Proton Iriz Production Ends – No Successor Planned, But Should There Be One?

This image circulating on social media we sighted this week indicates that Proton has ended production for its Iriz subcompact hatchback.

Earlier this week, Carz.com.my caught sight of a posting on social media indicating that production of the Proton Iriz at its Tanjung Malim plant has ended. This also marks the end of the compact supermini hatchback’s 11-year production run.

Proton has not announced this publicly, and the model continues to be listed for sale on its website – likely from existing stocks pool. Proton did the same when it elected to cease production of the Exora MPV in 2023.

Current iteration of the Proton Iriz in range-topping Active (left) and mid-spec Premium (right) guises following its second facelift in 2022.

The second facelift mentioned also brought about a host of tech plus redesigned wheels and headlights.

Putting aside existing unsold stocks, this marks the first time since 1994 – the year Proton introduced the legendary first generation Satria – that the national automaker does not have a hatchback model in production.

Prior to this, Proton called time on the second generation Satria – called the Satria Neo then – three-door hatch in 2015. Though a good decade separates the end of both model’s production end, both hatch models went out without a successor.

The Proton Iriz has a 'booted' twin in the form of the second-gen Persona pictured. Production for which is expected to continue buoyed by strong sales and demand.

From the image provided, it seems the last Iriz body churned out by Proton at Tanjung Malim was made on Sept 9 and stood as the nameplate’s 97,576th unit – yes, production ALMOST reached 100,000 units in said 11-year span.

In said 11-year span, the Iriz did spawn a four-door sedan offshoot that underpinned the same bones – the second-gen Persona sedan. This booted twin proved to be the better sales success and should remain in production for a few more years.

First launched in 2015, the Iriz was then updated in 2017 with variant line-up streamlined from 8  to 4.

The Iriz was then properly 'face-lifted' in 2019 with significant styling tweaks to give it a more 'upmarket' look.

With this, it also seems the chances of a new follow-up for the Iriz featuring styling inspired by the upcoming new generation Saga model isn’t happening either. This then begs us to ponder if Proton would build a successor to either hatch models.

Evidently, the case for hatchbacks, be it in small, subcompact ‘supermini’ or a larger compact size forms, arguably remains strong in Malaysia. This is evident in both the Axia and Myvi nameplates from rivals Perodua.

Both the Axia supermini (top) and Myvi compact (above) hatch models from rivals Perodua arguably prove that hatchbacks can sell well in Malaysia.

Both models mentioned have now entered second- and third-gen phases respectively, proving that a well-packaged hatchback could still rake in high sales. For reference, the Myvi nameplate’s sales have surpassed 1.5 million units as of Feb 2025.

Certainly, a stand-alone successor to the Proton Iriz could arguably prove promising.

Ultimately, the creation of a new Proton hatch, be it a direct successor to the Iriz or perhaps an offshoot of the upcoming new Saga sedan, boils down to you – the consumer.

Thanks to renowned local render artist Chin Swee Hoe (@theotte), we can imagine how both scenarios mentioned could pan out. Chin even provided renders of a crossover SUV-styled ‘Active’ version for the latter, a la the outgoing Iriz Active.

Another argument is that its perhaps more sensible - and viable - for Proton to develop a hatch offshoot of the upcoming next-gen Saga model, which rides on a heavily revised AMA platform.

Considering that partner’s Geely does not have a combustion (ICE) hatchback model to share over, perhaps it would make sense for Proton to develop the upcoming new Saga’s AMA platform further with a hatch offshoot.

With that, we now ask you this: Should Proton develop a new hatch model or not? Hit the comments below, or our social media pages, with your thoughts…