Proton Suprima X – SUV-style hatch design by MIMOS

Proton Suprima X – SUV-style hatch design by MIMOS

Ever wondered what an SUV or crossover version of an existing Proton model, such as the Suprima S, would look like? That’s exactly what local designer Saharudin Busri has envisioned – a more rugged version of the national carmaker’s C-segment hatchback, called the Suprima X.

In case you didn’t know, Saharudin is the head of industrial design at MIMOS, the national research and development centre in information and communications technology (ICT) and a strategic agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). He was actually working in Proton’s styling department until 2007, so he does have an insight into the company’s design process.

“Like many other Malaysians, I want to see Proton produce more attractive models. In terms of design, they should be in line with the developments of the market. Although the design was developed under my own capacity, I see it as a small contribution as a designer visualising the design of future Proton models through my own perspective,” said Saharudin.

But there’s another reason why Saharudin is producing car designs and renders, especially those that are Proton-badged. Previously, MIMOS only produced industrial designs as part of the projects it was tasked with, but it is now offering design consultancy as a standalone service, including for the automotive industry.

Proton Suprima X – SUV-style hatch design by MIMOS

“Indirectly, we want to show that MIMOS also has in-house expertise in terms of automotive design,” he said. However, the agency has yet to have any official discussions with Malaysian carmakers to design vehicles for production.

Why did Saharudin use a Suprima S as a basis for the transformation? “This is because, in my view, the Suprima S is unique, with a sophisticated, sporty look. What I did was explore the car’s potential, in order to increase the options or variants that can be derived from it, at least in terms of design,” he said.

The design of the Suprima X isn’t new for Saharudin – the basic design has been around since 2015, and has now been refined. It was inspired by the innovative designs of compact SUV and crossover offerings from other manufacturers, which have cropped up in recent years.

Proton Suprima X – SUV-style hatch design by MIMOS

“We used as an example the Honda HR-V and other similar models that have been so successful, especially in Malaysia. I imagined that building an all-new model would be too costly, so in terms of design, I felt that the Suprima S had its own strengths which could be developed into an SUV or crossover,” he said.

The result is the car that you see in these teaser images. The basic design of the Suprima S is still there, but the roofline has been raised, as has the ground clearance. The front fascia has also been redesigned, with slimmer, shapelier headlights and Y-shaped daytime running lights that flow into the bolder dual-bar grille.

Meanwhile, the tail lights are now two-piece items, similar to the Prevé on which the Suprima S is based, while the front and rear bumpers have been redesigned for a more aggressive look, with silver underbody guards that give the car a SUV-like look – one that is emphasised by the use of black plastic cladding throughout. Large ten-spoke alloy wheels, in a similar design to the Iriz, complete the look.

Proton Suprima X – SUV-style hatch design by MIMOS

It should be noted at this point that Proton itself has toyed around with a more rugged version of the Suprima. A concept called the Suprima Active was showcased last May, although that was a subtler redesign that added body mouldings, roof rails and orange highlights to a standard Suprima S body.

This is not the first time MIMOS has been involved in automotive design – last year, the agency revealed the C-Concept, a sedan designed in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Mara, as well as Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Thailand. Prior to that, it showed a Perodua-badged compact hatch that was submitted for consideration for the 2016 Red Dot Design Awards.

So, what do you think of the Suprima X? Should it become a reality as a production vehicle to be sold to the public? Our Bahasa Malaysia colleagues saw plenty of other designs – including the full design of this car – that were shown off by Saharudin during their visit last week, and we will have more on these soon.

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • uchiha madara on Apr 25, 2017 at 9:33 am

    Nice design, launch this using t gdi engines with 5 years value guarantee..sure many will buy

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 45 Thumb down 12
    • dont forget launch with new gearbox also

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 43 Thumb down 0
      • With 1:1 workers to cars ratio, i’m sure P1’s quality is amazing!

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 4
        • K Kinte on Apr 25, 2017 at 1:11 pm

          only car company in the world where 1 worker to 1 car ratio for one whole year. Even Pagani handbuilt also kalah!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 4
          • P1 tak boleh kalah! If Gov can order an additional 13389 vehicles from P1 using tax payers money, P1 can beat P2 in sales and become No.1 in Malaysia!

