Proton and Suzuki signed a MoU - What do you think the new JV model could be based on? I think its a.......

DRB-Hicom, Proton Holdings Bhd and Suzuki Motor Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding which may pave the way for the production of motor vehicles, whether by means of a collaboration, rebadging or the usage of engine and transmission drivetrains between Proton and Suzuki.

Suzy Celerio...THIS...could be the JV car I think...

As this is only an MoU, it is not actually a binding contractual agreement. MoUs are just something companies like to enter into as it makes its wishes to collaborate with one another seem stronger. But any actual Joint Venture would be more detailed and involve proper and detailed contractual agreements. Even Tun Dr Mahathir, Chairman of Proton, had stated that details of the agreement had not been worked out as yet. It will most likely involve compact and small cars from Suzuki that are currently not sold in Malaysia. The Proton plant in Tanjung Malim will be utilised for manufacturing or assembling the JV vehicles and the earliest model could be launched sometime 2016.



This would allow Proton to bring the fight to Perodua. Suzuki could be the correct partner for this as to me they are the leaders in small car manufacturing as well as the company that can actually make small cars mighty fun to drive. I should know as my sister in law drives a Swift and my mum drives an Alto. Both are very good drives and have superior refinement and road manners compared to any of Perodua's offerings. The only issue are the prices. Perodua has that licked. So this JV arrangement may stir things up a fair bit.

So what do I think about this? You guys usually come here to read about what I think instead of just about specs right?

I believe 2016 is pretty quick for something that is just in the MoU stage. I somehow think that Proton and Suzuki already have something in mind. Of course, they can't be blurting out every little detail. Only when things are laid down will there be an announcement. So the actual question is what Suzuki do they have in mind?

I am guessing that they'll use the Suzuki Celerio as the model -(Remember I wrote about it recently? There was a reason for that actually - I had heard about this much MoU much earlier but promised a friend that I won't say anything about it. So I didn't). The Suzuki Alto is already sold as a Suzuki here so I'd cross that out of the list. The smaller Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and Alto K10 are totally unsuitable for the Malaysian market as it lacks the sophistication and safety standards - I wouldn't know about the NCAP ratings. Now since they have been in production since 2000, they would also suck compared to the Perodua Axia. Trust me. I mean look at the Alto 800 and K10 pictured above. I wouldn't pay money for either car.

So we're left with the Suzuki Wagon R and the Celerio. The Wagon R aka Karimum aka Stingray (depending on markets) however was launched in 2010 and could be long in the tooth by 2016. So it is the Celerio, which was launched in 2014 and is also sold in the UK - which means that there is a pretty high minimum safety and equipment standard to adhere to. It comes with a 1.0liter  68ps /90Nm three cylinder engine (Euro 6 specs in the UK). So this could be the car. It looks decent enough in the photo below (although I find it's styling to be a little awkward even if space efficient).

The only issue I see with the Celerio is that it comes with an Automated Manual Transmission. Could this be a weak point? Or will Suzuki slot in the slightly ancient 4 speed automatic that is used in the Suzuki Alto and Swift models we see on our roads today? I hope they put in the 4 speed automatic - the Perodua Axia seems to do fine with the 4 speed auto. If the cars are light enough, 4 speeds would do fine.

So I am betting its the Celerio. It is manufactured in India and over in Thailand. This means that the infrastructure is pretty well set up if the car is to be sold here in Malaysia. We have been importing the Suzuki Alto from India and Thailand is our neighbour. This means spare parts are readily available for the Celerio. This makes it a reasonable argument for the Celerio to be the first rebadged Suzuki-Proton vehicle.

Oh well. Speculation. Theories and conspiracies. We do love them don't we. Let's just wait and see.

Celerio Interior - decent, yes?