Proton-badged Suzuki Ertiga MPV rendered, 3 versions

Now that it has been confirmed that there will be a Proton-badged Suzuki Ertiga, we commissioned rendering whiz Theophilus Chin to come up with renderings of the “Proton Ertiga”. The tiger-badged MPV won’t be called Ertiga, of course, and there’s a chance of Proton giving the donor car a different face, so this serves as merely an idea of what to expect.

Theo delivered three sets with Proton badges – one of the original Ertiga that surfaced in 2012, one based on the facelifted version that debut at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2015 show in August 2015, and another of the range topping Ertiga Dreza (below left), which has a completely different (and rather bizarre) face from the standard car.

Also included is a pic of the Ertiga’s Swift-style dashboard with Proton’s emblem on the steering boss. What do you think? Should the national car company just keep it simple as seen here, or should a “more Proton face” be used?

The confirmation of the Ertiga as a fruit of Proton’s collaboration with Suzuki came earlier today from Indonesia. News reports from the republic quoted local Suzuki arm PT Suzuki Indomobil Sales (SIS) saying that the Ertiga will be exported to Malaysia in knocked down form, from the second quarter of 2016.

SIS will export 1,500 units of the Ertiga to Proton per month, which translates to a significant 18,000 units per year. Production of the knocked down kits headed for Malaysia will start at SIS’ factory in Cikarang from May this year. Proton had previously announced that the first Proton-Suzuki joint model will enter production before the end of 2016.

Presently, Suzuki exports the Ertiga from Indonesia to various Asean countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei in CBU form. However, exports to the four markets are at the rate of 400 units per month combined, which pales in comparison to the Proton deal. Suzuki also produces the Mazda VX-1, a rebadged Ertiga, for the Indonesian market.

The Suzuki Ertiga is a three-row, seven-seater MPV that shares a platform with the Swift and SX4. Its 2,740 mm wheelbase is competitive with the Perodua Alza’s 2,750 mm and the Proton Exora’s 2,730 mm.

In Indonesia, the Ertiga – which competes in the Low-MPV segment against the market-leading Toyota Avanza and Honda Mobilio – is powered by a 1.4 litre engine with 92 PS and 130 Nm of torque, and the K14B motor is paired to a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic gearbox.