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Proton has announced a strategic re-positioning of its Waja model with a
new lower pricing structure after a tough year in the Australian
market.
The Waja will now be priced at $22,990 fully equipped, thanks to
improved currency exchange rates and new manufacturing efficiencies at
the factory in Malaysia.
The reduction in price represents a discount of $5000 on the previous
list price of the base model Waja and will give the car a new
competitiveness in the market.
According to Proton Cars Australia managing director John Startari the
re-pricing of Waja will give it a more realistic price in the
competitive Australian market.
"Ideally we would have launched the car in Australia with a similar
pricing but at that point in time we simply couldn't bring it to market
at a lower price," said Mr Startari.
"We have also achieved some major efficiency gains with our own
operation here in Australia, rationalising our head office in Sydney and
ensuring enormous productivity and cost benefits.
"Proton is not willing to lose money on every car it sells just to move
metal, however now that the exchange rate has moved and improvements
have been made in manufacturing and purchasing the new pricing will put
us back in the market," he added.
"This will also be reflected in the pricing of our new models which will
be rolled out over the next two years.
"Waja is an excellent overall package, with tremendous dynamics and
equipment levels that put it on a par with a range of mid-size four
cylinder cars," he said.
The Waja 1.6 includes ABS anti-lock brakes, traction control, four SRS
airbags, air-conditioning, power windows, central locking, power remote
control mirrors, premium CD/AM/FM audio system and steering wheel audio
controls all as standard equipment.
Along with the same standard equipment as the Waja 1.6 the 1.6X model
includes full leather trim, climate control air-conditioning and remote
control foldback mirrors. And will now be priced from $25,490
Proton's wholly owned subsidiary Lotus was involved in the development
of Waja from the ground up using its vast store of suspension and
handling expertise to create a car with enormous capability.
Proton engineers benchmarked this car against the worlds best C class
sedans from the Opel Vectra to the Honda Accord and Audi A4.
The result is a car which can hold its own in what is an impressive
line-up of automotive engineering not only in ride and handling but also
in terms of safety and body integrity.
The Waja out-pointed the cars it was benchmarked against in eight
different ride and handling tests including ride comfort, cornering,
body control, steering response, linearity, lane change and wheel
control.
The Waja is powered by a 1.6 litre 16 valve engine producing 76 kW of
power and 140Nm of torque with either a five speed manual transmission
or a four speed automatic.
All Protons, including the Waja, benefit from the extensive Protec
Customer Protection program which includes a three year/unlimited
warranty and a seven year anti-corrosion protection.
*Prices do not include on-road costs. Automatic transmission adds $1850.
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