Proton Savvy - History

History

Following Proton's decision to discontinue the Citroën AX-based Tiara in 2000, a replacement model was required in order for Proton to reenter the supermini market. The replacement, originally codenamed the Tiara Replacement Model (TRM), was partially designed in-house by Proton but is powered by a D-Type engine by Renault.

The Savvy was launched June 2005 in Malaysia as a manual transmission-only model, followed by the introduction of Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) model in November 2005. Export models of the Savvy were introduced to the United Kingdom in September 2005.

The Savvy was also among two models (alongside the Proton Gen-2) the now defunct MG Rover was seeking to rebadge when it entered talks with Proton's parent company in 2005. On January 19, 2007, a photoshopped facelift was released, sporting minor changes on the front and rear of the car.

In 2006, Proton introduced a "Savvy Zerokit" variant developed in conjunction with the Proton's motorsports division, R3 (Race Rally Research), that includes an all-round bodykit and rear spoiler made from fibre-reinforced plastic, and 15-inch (380 mm) JRD 155 wheels. Additional options include "dark titanium" headlights, performance suspension and a performance rear exhaust muffler that increases the power output of up by 4 hp (3 kW) to 78 hp (58 kW).

The Savvy is also notable for being the first Proton car to undergo a publicly announced recall. On April 1, 2008, Proton Edar ordered the recall of all 34,000 Savvys on Malaysian roads (of which their production dates were before December 17, 2007) for an inspection and replacement of the rear wheel bearing, based on a parts defect found during random checks. The announcement was a precautionary measure over possibilities potential water entry into the Savvy's rear wheel bearing set might cause malfunction of its components. The second generation Proton Saga, launched in January 2008, based its chassis on that of the Savvy, albeit elongated to support a sedan bodywork.

The first model comes with the front and rear looking similar in a sense that both sides have a "V" design for the logo, whereas the facelift or current models come with straight horizontal grille in the front and two horizontal lines behind.

In Malaysia, there is a basic model called Savvy Lite, of which this model has most of the manually controlled mechanical parts and comes without "expensive" features such as the remote control, power windows and alarm system.

As of 2010, the production of Savvy Highline has been discontinued resulting a huge dissatisfaction among Malaysian fans.