Proton releases first official images of new S70 sedan

Although Proton has usually kept the appearance of a new model a secret right till the unveiling at an official launch event, they have departed from that practice for the new Proton S70 Sedan. Perhaps it is a different era from 20 years ago when everyone can be a ‘spy photographer’ with phones having cameras and social media to show their pictures to the world – right away.

So over the past months, as Proton’s R&D people began real-world testing, the new model was seen in many places – still camouflaged, of course – and people began to become familiar with it. Someone even sent us pictures of what seemed like a photoshoot in another country and of course, there have been many photoshopped images going around.

So to end all the speculation about how the model really looks, the carmaker has released clear pictures of the new car and even interior shots. In fact, prior to its official launch, customer previews will be held in several major Malaysian state capitals beginning from November 11 to allow the public an up close and personal viewing of the new model.

Details are limited at this time and the information available is that it has a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine with a DCT (dual-clutch transmission). The engine would be the same one used in the X50 and X70 which is made at the Tg Malim manufacturing complex.

According to Proton’s statement, the first units have been completed and a line-off ceremony was held this morning. Bookings are accepted from today at all showrooms nationwide and a fee of just RM500 needs to be paid. The launch date has not been revealed yet but certainly, it would be before the end of the year.

The S70 is the first all-new addition to the brand’s sedan line-up since the launch of the Persona in August 2016. It is known to be adapted from a Geely model called the Emgrand. While the differences would be largely cosmetic, the overall dimensions can’t be far from that of the Geely model, which is 4.64 metres in length and 1.82 metres in width. That makes it slightly larger than the Persona, with a footprint similar to the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

“The Proton S70 marks a new chapter for Proton as we return to the family sedan market with a model that is the next step in the evolution of our offerings. Endowed with intelligent safety technology, connectivity and a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine with dual clutch transmission, we have high hopes it will prove to be popular with current and new Proton fans and help return us to the top of a market segment that was previously led by models such as the Proton Wira, Waja and Preve,” said Dr Li Chunrong, CEO of Proton.

“Today’s line-off ceremony is another important step for Proton in our efforts with DRB-HICOM and Geely to establish Tanjong Malim and the Automotive High Tech Valley as a national automotive hub. Since 2019, the company has invested more than RM1.8 billion in upgrading the facilities here by building a new engine assembly line, a new stamping shop, as well as new assembly lines. This bodes well for the company’s future as we look to grow our range of offerings to include more New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) and eventually, electric vehicles as well,” added Dr. Li.

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