of PROTON.
Due to popular demand, the flash promotion offer for the Proton Iriz will also be extended to end on the same day as the promotion for the 2019 Persona. This means customers will be able to place a booking for either car online until 22 March.
The first joint customer preview of the Persona and Iriz will take place this weekend 16 – 17 March at Proton Edar 3S centre in Plentong, Johor Bharu. Previously, customer events had been held at Proton Edar 3S centres at Chan Sow Lin and Damansara but they only featured the Iriz.
Restyled to feature family design elements
Penned by a team led by the head of PROTON Design, Azlan Othman, the 2019 Persona benefits from expertise drawn from other design centres within the Geely group of companies.
Working to a design brief with the model slogan Intelligence That Cares the Persona’s design embodies its three USPs of peerless connectivity, practical functionality and proven safety. It also uses styling elements to create a visual link with other Proton models.
The design updates are subtle but make the Persona stand out from its predecessor. At the front, it receives a new outer grille inspired by the “Ethereal Bow” that debuted on the Proton X70 and also features on the Iriz. The radiator incorporates the “Infinite Weave” pattern sculpted into its design and sits on top of a redesigned front bumper.
Sleek new LED daytime running lamps (DRL) are housed over a honeycomb mesh backing while a new bumper lower garnish ties together the new design elements of the front bumper and frames the lower air intake more elegantly.
At the rear, the most noticeable changes are the PROTON name proudly spelled out on the trunk lid garnish and a new bumper lower garnish that enhances the rear visual identity. A slimmer spoiler adds a sporting touch while a new bolder flowing typeface for the Persona name badge matches the overall exterior styling theme.
A new 15-inch aluminium wheel design and a shark fin antenna provide the final exterior styling touches.
The intelligent car for families
Similar to its sister car the Iriz, the 2019 Proton Persona features an intelligent head unit that is equipped with an embedded eSIM card and offers apps for music streaming, weather updates, navigation and voice recognition. Access to the system is via a 7-inch full colour touchscreen with 16GB of internal memory. There is also Wi-Fi connectivity and full mirroring capabilities for Android smart phones via an app.
“The Proton X70 introduced the concept of intelligence to our range of cars and the 2019 Proton Persona and Iriz have now received similar features. Their intelligent head unit offers voice command, weather forecast, navigation and music streaming functions and they can all be accessed using the Hi Proton! catchphrase. These are first in class features for cars in the B- segment so we hope to build on the advantage we now have over our rivals,” added Dr Li Chunrong.
