Checks on social media found that netizens are ripping into the national car company over the model’s hefty price tag.

One Facebook user, Ballu Bee, commenting on an article in Paul Tan’s Automotive News, expressed disappointment over the Perdana.

“Unfortunately, Proton failed to impress again. Overpriced and cheap-looking.”

Another netizen, Phoenix Tale, said: “What’s the point of copying the body of overseas made car. I rather buy a Honda Accord instead of a Perdana”.

Priced at RM113,888 and RM138,888 for the 2.0 and 2.4 variants respectively, netizens pointed out that it is overpriced, considering it is a national car.

Some also drew a comparison with the Honda Accord, saying that the prices of both cars didn’t differ much from one another.

“Big joke on pricing. Honda Accord costs RM125,000 (on the road), while Nissan Teana costs RM123,000 (on the road),” says Kunta on Paul Tan’s page.

Another netizen, Jason Harry, acknowledged that it is a nice car overall, but its price tag isn’t impressive at all.

“To be fair, it is a nice car throughout. Being Honda Accord based, I bet it comes with the typical Honda quality as well.

“It is practically just a rebadged car but with Proton’s own facelift design on it.

“I’m sorry but if I’m shopping for cars around this price range, I will pass.

“If it’s cheaper, I’d consider. It is a good car, but it is not so attractive price wise.”

Earlier this year, Proton Chief Executive Officer Abdul Harith Abdullah had announced the My New Proton initiative to restore and maintain confidence in the brand.

This included better servicing facilities and breakdown services.

He vowed that Proton would be more transparent from now on and would directly inform customers if their cars needed a service fix.

This was to win back customers’ confidence in Proton cars.