With the Proton X50 having lastly been launched, the general public’s consideration now turns to the subsequent upcoming mannequin. The corporate’s chief government officer Li Chunrong has already stated that Proton is able to launching one new product yearly, and hypothesis is rife that the nationwide carmaker is getting ready both an S50 sedan, a V70 MPV or an X90 SUV as its subsequent automobile for a 2021 launch.
Due to an organization presentation final yr, we have already got a tough thought of what ought to come subsequent – a brand new sedan in 2021 and 2022, then one other SUV in 2023. However these timescales are removed from set in stone; it was beforehand projected that an MPV primarily based on the Geely Jiaji could be the primary to reach this yr, and everyone knows how that turned out.
So let’s speak concerning the automobiles which can be being rumoured. The S50 is tipped to be a rebadged Binrui, slotting above the Persona and competing within the C-segment market. It could definitely make sense – in any case, Proton hasn’t had an entry right here for the reason that Prevé was discontinued a few years in the past.
Nonetheless, the C-segment sedan market is on a decline, and the Honda Civic dominates what little gross sales quantity is left. The Binrui is a minimum of primarily based on the identical B-segment Modular Structure (BMA) because the X50, which ought to make tooling the Tanjung Malim plant simpler and amortise the associated fee. If it does come to market, the S50 may very well be the subsequent recipient of the 1.5 litre turbocharged MPI three-cylinder that debuted within the X50.
The subsequent automobile on this listing is the one that ought to have been launched this yr – the V70, primarily based on the aforementioned Jiaji. Proton’s hesitance in constructing the MPV is comprehensible, on condition that such a mannequin could be a lot too large and costly (possible pricier even than an X70) to be a real alternative for the ageing Exora. Proton desperately wants greater gross sales volumes to satisfy its lofty targets – volumes that this automobile most likely gained’t generate.
At this juncture we must also level out that the whereas the S50 title has already been trademarked by Proton, the V70 moniker belongs to Volvo and was final used on the predecessor to the V90 wagon. In fact, each Proton and Volvo are owned by Geely, so it’s potential that the 2 firms may work out some type of settlement if the nationwide carmaker actually wished the title.
A extra believable different to the V70 could be the Haoyue-based X90. Just like the V70, this automobile could be a seven-seater, however in a extra fashionable SUV format – a physique model that Proton itself has acknowledged it has staked its future on. The Haoyue has additionally been designed for Southeast Asian consumers in thoughts and has already been launched within the Philippines because the Okavango, so it’s clear that the automobile has potential. The one query is that if there’s a marketplace for an SUV that’s bigger and dearer than the X70.
The hearsay mill additionally steered that an S70 primarily based on the brand new Preface is without doubt one of the potential choices, however we’d take it with a heavy pinch of salt. The D-segment sedan market has all however flatlined, and the final Proton mannequin to compete, the Honda Accord-based Perdana, was a dismal gross sales failure. The Principle could also be one of many best-looking automobiles to have come from Geely, but in addition the least more likely to be was a Proton.
All this hypothesis doesn’t have in mind the struggles Proton has had in matching preliminary manufacturing targets for the brand new X50, not to mention assembly the large demand. Presently, the ready listing runs anyplace between three to 6 months, probably longer. Given the state of affairs, it might be sensible for the corporate to carry off introducing new fashions and deal with stabilising provide for the X70 and X50.
As for updates to the remainder of the lineup, we’re anticipating the Iriz hatchback and Persona sedan to obtain their second facelifts quickly, as hinted by the bevy of latest spyshots. These pictures present that there are some main exterior design adjustments incoming (together with bigger wheels and maybe some X50-inspired design cues), and there are additionally rumoured to be some inside switchgear adjustments and even the Saga‘s Hyundai-sourced four-speed automated gearbox to switch the oft-maligned Punch CVT.
So, what do you assume – which one in every of these potential future Protons are you most wanting ahead to, and what different new merchandise would you wish to see? Hold forth within the feedback after the soar.
GALLERY: Geely Binrui
GALLERY: Geely Jiaji
GALLERY: Geely Haoyue
GALLERY: Geely Preface
