by Rebaneilwe Semakane
Proton has decided to return to South Africa after a ten-year hiatus, with two new products – the X50 and X70. The brand is owned by Geely, the same Chinese manufacturer that owns Volvo, Lotus, and Polestar – and quite honestly, we weren’t sure what to expect.
Both the X50 and X70 use a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine producing 110kW/226 Nm and 130kW/255 Nm in their respective top-spec models – similar to the powerplant that does duty in the Volvo XC40. The engine is paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. At first glance, the X50 is the more visually appealing vehicle. It has sleeker and more youthful looks, and the interior is absolutely well crafted. The X70 however, looks heavily dated. I would have loved to see a more modern design, especially with the brand aiming to rival the likes of Mazda, Volkswagen and BMW. Yes, BMW. As the brand is Malaysian, you’d assume that they would want to target Chery and Haval, but they pride themselves in the fact that they offer the same level of luxury found in high-end brands at a really competitive price. It is a little concerning how they have set the bar quite high for themselves, and going for such established brands is only for the brave. Nonetheless, we will see how they fare in terms of sales. With the support of CMH, they should be just fine.
I must say, the two vehicles might have some unorthodox styling upfront, but all that is made up by the super stunning interior. Both encompass a large panoramic sunroof, the Nappa leather trim, and the red finishes of the dashboard gave it a very luxurious feel. Personally, I think the X50 will fare best between the two, it has a lot of youthfulness to it and it will certainly excite consumers. There are talks of a local relaunch that is bound to happen soon, so more will follow after that.
The distribution of these new vehicles will be handled by the CMH group, and by the end of 2022 they are set to have 25 Proton dealerships across. The brand has also made use of ABSA as its financial partner, strengthening the mandate of its return to the country.
X50 Pricing
Standard – R449,900
Luxury – R499,900
Executive – R535,900
Premium – R579,900
X70 Pricing
Standard 2WD – R529,900
Executive 2WD – R579,900
Executive AWD – R629,900
Premium 2WD – R639,900
The warranty is valid for 5 years/unlimited km and it comes in combination with a 5-year/80 000 km service plan.
