Following Proton's decision to discontinue the Citroën AX based Tiara in 2000, a replacement model was required in order for Proton to reenter the supermini market. The replacement, originally codenamed the Tiara Replacement Model (TRM), was partially designed in house by Proton, but is powered by a Renault D-Type engine.

The Savvy was launched in June 2005 in Malaysia as a manual transmission only model, followed by the introduction of an automated manual transmission (AMT) model in November 2005. Export models of the Savvy were introduced to the United Kingdom in September 2005.

The Savvy was also among two models (alongside the Proton Gen-2) the now-defunct MG Rover was seeking to rebadge when it entered talks with Proton's parent company during 2004.

In March 2006, Proton introduced a "Savvy Zerokit" variant developed in conjunction with the Proton's motorsports division, R3 (Race Rally Research), that included an all round bodykit and rear spoiler made from fibre-reinforced plastic, and 15-inch (380 mm) JRD 155 wheels. Additional options included "dark titanium" headlights, performance suspension and a performance rear exhaust muffler that increased the power output up by 4 hp (3 kW) to 78 hp (57 kW).^[2][3]

On 3 January 2007, Proton launched the Savvy facelift in left-hand drive in Taiwan. It featured an infotainment system with an integrated LCD, DVD video and audio playing capabilities.^[4]

Two weeks later on 19 January, Proton launched the Savvy facelift in Malaysia. It added two more colors — Energy Orange and Genetic Silver.^[5] The front and rear of the pre-facelift models look similar in that both have a "V" design for the logo, whereas the facelift models feature a straight horizontal grille in the front and two horizontal lines in the rear.

In July 2007, Proton announced a basic variant called Savvy Lite, of which this model has more manually controlled mechanical parts and without "expensive" features such as remote control, power windows and alarm system.^[6]

The second generation Proton Saga, launched in January 2008, based its chassis on that of the Savvy, albeit elongated to support sedan bodywork. ^[7]

The Savvy is also notable for being the first Proton car to undergo a publicly announced recall. On April 1, 2008, Proton Edar ordered the recall of all 34,000 Savvys on Malaysian roads (of which their production dates were before December 17, 2007) for an inspection and replacement of the rear wheel bearings, based on a parts defect found during random checks.^[8] The announcement was a precautionary measure over potential water ingress into the Savvy's rear wheel bearing set, causing malfunction of its components.

In 2011, production of the Savvy was stopped and the car was discontinued due to very slow sales compared to the Perodua Myvi.^[9]

Unlike the Tiara, the Savvy's exterior design was largely developed in-house by Proton, prominently featuring a clamshell bonnet design. The Savvy is powered by a 1.2 litre D-Type SOHC 16 valve engine sourced from Renault, similar to the one used in the Renault Clio and Twingo.

The reverse gear for the manual transmission model is placed at the top left which is the position of a normal first gear position for conventional manual transmission cars. A locking mechanism is equipped to prevent the driver from accidentally shifting to reverse when shifting to the first gear, which can be unlocked by pulling up the black ring at the gear knob while shifting to reverse. This is a similar mechanism in many European cars, including Volvo and Renault cars from the mid-1990s.

The Savvy, along with other in house designed Protons such as the Gen-2, Persona, Satria Neo, Waja, Waja Chancellor, and second-generation Saga, feature turn indicator switches placed at the left-hand side, unlike models introduced earlier, such as the first generation Saga, Wira and Perdana.

The Savvy was exported to Australia, United Kingdom, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, and Indonesia.^{[citation needed]}

Indonesia edit

The facelifted Savvy was available in two variants in Indonesia: MT and AMT.^[10]

The Proton Savvy is Converted into Electric car by Vixmo. The car is modified the interior,and equipped with Autonomous driving.^[11]

The Savvy has received two known "Car of the Year" awards from two ASEAN countries, including the Cars, Bikes & Trucks's "New Straits Times/AmBank Group 2006 Car of the Year" Award in the Supermini category, and the "Best City Car" award at the 6th Indonesian Car of the Year 2007 awards. The car is also the only Proton model so far to be TÜV (Technischer Überwachungsverein) Certified.

The Savvy was voted among Thailand's Top 10 Cars in 2008, by The Nation Daily.^[12]

The Savvy is also recognised in the Malaysian Book of Records as the most fuel efficient car in Malaysia, during an on-road test by Proton, with average fuel consumption of about 24 km/L.