Proton SUV spotted with PM Tun Mahathir – different front grille design from Geely Boyue, interior retained

Proton SUV spotted with PM Tun Mahathir – different front grille design from Geely Boyue, interior retained

The Proton SUV is set to be launched in October this year, and we’re slowly getting more information about what to expect with the brand’s first-ever SUV. In these photos posted in the Proton Boyue X7 Community (Malaysia) Facebook group, we can see an uncovered unit in the company of prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as well as Datuk Mohd Radzaif Bin Mohamed, deputy CEO of Proton.

Despite the low-quality photos, we can clearly see the Proton SUV’s unique grille design that differs from the Boyue’s “expanding cosmos” one. The final design looks to be a triple-slat approach with the latest Proton logo, encased within a chrome frame that features a slight notch at the bottom.

Meanwhile, the interior looks like a carbon copy of the Boyue’s, as evident by the shape of the steering wheel, air-con vent shape, instrument binnacle overhead, door cards and even the grab handles on the centre console.

Proton SUV spotted with PM Tun Mahathir – different front grille design from Geely Boyue, interior retained

Of course, we’ve been told that the Proton SUV was developed with Malaysian design flavours in mind, so there could be elements that aren’t on show just yet. What’s certain is the infotainment system and its accompanying voice control function have been localised, as demonstrated by Tun Mahathir earlier this month.

Proton’s upoming SUV will be based on the facelifted Geely Boyue, and will initially arrive in CBU imported form, before local assembly starts, which is slated for next year. The as-yet-unnamed SUV will be powered by a 1.8 litre turbocharged petrol engine with 181 hp and 285 Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Based on preliminary sightings, the equipment list appears to include 18-inch wheels, brown leather upholstery, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera and an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen. The presence of a camera on the windscreen and radar panel on the lower bumper also confirms that autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control will be offered, although all these features might be reserved for range-topping variants (likely the one we’ve seen previously).

As the pieces of the puzzle come together, one important one remains: how much will buyers have to pay for the Proton SUV? Care to put in your guesses?

GALLERY: Geely Boyue facelift

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • John May 9 Nangis on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:34 pm

    This is the car that is going to save Proton. Proton sales now 50,000 per year. They say by 2020, that is 1 year 5 months more, sales will jump to 200,000

    I hope this is true because if this car is priced at RM90k to RM100k…..not many Malaysians can afford it.

    So, how are sales going to jump from 50k to 200,000?

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 66 Thumb down 14
    • U-Tun on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:51 pm

      The answer is in the new NAP. More protectionism means international brand’s prices getting kaw kaw so no other choice than to buy P1

      Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 54 Thumb down 1
      • Carbuyer on Aug 01, 2018 at 6:18 pm

        Wait and see all-new P2 SUV first.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 8
        • Will be outdated, underspec, underpowered & unsafe.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 47 Thumb down 65
          • John May 9 Nangis on Aug 01, 2018 at 7:04 pm

            cannot be true becaus ePerodua sales is nearly 5X the sales of Proton.

            The rakyat don’t lie. If rakyat has chosen Perodua over Proton, then I believe 30 million rakyat than 1 cybertrooper

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 32 Thumb down 10
          • Pandai wayang on Aug 01, 2018 at 8:08 pm

            Both DRB and Geely is so afraid that Tun will announce something to their detriment… Quickly send car to appease him … Most Malaysians would have seen through this .. budaya Ampu budaya Bodek

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 1
          • Ahmad on Aug 01, 2018 at 8:11 pm

            Proton close sunroof ….Proton off radio…. Proton close shop

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 10
      • Ibrahim Jamal on Aug 02, 2018 at 8:12 am

        How long NAP and NEP going around. More than 60 years still want tongkat. Disgraceful

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 2
    • https://paultan.org/2018/02/08/proton-looking-to-sell-400000-cars-per-year-by-2027-aiming-for-30-market-share-in-malaysia-10-in-asean/

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 16
      • John May 9 Nangis on Aug 01, 2018 at 7:06 pm

