It’s official! Proton’s upcoming three-row SUV, the X90, will be launched this Sunday, 7 May at 3pm, as announced by the company on its social media channels. Slotting above the existing X70, it is based on the Geely Haoyue/Okavango and will compete with cars like the Mazda CX-8 and Nissan X-Trail.
The national carmaker has already revealed the SUV in selected images, confirming that there won’t be much visual changes over its Geely sibling, aside from the new studded grille. However, the company has made some key modifications, including the addition of a more luxurious six-seater layout for the range-topping Flagship model (one of four variants, including Standard, Executive and Premium) and ceiling-mounted rear air-conditioning vents.
Proton also confirmed that the X90 will debut a 48-volt mild hybrid system for the Geely-sourced 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, designed to reduce fuel consumption. Equipped with a 13hp/45Nm belt starter-generator (BSG), the mill develops a total of 184hp and 300Nm of torque—10hp and 45Nm more than the TGDI engine in the X50 Flagship.
Since then, a few automotive media, such as paultan.org, were able to check out the car in person and note a few new details of the car, including a seven-seater layout for the other variants and the addition of multilink rear suspension to replace the more rudimentary torsion beam.
In terms of active safety systems, the X90 introduces three new features for the brand, including rear cross traffic alert, rear collision warning and traffic sign recognition. The car should also come with other functions from the X50 Flagship, such as adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist for Level 2 semi-autonomous driving. Unfortunately, it’s been confirmed that these items will only be offered on the Premium and Flagship models.
