Youngman to debut Persona at Guangzhou show

Shanghai, November 12 (Gasgoo.com) Malaysian carmaker Proton has recently launched its another sedan model Persona, and its Chinese partner Youngman Lotus will expand its product lineup by building the Chinese version of the Proton Persona, which is to debut at the upcoming 2008 Guangzhou auto show next week.

Zhejiang Jinhua-based Youngman Lotus is a joint venture between Youngman Auto and British Lotus Engineering, an affiliate of Proton. The Proton Persona model will have its Chinese edition named "Jingyue," to be specially built by Youngman Lotus for the Chinese market. The Jingyue sedan model will be launched on November 18 at the Guangzhou auto show.

The first batch of the Persona / Jingyue model, now available for ordering, will be delivered to the market at the end of this month. The price of the car is not disclosed yet, but customers can order it by paying a deposit of 2,000 yuan ($293) at Youngman Lotus 4S stores. Customers who are interested in the Proton brand can go to the Guangzhou show for an early look at Jingyue model.

The Proton Person is powered by the Lotus 1.6-liter gasoline engine, mated with the five-speed manual transmission or four-speed automatic transmission. Its Chinese edition shares many features and configurations with the Europestar Lotus RCR ("Jingsu" in Chinese) hatchback introduced by Youngman Lotus earlier this year.

Youngman Auto, formerly a commercial vehicle OEM only, has decided to enter the passenger vehicle market by introducing and producing its partners' models first. Its production of the Proton Gen.2-based Europestar Lotus RCR hatchback has been delayed from August to December this year due to policy requirements.