        Proton has been saying this since 20 years ago. Every car they say Game Changer and every car they say sales will melambung. This has been going on since 20 years now

        All we see is Game OVer

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 8
        • 20 years? The year of that announcement was in 2018. Sure kah, now is 2038?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 2
        • john is otak batu on Aug 02, 2018 at 12:44 pm

          of course they do. their cars have teh tarik hook, 6 USB ports, 12 cup holders, 18 speakers, 10 yrs warranty, 8 years free servicing, 30% discounts.

          and best of all… that superb lotus ride and handling that makes ferrari driver very scared.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
    • John Sohai on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:58 pm

      Export it to Bangladesh CKD. Gerenti 1 million unit sales.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 2
    • No lah… maby like Myvi 50,000 a week
      Then more than a billion a year

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 5
      • John May 9 Nangis on Aug 01, 2018 at 7:12 pm

        I hope this SUV saves Proton because Rakyat have sacrifised so much the past 30 years to keep Proton alive.

        Malaysians have sacrificed enough for Proton and its protectionism. Because of Proton, all car prices have gone up 700% since 1985.

        For example, Toyota Corolla in 1985 was RM20k. Today, in 2018, the Toyota Corolla is RM139k

        The same Toyota Corolla in Japan has only risen 50% from 1985 to 2018.

        Car prices actually have gone down over 30 years all over the world due to automation, robotics and economies of scale despite inflation.

        50% vs 700% – a big huge difference Malaysians have to pay.

        According to statistics, Malaysians have overpaid by RM350 billion for cars from 1985 if one were to compare if Proton was NEVER born.

        So, I really hope this SUV works out for Proton. We have really spent a lot of money to save and rebuild Proton. Many Malaysians have suffered paying high 9 year car loans just to keep Proton alive

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 36 Thumb down 7
        • Don’t just compare the ancient price between the past,there is a lot reason that cause the price increased dramatically,even the proton.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 14
    • YB Albert on Aug 01, 2018 at 9:13 pm

      DRB selling off Alam Flora to sister co Malakoff,profiting Rm 750 juta.So this amount is to pay debts and rejuvenate capital,since they r bleeding at least half a billion RM.
      Now with no more fresh bailout funds,they r selling assets.But to depend on just Boyue to be profitable is like a Hollywood movie only.
      Maybe,they should hire Tom Cruise to do MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.
      IRIZ,PREVE were supposed to be game changers.Now,it is game over.,unless Protong acts fast.
      Protong is running a 100m race with a time of 30 secs.Usain Bolt would have won 3 races already.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 5
  • Raja Celup on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:35 pm

    Wah…Sungguh bangga dengan hasil kerja sendiri…rebadge logo pun jadi lar macam Perodua.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 10
    • Malu Malu Malaysia on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:48 pm

      30 tahun dalam bizness, kami hanya tahu rebadge sahaja

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 50 Thumb down 14
  • John May 9 Nangis on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:36 pm

    I hope Proton prices this SUV well. Because according to Proton’s own CEO, 78% of all Proton sales are from Persona and Saga. Cars which cost below RM50k.

    Proton buyers have always been in the region of RM50k and below. This is why Perdana cannot sell.

    So, I hope Proton prices this reasonably for Malaysians to afford

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 42 Thumb down 9
  • Thank you China on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:39 pm

    We must thank China and Geely for saving Proton. If not for Geely, Proton would have lingkup by now.

    Lucky Geely not only has saved Proton, but it is also injecting fresh new brains into the company and a new culture of hard working and diligence in Proton’s workers

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 41 Thumb down 7
    • Proton lingkup is just a matter of time. How you know Proton already saved by Geely? They had many game changer models plus collaborations with Suzuki and mighty Honda also cannot save Proton.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 26
      • P1 lingkup? Hahaha! More likely Toyota lingkup once Bapak raises non-national car prices. U asked for it, u geddit.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 48
      • Rahim on Aug 02, 2018 at 6:32 am

        you said in many postings all non national cars will go up 300%.

