Making its debut this week at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China is the new Europestar Persona ("Jingyue" in Chinese). The new Europestar nameplate was created out of the Youngman Lotus joint venture between Zhejiang Jinhua-based Youngman Auto and Lotus Engineering. The purpose of the partnership was to sell Lotus engineered Proton models in China.
The first brand launching model in January 2008 was the Europestar Lotus RCR ("Jingsu" in Chinese) which was essentially a re-badged Proton GEN-2 hatchback.
Following this badge engineering scheme the new Europestar Persona is also a Proton GEN-2 model in sedan form. The Persona benefits from the Lotus engineered 1.6-liter petrol engine with an option of 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual.
No official pricing has been released yet, but Youngman Lotus dealers are taking orders with minimum deposits of 2,000 yuan ($293).
