Proton Exora - History

History

The first sketches of Proton's first MPV existed as early as the 1990s. It was only under the leadership of the former Proton Managing Director, Syed Zainal Abidin that development of the Exora commenced. On 11 February 2008, the Proton Exora was officially announced for an early 2009 launch. Sketches of the Exora were aired on national television on 27 May 2008, previewing upcoming features for the Exora. Fully exposed photos of the finalised Proton Exora were leaked onto the internet on 23 January 2009, less than 3 months before the official launch.

The Proton Exora officially launched on 15 April 2009 in two trim variants priced between RM69,998.00(M-Line)and RM 75,998.00(H-Line) OTR. Both launch variants were automatic transmission only, but a M-Line manual transmission variant was added to the line-up later in November 2009, priced from RM 64,998. The Proton Exora B-Line was the basic model costing RM 57,548.Proton also showcased two concept models, the Proton Exora Prime and Proton Exora Prestige during the launch ceremony. These models featured far superior levels of luxury and trim not seen in any Proton car to date such as a built- in cooler, 19-inch LCD television and a seat massaging system among others.

One year after the initial launch, on 15 July 2010, Proton came out with an improved version of the Exora. It is known as Exora MC, which stands for Minor Change, a common term for facelifts in Japan. The interior got a dark grey treatment, a new set of twin five-spoke 15-inch rims, and a new body kit with just a minor RM1000 increase in OTR price. By this time the Gaia Blue and Pyrite Brown colour options were discarded but a new Plum Red colour made an appearance.

To ensure that the Exora continues to capture the MPV segment in the Malaysian market, production of a turbocharged Exora was conceived. It launched on 15 December 2011 as two facelift models; the Exora Bold and Exora Prime. The Exora Bold is available in three variants, namely the Exora Bold Executive MT, Exora Bold Executive AT and Exora Bold Premium CVT whereas the Exora Prime was only available in one, high-end luxury trim. The Exora Bold Premium and Exora Prime are powered by Proton's new CamPro CFE engine which was developed in house by Proton and Lotus. CFE stands for 'Charged Fuel Efficiency. The facelifted Exora became the very first Malaysian car to feature a turbocharged engine. The new interior look of the Exora is designed to attract younger drivers who appreciate aesthetic touches. The exterior also features sport rims, smoked lenses, rear LED combi-lamps and a stylish body kit.

On 11 January 2013, the no frill version of the CFE powered Exora known as Proton Exora Bold 1.6 CFE Standard was launched to appeal to mass potential buyer by offering no additional accesories but with standard CFE engine and ABS + EBD with a marginally lower price tag.