The X70 SUV Has Taken Proton From Zero To Hero

In just 4 years one SUV turned around a fledging car manufacturer into a profitable and proud company.

Car manufacturer Skoda was an almost bankrupt car company until the Volkswagen Group took it over in 1991 and built a state of the art brand new factory in the Czech Republic.

Before the Volkswagen Group came along, Skoda’s were a laughing stock of the automotive community with fledging sales and numerous financial bailouts from the Czech government.

Sound familiar people? The ‘knight in shining armour’ turned up and turned a fledging car manufacturer into one of the most profitable car brands in the world.

The reason why Skoda does not do well here in Malaysia is simply because of its selling price. Without local assembly, Skoda pricing is on par with Volkswagen models and its brand presence in Malaysia is rated lower, so buyers are not keen to own one at the given selling prices.

The last popular Skoda model sold in Malaysia was the Octavia sedan (fastback and wagon) and the Fabia hatchback and you can still see them running around with quite happy owners who only complain about very low resale values which is really not any worse than the resale values of older Volkswagen cars in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Proton’s possible success in Asia and Africa is just around the corner and Geely will be ready for it. Will Proton be ready?

Interestingly, it is the 4th ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROTON X70 and here below are ten facts about the Proton X70.

1. The Proton X70 is the first premium SUV model from PROTON and is also the first model developed with the collaboration of Geely.
2. The Proton X70 was launched by then Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah on 12 December 2018 in Kuala Lumpur.
3. The Proton X70 is the first “talking car” from PROTON with intelligent voice command where you can just say the catchphrase ‘Hi, PROTON’ to control features like the power windows, air conditioning, navigation, music, and weather apps.
4. The Proton X70 received more than 10,000 bookings before it even reached showrooms.
5. As of the end of November 2022, 82,869 units of the Proton X70 have been sold since it was launched, making it the best-selling C-segment SUV in Malaysia for four years running.
6. PROTON started to produce the Proton X70 in Malaysia at a new RM1.2 billion plant extension in Tanjung Malim in 2019 and the first locally assembled Proton X70 rolled off the production line on 13 December that year.
7. PROTON launched the 2022 Proton X70 on 9 June 2022, offering styling updates and a new powertrain option for buyers seeking an SUV with improved fuel efficiency thanks to a 1.5L TGDi engine that is also produced in Malaysia.
8. Brunei was the first export market for the Proton X70 where it was launched on 29 July 2019.
9. Aside from being produced in Malaysia, the Proton X70 is also locally assembled in Karachi, Pakistan.
10. To date, the Proton X70 has been exported to seven countries, namely Brunei, Nepal, Egypt, Bangladash, Kenya, Pakistan, and South Africa and as at the end of November this year, total export sales stand at 2,919 units.