[ UPDATE 12/09/2020 23:00 ]: The Proton X50 is officially revealed ahead of launch. Check out the high-resolution images here.
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The Proton X50 is the next highly anticipated compact SUV that’s expected to be priced well under RM100,000. Ahead of its official launch, Proton has dropped its first teaser of the X50 in its Merdeka video.
In the 40 second clip, we get a couple of short glimpse of the Proton X50 in blue. The overall exterior is identical to the Geely Binyue, the car which the X50 it’s based on.
Next to the Proton X70, it is pretty obvious that this is a more compact car and it will compete with the likes of the Honda HR-V, Toyota C-HR, Mazda CX-3 and the incoming Hyundai Kona. The video confirms the inclusion of LED headlights and quad exhaust tail pipes.
On the front grille, the X50 features the new round Proton logo just like the new locally-assembled Proton X70 2020. Similar to the Geely Binyue, it also has red highlights on the grille but since this is a Proton, it will feature the Ethereal Bow design.
Towards the end of the clip, we get to see the top view of Proton’s family of cars forming the number 63. As seen above, it appears that the X50 will also come with a high-spec “Sport” edition featuring a fancy rear spoiler.
You can check out the Merdeka video below:
Geely Binyue / Coolray
The Proton X50 is essentially the right hand drive version of the Geely Binyue which is also marketed as the Coolray in the Philippines. The car is likely to come a 3-cyclinder 1.5 litre turbo engine mated to a 7-speed DCT that produces 177hp and 255Nm of torque.
In China, there’s also a smaller 3-cyclinder 1.0 litre turbo engine option mated with a 6 speed manual, but that’s unlikely to come to Malaysia. The 1.0 litre unit produces 134hp and 205Nm of torque.
Similar to the X70, the Binyue offers a host of advance safety features including blind spot detection, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and 360 degree panoramic camera. However, the Binyue appears to offer more features including Lane Keep Assist and there’s even a self-parking feature.
On the inside, the Binyue looks more modern with a larger 10″ touch screen infotainment system and a digital instrument cluster. The infotainment system runs on GKUI and it isn’t clear if Apple CarPlay or Android Auto would be supported in the upcoming X50. The gear lever looks similar to the CKD Proton X70 and it also comes with an electronic parking brake.
It isn’t clear if all of these features from the China version will be brought over to the locally assembled Proton X50. We’ll have to wait until the local launch to find out.
The Proton X50 is expected to be priced between the RM70,000 to RM100,000, which will undercut many compact SUVs in the market while offering a lot more features for your money.
With the current SST exemption, the Proton X70 is now going for less than RM90,000 for the base model. Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line Premium X model that comes with a sunroof is now priced at RM115,800.
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