PROTON has slashed the price of its popular Satria Neo models - chopping £1,700 off the bill to buyers.

It means the supermini with smart looks plus Lotus ride and handling - the Malaysian manufacturer bought Lotus outright in 2003 - is up for grabs from £8,495.

With a 1.6-litre CamPro engine under the bonnet, the Satria Neo features 16-inch alloy wheels, electric windows, reverse parking sensors and rear spoiler all as standard.

You also get prominent wheel arches, a centre mounted exhaust and race-inspired bucket seats along with tuning for precise steering response, ABS, EBD and twin airbags.

Automatic transmission costs an extra £800 and prices are from £8,495 for the GSX manual up to £10,295 for the Sport automatic.

Proton's sales and marketing chief Simon Park said: "We are delighted to reduce the price of the Satria Neo and are confident that this price revision will prove popular with motorists."