Proton S70: Malaysia’s answer to the Civic officially revealed, booking opens today for RM500

Proton has officially taken the drape off its new sedan, the Proton S70. The new model is the national automaker’s first all-new sedan offering in seven years after the Proton Persona which was launched back in 2016.

Just like all the models that Proton has introduced since Geely came on board in 2017, the new sedan was based on an existing model from the Chinese automaker. In the case of S70, it was based on the fourth-generation Geely Emgrand that was launched in China back in 2021.

Aside from confirming the official name of the car, Proton has also revealed some of the S70’s specs. Among them includes a 1.5L turbocharged engine, dual-clutch transmission, and “intelligent safety technology” which is presumably a reference to the car’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

However, Proton has not yet published the list of ADAS features for S70. From the official press images that the automaker has published so far, we did notice the ADAS console on the windscreen of the vehicle as well as the cruise control button on its steering wheel.

Based on previous Proton models, it is likely that the majority of the ADAS features will only be present on the higher-end variants of the car. As an example, only the Premium and Flagship variants of the Proton X90 SUV were fitted with ADAS features such as Intelligent Cruise Control, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Lane Centering Control, and others.

Similarly, Proton also didn’t reveal the specifications of the 1.5L turbocharged engine that it has fitted into the S70. Assuming that the company choose to equip its new sedan with the same 1.5 TGDi engine from the Proton X70 SUV, then you are looking at an output of 174hp with 255Nm of torque.

This would make the S70 more powerful than the Geely Emgrand that was released in China which was powered by a 114hp 1.5L naturally aspirated engine. The version that is currently being sold in the Philippines is also powered by a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine but produces less power at only 100hp.

Another interesting bit about the car that was revealed by the first batch of press images is the fact that it was fitted with the same gear selector from the X90. Also visible from the photos were the buttons for the Electronic Parking Brake and Auto Brake Hold.

In addition to that, we also noticed the dedicated aircon vents for rear passengers. This particular variant of S70 also features a sunroof although it appears that the shade is manually operated.

Meanwhile, the national automaker has also said that it has planned to bring the new Proton S70 on tour throughout the country starting from 11 November to give the public the chance to check out the car in person. Proton didn’t reveal the exact date and locations of these preview sessions but it did say that they will take place at several state capitals.

In case you already love what you have seen here and would like to be one of the first to get your hands on the new sedan, Proton is happy to accept your bookings for the S70 starting today itself. All the automaker requires from you at this stage is a refundable booking fee of RM500.