The Malaysia Autoshow 2023 featured upcoming and reimagined versions of cars. One of the reimagined cars was the Proton X50 R3 Concept, which showed how much aero bodywork can improve the looks of the subcompact crossover SUV.
The X50 R3 Concept’s subdued main color and yellow highlights gave it an aggressive look. It had swollen wheel arches, more prominent character lines, a slightly widened bodywork, a large rear spoiler, bumper extensions, side skirts, canards, black alloy wheels, and a lowered ride height.
Little is known about any performance upgrades for the ‘R3 X50’. Originally, the SUV comes with two powertrain options:
- Base variant’s turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine 148 horsepower (hp) and 226 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque
- Range-topping variant has the same engine that is tuned to make 175 hp and 255 Nm of torque
Both variants are paired to a seven-speed DCT automatic transmission. Other features include including six airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), traction control, hill hold assist, hill descent control, a 360° camera, parking sensors, forward collision warning, and autonomous braking among other amenities.
It is unknown when or if the company will launch this SUV for the mass market.
Very good