The 2020 Proton X50 Compact SUV has just dropped into town. Officially that is! The prices are actually close to as predicted by Yours Truly. I had thought that it would come in at around RM80,000 to RM105,000 and PROTON actually beat me on both entry level and the high specced 1.5 Flagship variant. The new X50 costs RM103,300 for the 1.5TGDi Flagship, RM93,200 for the Premium, RM184,800 for the Executive and RM79,200 for the Standard. All prices are till 31st December 2020 and is with the Sales Tax Exemption. Good prices actually and it should stir up the below RM100k market segment here. Other brands are going to jump.
And that is confirmed with the warranty and launch promo packages too. You've got a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty, 5 year data package plan for the infotainment system, 5 times free labour services which would come in handy during regular servicing, low interest rates (from participating banks) and quite a comprehensive insurance package too.
The new X50 was launched online due to the Movement Control Order happening in and around the Klang Valley. So we got to watch it over on Proton's Facebook page and what can I say. The car is good but it is sad that the launch of such a game changing car had to be done this way.
The car is assembled in Proton's Tanjung Malim plant. It is based on a Geely SUV and there are some cosmetic changes to the bumper front and rear and to the grille. Inside, you get a Proton with a local vendor tweaked infotainment system and small trim changes. The engine is essentially a Geely based 1.5liter turbo and it is dual clutch transmission with power going to the front wheels. The suspension is tweaked by Proton as the Geely ones basically ride differently and are rock hard by Malaysian standards. We prefer more magic carpet type ride yet still can corner. Luckily the engineers are Proton still know Handling!
It is feature packed and you can see them in the video below. Of course, the price makes it interesting.
This is interesting as the specs of the car are good. Proton has basically thrown everything but the kitchen sink in terms of equipment levels for a B segment car. You will not see as many active safety features, infotainment/connectivity features and performance in a package that comes in at the RM80-100K price range. If you are a person that likes technology and the latest thingamajigs, but you aren't that fella who wants to spend more than a certain amount, this is it.
It also has decent performance too. This, to me is actually important. That 1.5liter turbocharged 3 cylinder engine is good in terms of pulling power and it is refined for such an engine. Most likely due to the fact that these days, engineers know how to do properly beefy engine mountings. This car definitely has that and the turbocharger which does smoothen things out in terms of vibration when it spools up.
Go watch our videos on the specs, equipment and performance. This is more on the pricing at launch. Again, the price will make other brands sweat a bit in terms of what is offered. There are three videos we have made on the X50 so far and it explains the new SUV in quite some detail. Go watch and subscribe. It does mean something to me over here folks!
The official Press Release is down below after the videos.
PROTON’s B-segment SUV
The Proton X50 is the second vehicle to be jointly developed by PROTON and its partner Geely and, like the PROTON X70, enables the company to compete in a new market segment. It is also positioned against products that account for a substantial number of sales from buyers looking to upgrade from their first car.
Similarly to PROTON’s previous SUV, developing the PROTON X50 required both PROTON and Geely to collaborate on multiple levels. These included staff in China and Malaysia working in cross functional teams and also encompassed 1.9 million kilometres of testing on Malaysian roads to adapt to the hot and humid climate and unique road conditions found here.
At the same time, the company’s production engineers began assembling trial, pre-production and finally full production units of the PROTON X50 at the new production line in Tanjung Malim, completed in 2019 at a cost of RM1.2 billion.
Unlike when it launched the PROTON X70, where the company embarked on a comprehensive pre-launch marketing programme that included a portal to accept online bookings, the PROTON X50 required a much shorter product build-up. Order books officially opened on 16 September 2020, and to date more than 20,000 bookings have been placed by Malaysian customers eager to be amongst the very first owners.
“The amount of public interest for the PROTON X50 has been unprecedented, especially during a year that has been affected by external factors. We received inquiries from as far back as a year ago and thanks to frequent updates in the media the level of expectation amongst Malaysian car buyers is high. The onus is therefore on PROTON to keep waiting times manageable and to deliver a product that meets the technology, performance and quality expectations of our customers,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer, Proton Edar.
Prices and packages announced
As is the case with recent Proton model launches, the PROTON X50 comes with a comprehensive package of benefits to enhance the ownership experience. These include a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty and a 5-year data package providing 1GB of free data each month.
The first 30,000 customers who make a booking by 31 December 2020 will also receive free labour charges for five service appointments while all customers are offered a range of benefits if they insure their PROTON X50 via the PROTON Premium Insurance Coverage Package. Low financing rates that start from 2.22% are also offered to all buyers via Proton’s in-house finance company, Proton Commerce Sdn. Bhd.
“We are confident customers will be pleased by the specifications, price and benefits package offered with the PROTON X50.There is a variant to suite every need and budget and we hope that just like the PROTON X70, our new SUV will bring new customers to our showrooms,” added Roslan Abdullah.
The on-the-road (OTR) prices for the PROTON X50 inclusive of the PENJANA sales tax subsidy are:
Variant Peninsular Malaysia East Malaysia
PROTON X50 Standard RM 79,200 RM 81,200
PROTON X50 Executive RM 84,800 RM 86,800
PROTON X50 Premium RM 93,200 RM 95,200
PROTON X50 Flagship RM 103,300 RM 105,300
No comments:
Post a Comment