Proton Emas family make its debut

Malaysian national car manufacturer Proton has joined the many elite international car manufacturers as forerunners in technology following unveiled a series of concept global cars at the recently 80th International Geneva Motor Show.
The three concept global cars – EMAS (five doors hatchback), EMAS Country (three doors hatchback) and EMAS3 (three-door 3+1 plus-seater) signal Proton’s long-term plan to expand its footprint in the global automotive market.

EMAS – which means gold in the Malay language – stands for Eco Mobility Advance Solution, and is a result of the joint collaboration between Proton, its subsidiary Lotus, and Italian design house, Italdesign Giugiaro (IDG).

The cars were unveiled at IDG’s booth by Proton Advisor and former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and was on display throughout the exhibition from March 4 to 14, 2010 in the Geneva Motorshow.

Proton Holdings Berhad Chairman Dato’ Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh and Group Managing Director Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir as well as Italdesign Giugiaro Chairman Giorgetto Giugiaro and Co-Chairman Fabrizio Giugiaro were present to witness the unveiling.

The unveiling was also timely with Proton’s silver jubilee celebration this year. “We are certainly very thankful and humbled that this is happening as we celebrate our 25 years of existence in the industry. We certainly will make full use of this opportunity to reach out and build our brand further into the global world,” said Dato’ Syed Zainal Abidin.

The forerunner of the Emas family is a five-door hatchback with the emphasis on comfort because the rear seats are the same as the front seats to create four business class seats within just 3550mm of total length.

The front-end features the Proton Shield housed in a longitudinal slot below the bonnet. This also incorporates the light clusters and is enhanced by two distinctive diamond-shaped fog lights. The engine cooling air intake, located between the fog lights, is concealed within a dark grey trapezoid motif. Its size varies according to the type of engine installed, without altering the look of the front-end.

The side is dominated by a belt line that drops down decisively toward the windscreen pillar to increase side visibility during parking manoeuvres. The side is enlivened by a sculpted shape, enhanced by a rib that runs from the front wheel arch then swoops up toward the rear

The windscreen extends along three quarters of the roof to create a sky-dome effect that dominates the view from above. Protective sunblinds are housed in the central cross member and extend longitudinally towards both the front and rear seats.