Proton’s boss hopes customers will find similarities in its new small car to a Lotus.

The all-new Savvy is powered by a 1.2 litre engine and driven by a five speed manual transmission, capable of delivering 74 brake horse power and a maximum speed of 106mph.

"We’d like to think of it as my first Lotus," says group chief executive officer Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff.

"That was certainly the design ideology from the start of the project. We wanted a small car that offers practicality, fuel economy, generous space and great all round performance. It’s not a sports car nor does it look like a Lotus but certain elements have been engineered into the car that’ll give you a taste of what it’s like to drive one of the world’s best handling vehicles. The results are outstanding."

These elements involve engineering a new, stronger and more rigid chassis and bringing Lotus ‘dynamics’ into the small car, resulting in a vehicle that is superior in handling, safety, responsiveness and which has good power to weight ratio.

The Savvy - already available in Malaysia - is due for a UK launch in September/October to rival the Honda Jazz, Kia Picanto, Toyota Yaris and Chevrolet Matiz.