Proton has recently revealed that 50 of its employees at Shah Alam have tested positive for COVID-19. The first case is an employee from its Research and Development Department while the other 49 cases are from its Engineering Division. With the Proton X50 expected to be released soon, we asked Proton if the recent cases will impact the car marker’s launch plans and production.
According to them, the Proton X50 launch is still going ahead according to their schedule. A physical launch was originally planned but they will announce the new SUV through a virtual event. It is worth noting that this won’t be Proton’s first virtual launch as it had recently unveiled its Proton Saga 35th Anniversary Edition through a Facebook live stream.
When it comes to production, Proton assures that their production volumes are not affected. Similar to the locally-assembled Proton X70 2020, the new Proton X50 is also produced at its manufacturing facility in Tanjung Malim, Perak.
Below is a statement from a Proton spokesperson:
With regards to the Proton X50 launch, we are continuing according to the schedule for a virtual launch of our new SUV. Initially, we planned to have a physical launch but even before the implementation of the CMCO the company had decided that such an event would not be in tandem with the mood of the nation and decided to scale things down considerably. As for our the production of our cars, while this incident means workers in the Engineering Division need to be under quarantine, we do not expect it to impact our production volumes.
At the time of writing, Proton has yet to reveal its pricing and availability details for its new compact SUV. The X50 had received 20,000 bookings in just two weeks which is said to exceed the company’s expectations. For those who are still interested to book the SUV may place a RM500 booking. Just make sure to book only at authorised Proton dealers and beware of potential booking scams by unauthorised parties.
The Proton X50 will come in 4 different variants and two engine options. The new car has recently received a 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating for its standard model which comes with 4 airbags.
For the top-of-the-line model, it gets a 1.5L TGDi 3-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 177PS (175hp) and 255NM of torque. On top of that, it also gets the Advanced Driver Assistance System with Level 2 autonomous driving features. You can check out some of the features in action below:
