Proton Iriz: Is it the game-changer Proton’s been striving for? [+photo gallery]

Well it’s finally happened. After all the teasing and previews, leaked images, etc. the Proton Iriz, earlier code-named PCC / GSC, was finally officially launched. Tun Mahathir, Chairman of Proton, was at hand to officiate the proceedings at the Proton Plant in ‘Proton City’, Tg. Malim.

In his keynote address to the assembled media, VIPs, invited guests and Proton personnel, Tun, long regarded as the ‘father’ of Proton, spoke eloquently as always. He reiterated that steps had been taken to ensure that the Iriz was created to a ‘global standard’. Exports to other countries would be in the pipeline, and even to left-hand-drive markets. If you need to put a dollar-figure to those ‘steps taken’, how does RM560 million sound? That’s how much Proton has invested in the Iriz from its inception four years ago.

“When we (Proton) first started out in 1985, almost 80% of the car was made from foreign content, today we can proudly claim that the Iriz is indeed completely made in Malaysia, by Malaysians” Tun enthused. “We have built this car to meet global standards” he added. The launch was preceded by the presentation of a certificate to Proton from Asean NCAP for the Iriz, which was recently awarded a 5- and 4-Star crash-test rating for Adult Occupant Protection and Child Occupant Protection respectively.

In the press conference later, Tun was also present to field questions, and of course the question on everyone’s lips was “How will the Iriz fare against the Perodua Axia?” While we already knew the answer, Tun did reiterate that the Iriz is NOT a competitor for the Axia, seeing as how both reside in different segments of the market.

It’s impossible though to not draw parallels between the two. Both are our national carmakers, and the Iriz, admittedly, is going head-on against the Perodua MyVi, arguably the most popular car in the B-Serment. Even Proton acknowledges the immense popularity of the MyVi, and have taken steps to ensure that the Iriz is better, in every way. “Drive both the Iriz and the MyVi, and you will like the Iriz more”. A very bold statement, but this time Proton is extremely confident that they have a car to back-up a statement like that.

I have to admit I’ve not seen the Proton people this upbeat and positive in a very long time. They seem genuinely proud and happy with what they’ve accomplished with the Iriz, which does indeed make an excellent first-impression. Look out for our full report after the official media test-drive on 10^th October!