While we’re eagerly awaiting the launch of Proton’s second SUV, widely tipped to be called the X50, Zhejiang Geely Holdings (ZGH) group has released a fascinating look at the development process behind the highly-successful X70. That car may have been a rebadged Geely Boyue, but its conversion to a Malaysian product wasn’t merely a case of moving the steering wheel to the right side.
In fact, according to group, Proton also had to reposition and realign the dashboard, steering console, pedals, door controls, brakes, gearbox, headlights, wipers, air-conditioning ducts, glovebox, and several cables and wires. All-in-all, a total of 761 parts had to be changed to turn the Boyue into the X70 – and that’s not counting the components that were completely reengineered.
And that’s just the start. The localisation process also involved the tropicalisation of the car to suit Malaysia’s hot, humid and rainy climate. The X70 not only had to be able to sit in daily standstill traffic in sweltering Kuala Lumpur heat, but also drive up 6,000 feet to Genting Highlands (where the air is thinner) and survive East Malaysian terrain, said the group.
As such, the car’s rubber components and cooling parts had to be replaced, while the engine management system had to be recalibrated to account for the differing terrain and altitude. Even after all the changes, the X70 had to undergo a rigorous testing process that involved repeating around 25% of the 548 tests originally conducted for the Boyue.
These included performance, ride and handling, braking, emissions, safety, weight, thermal, climate control, electromagnetic compatibility, environmental, aerodynamics, ergonomics, durability, and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) tests.
Proton also had to homologate the X70, ensuring that the car met ASEAN NCAP safety standards (China has its own C-NCAP system) and maximising the engine’s performance and effectiveness when running on our RON 95 or 97 petrol (China primarily uses lower-octane RON 92 fuel).
Then, of course, came local assembly. Proton sought to source components from local suppliers, and some of them did not initially have the expertise to produce those components. The company solved the problem by initiating a series of joint ventures and technical assistance agreements with Geely suppliers from China.
Through those efforts, Proton managed to secure 45% of local content for the X70 by the time production of the CKD model began at the end of 2019, and the company aims to increase that figure by eight percent by the end of this year.
In total, 95 Proton engineers were involved in the entire process of turning the Boyue into the X70, from research and development to testing. These engineers, along with technicians from manufacturing and quality divisions, made up the circa-200 people the company sent to Geely within a span of six months. The group said that the individuals learnt invaluable knowledge and experience from their Geely counterparts, which it claims will enhance Proton’s engineering capabilities.
GALLERY: 2020 Proton X70
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Indeed, most people think it is an easy switch. It is a complicated and technical process in reality.
Firewalls have to be redesigned, headlamp angling, foot pedals, wiring harnesses. It is a lot of work. Some marques don’t even bother so you do see some legacy issues in the so-called RHD models, mainly switches…
Only difficult for ppl dont have experience or s.o.p
You’ve done it before? @Jon
Yes not just moving the steering but sticking a badge to a geely steering . Damn malu
Wow….amazing thinking.
Bravo Jon…Bravo
Is all done by all our frens frm china, xtipu bhai
so why didn’t they do it during vehicle development?
Correct bro , I believe you have more experience compare to the people who does this X70
You be be in RR Bro ..
The French with all their experience & s.o.p still cannot get this right on their own inhouse developed car. What Proton did was nothing short of a miracle but they pulled it off well because they had experience & s.o.p.
Only easy for ppl dont know engineering or automotive.
Unlike you who have the experience and s.o.p. I bet you can do the conversion all alone because its a piece of cake for you. Oh how proton missed out on hiring you instead of all the other engineers. They could’ve save a lot of resources.
Exactly what a non-engineering person would say. Ignorance at its best.
Wow just wow. Jonathan took the effort in explaining concisely and logically in a detail manner what were changed and you still think it was a simple job?
You either don’t have a clue what the changes entails or patently refused to read the written piece and just comment whatever that bypassed your brain.
The problem is, the only way to know if they had done a good job with the conversion successfully is when you don’t find anything strange or out of place. However when Proton did it too well, uninformed people would think it was an easy job because they cannot see the discrepancies. See the conundrum for Proton team?
I would think Proton’s pretty good in this segment since they have been rebadging vehicles ever since their birth 35 years ago (do check out their awesome 35yr anniversary Saga ‘black edition’s with yellow stickers). Monkey’s job I would say and from now on they will continue to rebadge Geely vehicles until they get sold to another entity if and when Geely gets tired of Hicom.
I’ve been waiting for more than 3 decades for them to build a proper global model from scratch but they even got beaten by some young 1997 upstart by the name of Chery which will soon assemble their own made vehicles in the US.
Must be nice living in a cave for the past 15 years, eh? What an ignorant.
How to go global when ordinary Malaysians like you drag them down?