        All we see is fake news. Car prices went down

        And even with SST, car prices cannot go to 300% higher.

        Kindly stop spreading false news

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 6
        • https://paultan.org/2018/07/30/govt-may-impose-new-conditions-on-imports-to-restrict-tin-milo-cars-promote-local-brands-tun-m/

          Hahahahaha!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3
        • Kantoied but Still Wanna Defend on Aug 02, 2018 at 11:29 pm

          John didnt say that but u did above there; “…Car prices actually have gone down over 30 years all over the world due to automation, robotics and economies of scale despite inflation.

          50% vs 700% – a big huge difference Malaysians have to pay…]

          KANTOI!!!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
    • XForce on Aug 02, 2018 at 9:54 am

      Like it or not, Geely is the real owner of Proton. They r the one calling the shots & even the CEO is appointed by them & he is from China. This is not a collaboration but a joint venture with Geely calling the shots. This is the real reason why Dr M is pissed off & wanted to start another national car project. Geely is no longer just a Chinese brand. They’ve bought over Volvo & a number of other European brands. The latest models from Geely were designed with the help of Volvo’s top engineers. These r enuf reasons for the China’s Proton CEO to be so confident that he can turnaround Proton in the next few years. He has announced that Proton will be getting all the latest models & when Geely launches a new model in future, Proton will also get it at the same time. U can see that this is not like the previous collaborations with Mitsu, Honda & Suzuki, where Proton had to settle for older models.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0
  • Digidigi on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    Tun m, you happy with this new proton ? Don’t start another new one ok, thanks

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 56 Thumb down 2
  • FireAce on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:43 pm

    With Tun going headstrong with his ambition on another local automobile project, it re-ignite my old anger & disappointment with Proton that wreaked Malaysia Automobile Industry and skewed car prices that has burdened Malaysian for decades. Anger that has died down a lot previously since Geely taken over and promised change.

    So Proton/Geely Management, associating Tun with your new product might not be as wise as you think. It might be prove to be the opposite.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 0
    • karim on Aug 02, 2018 at 12:53 pm

      and also influenced neighbouring countries to increase car price to be at malaysia level as well. thailand and indonesia used to sell corolla altis at about 70-80k ringgit. the Soluna (previos gen before vios) was selling at 50k range. go search altis price in the 2 countries and they are matching umw price, making it difficult to make comparison. well, not only toyotas.. other car makers too. i am not sure whether the distributors are the one who increase the price, or external factors like government tax (like custom duties, which is loophole to AFTA). vietnam of course are the most expensive place, perhaps close to singapore.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Malu Malu Malaysia on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:46 pm

    After over 30 years in the market and tens of billions spent to bail the company out, Proton has become a rebadger.

    Such achievement. So much effort put into the company, so much sacrifice Malaysians have made with overpriced non national cars, all we can show now is that we are a rebadger.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 17
    • Nobody on Aug 01, 2018 at 9:25 pm

      Chill dude. Even the mighty Lamborghini, audi and porsche are rebadging Volkswagen car. Proton need money for it’s rnd. Even automobile giant like Mitsubishi, suzuki all went bankrupt.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 3
  • The front grille seems to mimic the wau design that was previously on Gen2 (pre-FL).

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 7
    • IrizX on Aug 01, 2018 at 6:39 pm

      That Boyue red color tone oso more menacing than Mazda Soul Red.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • kenot on Aug 01, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    after looked the geely bin rui and sx11, the boyue show it age.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0
  • Not Toyota Fan on Aug 01, 2018 at 6:38 pm

    Don’t ask price lah.

