Proton’s new X70 SUV revealed

KUALA LUMPUR: We all know that Proton had been working on its first ever SUV for the Malaysian market, the Proton X70. And it is just a few weeks away from its official launch. However, prior to the launch, the company has gone through with a small release ceremony where the official details have been revealed.

The revelation of the new Proton SUV was made within closed doors at the company's headquarter at Shah Alam. Apart from the details, even the name of the SUV has been revealed. And indeed, the X70 is a wonderful name for a car that would be available through the qualified Proton dealers in the country.

Speaking on the design, we can see quite a similar outlook from its leaked. The front section has a very uniquely shaped layout, portraying three winged horizontal slats with company’s badge at the centre. However, not a lot of aesthetic changes have been made and most of the work was done to convert it from an LHD (left-hand drive) to the RHD.

And to this important designing prospect, Azlan Othman, Proton’s design head, said that the reason why not many styling elements have been changed is because the company wanted to introduce the X70 SUV in the market soon and hence, could not afford to take a lot of time designing it. But more of the visual changes would be making way with the CKD unit. This would be introduced around the mid-2019.

If you have seen the facelifted version of the Geely Boyue, you will find the interior setting to be similar. The seats, steering wheel, and door cards are given the Nappa leather covers. Other features include an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 4G connectivity, and an automatic climate control.

Currently, the company has 77 test cars under its belt, which have been used to perform over 500 system tests and 300 for the vehicle. You can book this new Proton X70 FROM September 8, 2018, with a booking amount of just RM1,000.