Oh sure. The French automakers had been building vehicles far longer than Proton and til today they still can’t get that RHD conversion right. By your logic they must worse than monkeys in their job.
Copy paste: “Which is why you remained 3rd world mentality while the country is rushing towards 1st world level. What a pity.”
Mercedes rebadges the Renault Kangoo and they rebadged the Nissan Navara too. Do you think that Mercedes engineers don’t know how to design cars?
rebadging RHD cars only compares to conversion LHD to RHD with rebadge are big modification especially with car manufacturers with no RHD cars at all.
Must be a slow news day if they keep repeating news about this china car.
You know, no one forced you to read the article. You can happily skip along to news that interest you.
i like the story. but how many of boyue and or x70 really made it outside of malaysia or even china themselves?
Unlike other brand of car, only the logo, front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper have been changed.
Ha. Proton with 37 years “history” and learning from Mitsubishi, now still have to learn from younger Geely.
Oh, you mean Mitsubishi that almost got bankrupted and still selling 12 years old Lancer?
And tried to cheat Nissan but got turned around and later sold off to Nissan, now end up as the butt brand of the Alliance. Oh how their fortunes has fallen while Proton risen.
Hope they sort out their CKD sub quality supplier issues ASAP. No one wants to run into issues with noisy absorbers hours after receiving their vehicle nor do they want to see gearbox overheating warnings 2 weeks into their ownership. Makes you wonder whether if Proton’s PDI standard did improve at all…?
The front kluk kluk noisy absorbers…
1 week into the car after taking delivery, the absorber mount bearings had already made loud noises. 1 week, imagine, how can that happen. Heard only the ckd units is prone to this as the particular part is manufactured locally and they are not made to standard. In any case, took the car in after just 1 week and got it checked out. 4s service centre ordered parts and this is the 3rd week waiting for the part to arrive. Doesn’t a 4s service centre hold stocks of parts? Its just a terrible experience.
Yes, Honda salesman. We bilip you
Even though i’m not a big fan of X70, i can say i’m very impress with their LHD to RHD conversion. Peugeot is one of the examples that have bad LHD to RHD conversion. Yeah, some Malaysian are too “dumb” to realize this.
X70 shud have (1) led console dashboard replacing the normal analogue, (2) Auto sensor aircond system, (3) Anti-crash braking system, (4) Auto on:off headlights, (5) Smart phone holder and hands-free Bluetooth to sound system. That’s all 4 the time being, Proton engineers, be more creative/innovative to gain buyers’ needs✅
If you check the specs, X70 has all that except touchscreen A/C controls. Then again, even Honda had revert back to using analogue controls (https://paultan.org/2020/03/30/honda-replaced-touchscreen-hvac-controls-with-conventional-dials-to-minimise-disruption-report/) so yea, it wasn’t by mistake Geely & Proton stuck to analogue controls.
Touch screen A/C controls also available (as a build in App) in addition to the physical buttons & dials. But most owners don’t bother as it’s more convenient to use buttons & dials.
Interesting, but then Rakyat will forever bash Proton. It’s kinda in their DNA… LOL.
Sales figures speak for themselves, hope Proton stay afloat and don’t ask for anymore government help. Maybe then Rakyat will bash less.
Nawww, even if Proton could offer up a car as fine a luxury with the big Germans, you’d still find some segments continue to self-flagellated while cursing Proton. It is in THEIR DNA.
Good work but not good enough. We need to have it developed in Malaysia, from proto making into mass production utilising inhouse RnD specialising in material science, mechanical and electrical engineering, interior design and then produced by local suppliers or inhouse production with lean manufacturing and superb quality control. All these start from scratch not tweaking a bit here and there.
What a shame. Proton was hanging too long and too much on the low hanging fruit (Saga) resulting in less innovation & less productive products and techs.
Geely was only successful after going to M&A (taking over another real vehicle maker Volvo).
Proton? Invested wrongly on motorcycle maker acquisition (later sold at loss) & sportcar Lotus.
What do you mean by too low? Don’t you see the Waja, Savvy, Gen2, Persona CM, Satria Neo, Iriz, Exora, Persona BM, going around Malaysia?
No proton ride and handling = not good enuf
so that made the x70 a Malaysia car? In that case those ckd mercedes or BMW which are assembled in Malaysia cars as well since its not merely switching the steering wheel to the correct side better still its Germany marque compared to a China made one so why aren’t Malaysian running out to buy mercs and BMW than? X70 is still very much a China made rebadge car like it or hate it its not even designed or engineered by malaysian for malaysia
Because the switch wasn’t done by Malaysians effort and CKD didn’t amount to 45% of local content for the X70 which disqualified your German brands as local car.
proton and perodua better close shop la, both are nobody outside Malaysia
Again again cerita basi
So why are YOU in here?