Rendered: Could this revived Proton Tiara beat the Perodua Axia?

Proton is easily the first homegrown Malaysian car brand but when it comes to being the people’s choice, it’s obvious that the answer belongs to Perodua.

That being said, what if Proton decided to challenge the Perodua Axia with its own A-segment hatchback and bringing back a long-lost nameplate?

Well, worry no more because this Proton Tiara (or should I say Tiada?) is designed by the maestro himself, Theophilus Chin, who also provided the renders of the next-gen Honda HR-V, 

Based on the looks, it does look like a squished Proton Suprima with a hint of a Dacia Sandero or an Indian Tata Tiago in the rear.

Here’s a fun fact, the Tiago was originally called the Zica but Tata recalled the name because it sounded like the Zika virus. Talk about a bad coincidence.

Back to the A-segment hatch, the front has the same features as the Saga with similar headlamps and front bumper designs. The Tiada also sports a front grille taken from the X50.

As if the name isn't a clue, the Tiada is just fantasy. Sadly, there’s not a huge chance for Proton to return to the A-segment hatchback market.

Recall that Proton’s first 2 major attempts at challenging Perodua, which were the Tiara and Savvy ended up becoming flops. While the Savvy has grown into something that we liked (the MT version, not AMT), the Tiara was rated as among Proton’s worst-sellers.

So, a hatchback version of the Saga is sadly something that is more of a 'Tiada' than reality. Plus, the Proton Iriz barely captured Malaysian’s attention over the Myvi even if it drives better. Perhaps changing the transmission could turn things for the better.