    M’sian want cheap cheap, good good. Better still kasi free.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • LembuTanduri on Aug 01, 2018 at 7:35 pm

    Drove this SUV once, impressed with the handling and pickup reminds me of a VW suv that’s very popular in China, if this car can be priced 65K OTR with insurance (in ringgit), that’s the new era for all of us. Thank you China.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0
    • 12yrsold on Aug 02, 2018 at 10:07 am

      If this SUV sell for 65k OTR, It will kill off many car company. I will order one myself without hesitation bcos I believe they sell over a million in China is not a mistake.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Keep teaser with pictures too much…people not excited anymore…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Rm100k? Sorry..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Dong gor on Aug 01, 2018 at 9:08 pm

    100k-110k given the specs/ gadgets provided. Plus it is a c seg suv

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • Ex proton vendor worker on Aug 01, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    1st Those who will be blame the most to this issue of geely bought over proton is malaysian… why? Because malaysian dont buy proton. You talk about nasional car malaysian car but u dont buy them. So who will support malaysian product if malysian not support their own product.

    2nd Proton Team (worker)… why? After so many years goverment giving special treatment to proton… they still cant manage to make proton as a choice of car to be buy by malaysian.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
    • Mikey on Aug 02, 2018 at 10:03 am

      I’ve own a Wira for a good 12 years simply bcoz its parts are cheap & reliable not to mention the air-con is super cool.
      My Foreman told me the Wira is good bcoz its a Mitsubishi & the engine is a proven bullet proof engine. Just too bad the cooperation with MMC did not work out.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • slacker on Aug 01, 2018 at 10:12 pm

    yea, looks ugly and cheap.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 6
  • Bernard on Aug 01, 2018 at 11:29 pm

    BMW launches its X5 etc without any fanfare.

    Now launch this bloody thing already before it becomes outdated completely!!

    Also, should be priced below RM50k for the top spec.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 14
  • Syer1n on Aug 02, 2018 at 7:03 am

    Idk why on earth is everyone so salty? You pay for Proton? I pay my tax for hospitality, school, facilities, road construction, gov services.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
  • xoxox on Aug 02, 2018 at 8:18 am

    change the front grill to flat one is call design…please la..the original design is much better…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Akira on Aug 02, 2018 at 8:31 am

    That proton emblem is photoshopped la bodo

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • kawan p on Aug 02, 2018 at 8:48 am

    even proton engineer drive honda lol

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • RM99,999 for top spec
    RM79,999 for low spec
    Safety features should be standard for all spec

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 5
  • Omg… that’s the ugliest SUV I have ever seen… proton need to sell this 1.8T model below RM90k otherwise proton will be truly gone… how to compete with the more supreme HRV even?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 7
  • azmi_autobahn on Aug 02, 2018 at 9:40 am

    Could P2 SUV be based on Daihatsu Terios?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • komarad on Aug 02, 2018 at 9:43 am

    cheap thing no good, good thing no cheap

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Barry on Aug 02, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Don’t be too hasty to write this car off as another “Proton game-changer failure”. This best selling SUV in China is better than the Tiguan which is more than double the selling price there, according to some very convincing reviews. Proton won’t be selling many of them, but certainly it will be the best selling SUV in Malaysia, I am pretty sure. I hope Geely will put in the Volvo-developed hybrid drive-train for this SUV.
    And if Geely brings in the Binrui, which is based on the BMA platform, it will definitely pose a huge challenge to the current king of lower-end models, Perodua.
    What is going to be more interesting to me is the Perdana-class replacement, the Borui GE or PHEV. Check it out.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Mr Hakim on Aug 02, 2018 at 11:05 am

    Price it 50k sudahlah Tun don’t mahal-mahal sangat, focus on volume. Other brands cannot buy already because of your incoming NAP.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Boyue boy on Aug 02, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    I ‘ll sure to book one if priced below RM75k (including insurance )even for low specs.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • The Proton SUV owned by GEELY should do quite well in Malaysia with the right price.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Malaysian People on Aug 03, 2018 at 10:34 am

    dulu masa P1 under malaysian fully, semua kutuk2 juga. sekarang P1 under DRB n Geely, pun kutuk2 juga. otak lembu betul la malaysian nih. smpi bila nk agungkan product bangsa lain. dugong btul lah

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Khairul on Aug 06, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    Buy 1 baseline Proton SUV got 1 free Saga
    Buy 1 top of the range Proton SUV got 1 free Persona/Iriz
    Sure can sell one, proton also can clear old stock

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
 

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