Proton Saga Knight concept – new interior pics, modern retro vibe with full-width digital dashboard

Last week, we got to have a look at modern digital rendition of the Proton Saga Aeroback Knight courtesy of former Proton designer and current head of industrial design at MIMOS, Saharudin Busri.

Only renditions of the car’s exterior were available at the time, though now Saharudin has revealed more of the modernised take on the Malaysian hatchback, this time with images of its interior ahead of the concept design’s full unveiling in a webinar scheduled for tomorrow organised by Persatuan Pereka Perindustrian Malaysia (Pereka).

Here, the Saga’s dashboard fascia has been brought up to date with current vehicle interior trends, namely with digital screens for driver instrumentation as well as for infotainment and air-conditioning controls. Saharudin has also stayed close to the original steering wheel design, retaining its arrangement of two spokes at the approximate eight o’clock and four o’clock positions.

Saharudin Design rendition (left), and the original Proton Saga interior. Click to enlarge

Saharudin has largely retained the original Saga’s slanted, straight-surfaced dashboard and used its full width to the advantage of space for the various digital displays. The driver’s instrumentation is now flush with the rest of the displays on the top tier, where a digitised wristwatch illustration in the centre separates vehicle information from navigation and entertainment screens on the passenger side.

The centre console stack on the original Saga has been redesigned here to be more upright and aligned with the rest of the dashboard, while the second tier also harks back to the 1990s original in adopting a rectangular, and still relatively slim stack which now controls various functions, instead of being strictly for air-conditioning on the original car’s layout.

In order to maximise the sense of space, the air-conditioning vents here are slim, vertically oriented items located on the second tier of the dashboard. Saharudin has also adopted the rotary dial and button control arrangement on the left-hand side of the steering column, following that which is depicted in the cabin of the original Saga’s design.

On the lower centre console tunnel, what might be controls for the car’s transmission is accessed here via a rotary dial, which is enclosed by buttons for other minor controls.

Saharudin has employed a red-and-black colour scheme for the interior, which extends to the seat upholstery. Here, he has apparently drawn from the modern era of Proton interior design with the use of central seat stripes somewhat reminiscent of those as seen on the previous, 2019 Iriz. Here, Saharudin has chosen front seats of an integral headrest design for this modernised Saga Knight concept.

What do you think, dear readers? Does Saharudin’s modern take on the design of the Proton Saga Aeroback Knight strike the right balance of moving with the times, and of retaining the visual character and identity of the original? Let us know in the comments section.