The Proton Inspira is a four-door

compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...

saloon produced by

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n automobile manufacturer

Proton A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' elementary charge. Its mass is slightly less than that of a neutron and 1,836 times the mass of an electron (the proton–electron mass ...

, which was first launched in November 2010. It was sold exclusively in

as a

rebadged In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...

ninth-generation Mitsubishi Lancer as the result of a collaboration between

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Proton A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' elementary charge. Its mass is slightly less than that of a neutron and 1,836 times the mass of an electron (the proton–electron mass ...

. The Inspira succeeded the

Proton Waja The Proton Waja is a saloon car manufactured by Malaysian automotive company, Proton, first released in May 2000. The name ''Waja'', which means ''(strong as) steel'' in Malay has both physical and abstract connotations. In the United Kingdom, ...

, and complements the indigenously-designed

Proton Prevé The Proton Prevé is a four-door compact saloon developed by Malaysian automobile manufacturer Proton. It was launched on 16 April 2012 and is based on Proton's next-generation P2 platform. The Prevé is the saloon complement to its sister car, t ...

in the Malaysian market. The name "Inspira" comes from the Malay word ''Inspirasi'', which means ''Inspiration'' in English.

History

Overview

Proton renewed a technological transfer agreement with

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

in Malaysia because it is assembled locally, whereas the Mitsubishi is imported as a CBU from Japan. Not only are import duties much lower, but the investment Proton made to produce the model locally entitles it to financial incentives from the government that allows it to bring down prices. However, certain parties have criticised Proton for returning to the practice of rebadging cars. A practice Proton had moved away from, with the release of the Proton Waja in the year 2000. Proton continued to independently develop 6 more models after that. Proton group managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir has reportedly said that it would cost Proton as much as RM700 million (USD230 million) to develop a new car from the ground up but only half the amount via its collaboration with

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Nappa leather Napa leather (often called Nappa leather) is a leather noted for its soft feel, derived as it is from calves, lambs, and kid goats, which have soft hides. It is a generic term in the leather field and has no distinct test for characterization. A ...

upholstery on both the seats and door trims, leather-wrapped gear knob and a GPS navigation system. In November 2011, a limited edition of the Proton Inspira called the Proton Inspira R3 was launched. It was based on the 1.8E variant of the standard Inspira with changes such as an addition of R3 body kits, R3 trunk lip spoiler and R3 18" alloy wheels. However, this variant was only available in manual transmission. In June 2012, the Proton Inspira 2.0 Executive was launched, replacing the 1.8E CVT and was available with a choice of 4 colors: Elegant Brown, Tranquility Black, Genetic Silver and Solid White. It features 16" alloy wheels with a new design. Compared to the 2.0 Premium variant, the 2.0 Executive variant features fabric upholstery on both the seats and door trims, and matte silver trim as opposed to 2.0P's dark brown wood trim. This variant also lacked automatic speed adjustment for windshield wipers—and body kits, along with the rear spoiler—were omitted. In July 2012, the Proton Inspira 2.0 Premium was updated with 17" alloy wheels, as well as a different head unit which features touch screen interface. With the launch of the updated 2.0P variant, the Inspira was available with one new color: Indiana Grey (2.0P only). In January 2014, the Proton Inspira Super Premium was launched with only one color available: Solid White. Moving on from the 2.0P, it adds on 18" R3 alloy wheels, R3 sport springs, R3 “Blood Stripe Stickers" and R3 body kits consisting of a front splitter, side skirts, a rear apron and a boot spoiler. The R3 add-ons were rather similar to those offered in the limited edition Proton Inspira R3. Like the 2.0P, it was only available in one transmission option: CVT. In February 2015, the Proton Inspira was recalled, regarding concerns about the drive belt pulley (V-ribbed belt) for models made between September 2010 to May 2011. In April 2015, the production of the Proton Inspira was officially halted. In May 2016, the Proton Inspira was recalled again, now regarding an issue with a defective right turn indicator switch for vehicles made between 2010 to 2014.

Specifications

The Proton Inspira was offered in 3 powertrains:

References

External links

Proton Inspira
{{Proton vehicles Inspira Sedans Cars introduced in 2010 Vehicles with CVT transmission Compact cars Police vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles Cars powered by transverse 4-cylinder engines