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 11
          • Albert on Apr 25, 2017 at 4:11 pm

            As long as it is a Protong,dont waste your hard earned $$$$.
            Protong’s rating is ‘F”….for failure

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 22
    • Betol Tak? on Apr 25, 2017 at 11:03 am

      If he become the head of Proton design surely Proton will no longer ask RM1.5 billion soft-loan from govt but instead give RM1.5 billion in tax revenue to govt.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 41 Thumb down 3
    • Mahathir on Apr 25, 2017 at 3:45 pm

      SUV have no market in Malaysia.. that why no SUV from Proton..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 23
  • Tokok on Apr 25, 2017 at 9:34 am

    This guy got future, too bad P1 is a dying company.
    Go to P2 please. You will have bright future there.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 25
  • Fucukyongtaufoo on Apr 25, 2017 at 9:35 am

    Two thumbs up!!! Now this is what we expect from Proton!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 32 Thumb down 10
    • Dah la … every time syok sendiri giving them false hope with statement like …

      – if they have manual transmission, then it will sell like hot cake.

      – Finally, proton has done it right.

      – If they have R3 version, they will sell a lot.

      – The car is perfect, if they make the rim slightly bigger, it will wrest the market share from perodua.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 5
  • “He was actually working in Proton’s styling department until 2007, so he does have an insight into the company’s design process.”

    So now the public also have an insight why the company’s design is so bad all the while.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 8
    • Redidiot on Apr 25, 2017 at 12:03 pm

      No, they should kick the person who ok’s designs for final production.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 0
      • It’s not one person that should be kicked. The entire company’s management, structure and culture have problem.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 0
  • Donno on Apr 25, 2017 at 9:48 am

    That looks good even under wraps. The rear is 1000 times better than the original suprima. This shows that Proton has (or had) good designers. Probably the bad designs got into production are the product of decisions of design-blind or bad-taste bosses and managers at Proton. I don’t understand how the nice looking new Persona can be followed by the ugly looking new saga. Even the old Saga FL is better looking than the new one. The new saga design is a mess, no coheasive design language and looks like a bad mismatch of designs (front grille out of place with the rest of the front design; overall looks like 3 different design for front, side and rear, no coheasion at all between the 3)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 40 Thumb down 6
  • If Proton sale this SUV model with CamPro CFE Turbo, i trade in my Honda HRV now!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 20
    • the engine is one thing but the gearbox is another matter. if it’s still the punch cvt, then im not sure if it’s worth the trade.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0
    • Redidiot on Apr 25, 2017 at 12:05 pm

      Even with that lousy CVT?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
  • in b4 desain by mimos, tapi ini mesti salah P1…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 7
  • alldisc on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:00 am

    Let’s look until 2007 what proton had achieved in design.

    1. Waja – designed in house but with many wannabe features. Alfa romeo nose, VW bora headlamp, BMW curvy dashboard, red illuminated instrument meters and odd numbers speedometer like Peugeot 206. 3rr brake light similar to Nissan Sentra B14.
    Front seats lacking in support

    2. Proton gen2 – styling is unique. But minimalist interior was what gave it away. Instrument meters inspired from Lotus sports cars but too small too read at a glance.

    No glovebox and only 1 cupholder is a huge mistake.

    Unique-fit stereo is good to deter theft but switches on it are rather flimsy. Climate control knobs are a nice touch though too low.

    Campro engine had poor torque delivered at low revs while auto transmission has a high tendency and changing gear down when you are driving at a leisure speed. That’s an issue with engineering department though, not styling.

    3. Proton savvy. Need I say more? Nothing good about this car.

    4. Proton Saga BLM. This was designed by LG.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 1
    • Donno on Apr 25, 2017 at 11:45 am

      Saga BLM styling was not by LG. LG did most of the current protons, even the Savvy (that was the start actually). What they did is transferring all those styling and design surfaces of designers into a technical detail on the real car, with all the manufacturing limits and calculations thrown in. BTW even the Perodua Bezza is done by LG, so it is not only Proton, a few other local companies also uses LG for their automotive engineering solutions.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 5
  • janji_gaya on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:02 am

    tin kosong tak apa, janji gaya.

    what’s the point of having only style ?
    aftersales and reliability that counts.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 23
    • you cakap kosong, lagi bahaya.

      disease to the society.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 7
    • AutoFrenz (the original) on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:13 am

      Wow…this will be a best seller…will steal sales from honda brv..the lowcost vehicle meant for third world countries but priced like hrv a global car…rakyat Malaysia sememangnya bijak membuat keputusan…syabas

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 2
    • Sack designer on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:16 am

      Appoint him as the new Proton chief designer!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 3
    • K Kinte on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:23 am

      Why outsider must design? What are the highly paid Proton engineers and designers doing in office? All goyang kaki?

