[carweb]

SMALL BUT BIG ON PERFORMANCE – PROTON’S ALL NEW SAVVY

Release Date 11-07-2005
The all-new Proton Savvy is powered by a 1.2 litre engine and driven by a five speed manual transmission, capable of delivering 74 brake horse power and a maximum speed of 170km/h.

“We’d like to think of it as my first Lotus”, said PROTON Group Chief Executive Officer Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff.

“That was certainly the design ideology from the start of the project. We wanted a small car that offers practicality, fuel economy, generous space and great all round performance. It’s not a sports car nor does it look like a Lotus but certain elements have been engineered into the car that’ll give you a taste of what its like to drive one of the worlds best handling vehicles. The results are outstanding.”

These elements involve engineering a new, stronger and more rigid chassis (platform) and bringing Lotus Dynamics into a small car, resulting in a vehicle that is superior in handling, safety, responsiveness and which has good power to weight ratio - all the necessary ingredients needed to make a powerful and enjoyable small package. The Savvy has been tested and verified to be stronger than the German and Italian marques that were used to benchmark in the development process.

Lotus styling also helped to influence the vehicles sleek and stylish exterior, projecting a young, spirited and energetic car. Lotus styling has prevailed in the interior of the car with its minimalist approach to creating a practical and sporty cabin.

The Savvy

• The Savvy is currently available in Malaysia with a choice of three colours; STRATOS (metallic blue), MIDNIGHT (metallic black) and MAGMA solid chilli red).
• The Savvy is designed to be the small-segment car for Proton’s new generation of vehicles.
• UK launch of the Savvy is anticipated to be in September/ October 2005
• The Savvy’s closest rivals are Honda Jazz, Kia Picanto, Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Matiz