Proton Holdings has begun testing a compact sedan in Malaysia.
Based on the looks of the camouflaged test unit, an update from a popular Malaysian automotive news outlet, Paul Tan states that the car in question is Proton S50. Offered in China as Geely Emgrand, the compact sedan will compete with Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and other C-segment sedans in the country.
Emgrand, in China, has a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine that sends 114 horsepower (hp) and 147 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque to the front wheels via a CVT automatic gearbox.
For Malaysia, Proton CEO Roslan Abdullah stated that a high-end variant will have a turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine that produces 150 hp and 226 Nm of torque, which will also send its power to the front wheels via a DCT automatic transmission.
The sedan sits on Geely’s BMA platform, which also underpins Proton X50 SUV. Details of the S50’s launch date and price are unknown but reports about it replacing Proton Preve beg belief that it will launch in Malaysia soon.
Good to go proton