      Proton got a huge pool of engineers and designers. All kebal. All cannot sack. All got jaminan lifetime jobs with jaminan lifetime pay rise and bonus. And yet, they goyang kaki and not do any work

      A poor outsider must do their dirty work for them

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 6
  • Anything But P1, Greedy P2 on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:14 am

    Hey use the 1.5 billion to sell and promote Proton to overseas market la. Really katak dalam tempurung

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 4
  • applegreen on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:17 am

    If haval can put a price tag at affordable price, why not proton

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 0
  • Middle Age Driver (Member) on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:19 am

    If by now Proton haven’t figured out what’s stopping people from buying their cars, better to close as they have not learned anything for the last 30 years.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 1
  • isengard12 on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:36 am

    Now that is what design is all about. Eye catching & over the top. However this certainly looks 100x better than any design that Proton currently have.

    Keep it up Saharudin, hope one day you are able to inspire Proton’s own designers!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 2
  • i always get excited about proton’s concepts and new models but somehow it always turns out somewhat lacking when it goes into production.

    but that guy sure is talented. i like how the front looks in the sketch. not sure about that rear bumper though.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 1
    • Cut cost for easier and cheaper production,thats why it have somewhat lacking in their final product

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Sapian Mohd on Apr 25, 2017 at 11:06 am

    Dah jadi trade mark Proton… Asalkan ada model baru mesti selak punggung dulu… 3 tahun kemudian baru keluar model sebenar… masa tu dah out date dah…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 2
  • thepolygonal on Apr 25, 2017 at 11:08 am

    Good to see you are now in a design and prototype house rather than proton. Keep up the good work.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • Interceptor on Apr 25, 2017 at 11:42 am

    Looks like Suzuki Vitara.. Another rebadge? Hehehehe

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 5
  • Urgh, I still have no idea how Proton can screw up Suprima design… when they were using Preve as the base. Uglier tail light, uglier interior. Had they kept the styling of those two from Preve and improved it a bit, I’m sure it’d look at least better…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 1
  • Socai on Apr 25, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    Prodon Supima is one of the most bad looking car in the planet wit its station wagon look and yet some people claimed as sporty?? Amazing

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 4
  • Looking at the horrible design is enough to tell you that the guy’s resignation was a welcome one.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 4
  • Jeffrey on Apr 25, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    Dear Saharudin, you are just showing us how incapable of Proton Design team

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Do it Proton. One for the road. Nothing to lose. A lot to gain.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • mystvearn on Apr 25, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    Please make it a reality. I will sell my Suprima S and buy this one.
    Markets are shifting from sedans to crossovers/SUV.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • fanofthisite on Apr 25, 2017 at 3:58 pm

    all nice, but if Proton cant drive numbers with its current models which I see nothing wrong with then all these niche models are wishful thinking. All the best to MIMOS in the product design consultancy tho’.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Noah Thiruchelvan on Apr 25, 2017 at 5:05 pm

    Even if it doesn’t drive well, it will sell a lot for looks alone. and price it well. DO IT PROTON

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • here's johnny on Apr 25, 2017 at 8:00 pm

    Design seems too good for proton to implement. In the end, the crony designers in proton will opt for other shitty design even if this design is given free to them.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Anonymous on Apr 25, 2017 at 8:50 pm

    Clearly taken from the freakin evoque

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
    • kuda hitam on May 03, 2017 at 4:04 pm

      betul la..sama cam evoque cos it have 4 tyre all around…if this guy do 3 tyre then for sure not look like evoque kan??

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Bro kita x tahan keje kat proton kot. Gaji murah. Tapi nostalgianya msih ada. Tiada salah. Orang kita selalu suka kata proton patut buat macam ni macam tu. Tapi, hasilnya tetap susah nak jual. Bro kita pernah kerja d proton. Tau tak apa legasi proton? Tak tau? Copy paste MMC. Itu je. Bila start je Waja dan Gen2….. semua org tahu. Jualan slow. Kuar pulak model LMST hancur! Seterusnya x payah cite. Hanya satu je legasi yg masih bertahan. SATRIA. Proton kembali dgn legasi copy paste dia, Inspira. Sorry, org ramai nak keta mcm produa. Kuar lagi IRIZ. Tapi, masa tu org ramai tetap dgn produa. Paling teruk model baru persona 100% bukan persona. Persona kete touring kot?? Racing luar negara. Upgrade la. Mata dunia dah perhati persona. Pulak tukar 100%. Memang jahannnam lah.
    Namun, produa ternampak lemah sedikit pada sedan car dia. Kenapa? Sbb itu model pertama sedan dan keluar daripada konsep mereka pegang selama ini. K-Car. Okeh, rumusanya design itu seumpama baju. Bengkel2 modi pun bole buat.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
 

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