Proton Waja

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Proton Waja
Manufacturer	Proton
Also called	Proton Impian
Production	2000–present
Predecessor	Proton Wira
Class	Compact
Body style(s)	4-door saloon
Layout	FF layout
Engine(s)	1.6 L Mitsubishi 4G18 I4 1.6 L Proton Campro S4PHI4 1.8 L Renault F4P I4 2.0 L Mitsubishi 6A12 V6
Wheelbase	2600 mm (102.4 in)
Length	4465 mm (175.8 in)
Width	1740 mm (68.5 in)
Height	1420 mm (55.9 in)
Curb weight	1250-1269 kg (-1548 lb)
Related	Proton Gen-2 Mitsubishi Carisma Volvo S40

The Proton Waja is a saloon car designed in-house by Malaysian automotive company, Proton, first released in August 2000. The Waja is the first Malaysian-designed car, with a chassis derived from a Mitsubishi Carisma and a Volvo S40. The name Waja, which means "tough (as steel)", reflects the strength of the steel used for the Waja compared with the previous models. The name was chosen partly to counter the perception in the domestic market that Proton cars were less strong.^{[citation needed]} In the United Kingdom, the Waja is sold as Proton Impian, "Impian" being another derivative of the Malay language, meaning "dream".

Contents 1 History 2 Performance 3 Safety 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

The Proton Waja is the first model designed in-house by Proton. The development of the Waja began at the end of the 1990s together with the Campro engine, however the development of the Campro engine was still in progress at the time of its launch and therefore Proton had to source the 4G18 engine for the Waja from Mitsubishi,^{[citation needed]} before switching to Campro engines in 2006. It was launched in August 2000 together with the introduction of Proton's new corporate logo. Early batches of the Waja had some serious quality problems due to some component vendors and suppliers skipping quality checks to rush for the huge early demand.^{[citation needed]} However, the quality of the components were strictly improved years later in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

The Waja was facelifted twice since its debut in August 2000. The first minor facelift was in mid-2006 which only involved rear lights. The 2007 Proton Waja with a more substantial facelift was launched on January 19, 2007 together with the facelifted Proton Savvy. For the 2007 Waja, it was given a new grille which was nearly identical to the Savvy. The 2007 Waja also includes both ABS and air bag as standard for the Malaysian market, which were previously optional equipment. At the end of 2005, Proton additionally introduced another variant of the Waja, known as Proton Waja Chancellor, to be used by representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the meeting of ASEAN leaders in the KLCC, shortly before its launch in 2006. The Waja Chancellor has a longer wheelbase and a 2.0 L V6 engine similar to that used in Proton Perdana V6, also sourced from Mitsubishi. By 2008, an updated Waja was launched with an improved Campro engine and a new center console with a new 2-DIN Clarion audio set.

Waja sales in the UK, where it is rebadged as the Impian, did not begin until April 2001, and it has continued virtually unchanged ever since. The Impian is only available with right hand drive while left hand drive models are available elsewhere in Europe as the Waja. Sales have not been strong,^{[citation needed]} as it was behind the best of the competition at its launch and virtually all of its competitors have been replaced since. Its decent ride and handling, generous equipment levels, competitive asking price and comprehensive aftersales package are perhaps the only things that keep it going with British buyers.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Performance

In its initial years in the market, the Waja was originally powered by a Mitsubishi 4G18 SOHC 1.6 L engine. Also made standard since the introduction of the Waja are multi-point fuel injection and brake configuration (front ventilated disc brakes and rear disc brake). All Wajas (excluding the Waja Chancellor) are also available in both manual (5 speed) or automatic transmissions (4 speed).

In 2002, the 1.8 L variant was introduced, powered by the same engine used in Renault Laguna II. The 1.8 L model incorporated drive-by-wire technology and variable valve timing (VVT) technology. However, the 1.8 L model suffered from poor sales because Malaysian customers were more familiar with Japanese engines and were less confident of European engines especially on un familiar with the maintenance standard;^{[citation needed]} as a result, the 1.8 L variant was phased out in the following year. It was also believed that the Renault engine gain its trust back due understanding of owners on maintaining the engine.The Waja 1.8 its real car in handaling & safety^{[citation needed]}

By January 2006, the Campro engine was finally used to power the Waja. Although the engine is similar to the engine used in the Proton Gen-2, the DOHC Campro engine used in the Waja has higher horsepower and torque, probably due to the remapping of the ECU and also a different air intake system. The 2008 Proton Waja is now powered with a Campro CPS engine with variable valve timing, which was not available in the previous Waja Campro models.^[1]

The Waja Chancellor, which launched 2006, featured a longer wheelbase and was powered by a Mitsubishi 6A12 2.0 L V6 engine similar to that used in Proton Perdana V6, also sourced from Mitsubishi. The car is also available only with a 4-speed automatic transmission.

[edit] Safety

The Waja/Impian is currently the only Proton car to have undergone a Euro NCAP test, receiving only moderate-to-mediocre results in a 2002 crash test.^[2]

“

Euro NCAP 2002 crash test ratings Adult Occupant Rating - Pedestrian Rating - Proton claims that the Impian is the first of a new generation of cars that are designed to Euro NCAP standards and is the first Proton car evaluated by Euro NCAP. It scored 3 stars for adult occupant safety but only 1 star for pedestrian safety. This was a disappointing performance but Proton says it intends to improve future designs. But it has not yet been done till now. The car's body was damaged so badly by the impact that it became unstable. The driver and front passenger risked serious injury. The child restraints performed poorly and it became apparent that, in development, too little thought had been given to their use.

”

By Proton's standards, the 3-star Euro NCAP test was a milestone. Compared to other European cars of the time, the scores are probably at average. The tested configuration with side airbags were never sold by Proton in Malaysia.

Top Gear aired a segment which featured a damaged Proton Waja alongside a damaged Toyota Avensis to show the differences between a 3-star EURO NCAP car and a 5-star EURO NCAP car after a head-on collision on a deformable steel concrete wall.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Auto Asia article
• Proton Chancellor minisite

v • d • e Proton road car timeline, 1985–present
Type	1980s					1990s										2000s
	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Supermini												Tiara									Savvy
Subcompact											Satria											Satria Neo
Compact Sedan	Saga / MPi / Knight / Saga Iswara																							Saga
									Wira / Persona / 400 series
																Waja / Impian
																				Gen-2
																							Persona / Gen-2 Persona
Mid-size											Perdana
Coupe											Putra
Pick-up																			Arena / Jumbuck
Microvan																	Juara