Malaysian carmaker Proton looks like it finally may be getting some mileage out of its U.K. subsidiary, Lotus. The company's new Satria Neo, an evolution of the Satria GTi, was apparently designed in partnership with Lotus, and the result is a handsome, if somewhat generic, two-door hatchback.

According to Proton, Lotus had its hand in everything from the exterior design to the engine and chassis dynamics, so there's reason to hope that the Satria Neo has reasonable performance potential.

The Neo is offered with 1.3 and 1.6 liter Proton CamPro four-cylinder, DOHC engines, with the more interesting 1.6 liter version offering 110 hp and a 0-100 km/h time of 11.5 seconds with the five-speed manual transmission.

The all-new chassis has a typical MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear setup, with the 1.6-liter model rolling on "turbine-style" 16-inch alloys with 195/50 rubber.

Obviously targeted at a youthful demographic, the Proton Satria Neo launch party featured Malaysian rap superstars Too Phat and DJ Goldfish, and the Neo's minisite includes a "Celeb Blog." A full review of the Neo, including driving impressions, can be found here.

[Source: Proton]