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A couple of months ago, it was reported that Proton’s vendors were facing “severe financial strain” due to the national carmaker failing to honour the number of parts it ordered for its SUV models – the X50, X70 and X90. We raised this issue during a Q&A session after yesterday’s media briefing, and the company’s deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah stepped in to give his comments on the situation.
Roslan said the problem stemmed from an unexpected slowing of sales due to the influx of new competitors from China, particularly Chery. “The [current] situation, with competitors coming into the same product [segment], their price gap not more than RM5,000, impacts our [ability] to honour [orders].

“When we planned [our production] for the X50 in 2020, for example, the [Honda] HR-V was the only competitor. But as of now, I think some of you just came back from China [after Auto China 2024 in Beijing], you know how many cars will come and [take a piece of the pie],” he said, adding that Proton was adjusting production to clear outstanding stock, hence the reduction in orders.
A different take was offered by director of manufacturing Mohd Shaharuddin, who said that Proton has a rule of committing to one month of full orders and five months of forecast orders, with a fluctuation not exceeding five per cent each month.

However, the most recent issue with not honouring orders was not caused by Proton not wanting to build the cars, but certain suppliers not ..

Yesterday, Proton held a media briefing at its Tanjung Malim plant to talk about its quality initiatives, covering the entire lifecycle from product development to after-sales.
The national carmaker is certainly feeling the heat from the brace of well-priced Chinese SUVs entering the market – a fact company officials have made known both in private and in public. But it has taken great pains to communicate its commitment to quality as a differentiator in the market place. Funny, given its image not too long ago.
Proton said its quality initiatives are in line with its three strategic aspirations – to be the #1 carmaker in Malaysia and the #3 in ASEAN, as well as achieving consistent quality by adopting global standards. The company claimed around 800 of its total employees contribute to its constant quality improvement.

To achieve its goal of maximising customer satisfaction, Proton has focused on four key areas, namely engineering and project quality, supplier quality, production quality and market quality. The first of these refers to the company’s ability to produces new models in an efficient and effective manner.
This includes the adoption of a New Product Development System (NPDS), a global standard for project management that implements strict gate reviews to identify and address potential quality issues early on in a vehicle’s development, ensuring new models are launched with a high standard of quality.
Using this approach, the market concer..

Aside from the facelifted X70, Proton also confirmed yesterday that its first plug-in hybrid model will be launched next year, around the same time as its first battery electric vehicle. While a PHEV has been bandied about by the national carmaker for a while, this is the first time it has given a timeline for the car’s introduction.
No details as yet, but given that we’re only about a year out from the launch, we can speculate that it will likely be based on an existing Geely model. This will almost certainly be powered by the NordThor BHE15 Plus plug-in hybrid system, centred around a 163 PS/255 Nm 1.5 litre turbocharged Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine.
This is paired with a 145 PS/338 Nm electric motor and a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) to provide up to 390 PS and 535 Nm of torque. A variety of battery sizes are fitted depending on the model and variant, offering a pure electric range of up to 90 km.

The NordThor PHEV powertrain is fitted to a number of models in China, including the Galaxy L7. This is the plug-in version of the latest Boyue L, based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) – meaning it could be offered in Malaysia as the next-generation X70. Given that the facelifted first-gen model is due to be launched this year, however, such a car should be marketed under a different nameplate.
Proton’s focus on profitable SUV models means the L7 is the most likely option, but it also has a sedan sibling called the L6. Unlike the S..

Dalam satu taklimat media di Tanjung Malim berkaitan prestasi kawalan kualitinya hari ini, Proton turut memaklumkan yang model SUV X70 facelift akan dilancarkan dalam tahun ini. Sebelum ini, tidak ada pengesahan rasmi dilakukan berkaitan berita […]
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Proton held a media briefing regarding its quality control performance at its Tanjung Malim plant today. As part of the presentation, the national carmaker publicly confirmed the presence of the facelifted X70 for the first time, the refreshed SUV set to be launched sometime this year.
Little has been made known about the new X70, but the company has stated that the car will be offered with Level 2 semi-autonomous driving for the first time, joining the X50, X90 and S70. But wait, doesn’t the X70 already have adaptive cruise control? Yes, but it only functions above 30 km/h (no stop and go), and the car also doesn’t come with lane centring assist, only lane departure warning.
The X50, X90 and S70, on the other hand, come with Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), which combines ACC with stop and go and lane centring. This is almost certainly the system that will come with the facelift, along with lane keep assist.

We know that the new X70 will receive updates from the facelifted first-generation Boyue, thanks to previous spyshots. The changes include slimmer reflector LED headlights, a five-point grille (likely with the new “songket” studded mesh from the X90), a re-profiled front bumper and a new five-spoke design for the range-topping 19-inch alloy wheels. One new bit that the Boyue doesn’t get is a revised rear bumper design with horizontal reflectors.
Inside, the new X70 retains the same gently-undulating, Hangzhou Bay Bridge-inspired dashboard design as the original, losing..

Proton hari ini mengumumkan bahawa ia telah membuka fasiliti penyelidikan dan pembangunan (R&D) baharunya yang terletak di Institut Penyelidikan Automobil Geely (GRI) di Teluk Hangzhou, China. Menurut Proton dalam kenyataan yang dikeluarkan, pembukaan fasiliti tersebut […]
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Proton has opened its new R&D centre in China as part of its collaborative efforts with business partner Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely). The new facility, which is located within the Geely Automobile Research Institute at Hangzhou Bay, will complement Proton’s existing R&D facilities in Malaysia.
In an official release, the company said its R&D centre in China will strengthen its ability to conceptualise, design, develop and manufacture new vehicles by combining its in-house competencies with the resources and know-how that Geely can offer.
“Aspiring to mirror the success story of China Euro Vehicle Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, this latest development moves Proton’s R&D facilities in Malaysia closer to becoming the sixth in the Geely Group’s global network of R&D centres,” read the release.

The new facility will have a workforce of 50 employees and covers top-hat and platform integration for internal combustion engine (ICE) and future electric vehicle (EV) models. This also includes the upgrading of Proton’s homegrown models, which are presumably the Saga, Persona and Iriz, as covered in a previous report.
In addition to vehicle development, Proton’s R&D centre in China will also serve as a platform to engage with vendors for the continuous development of the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley in Tanjong Malim, Perak, including focusing on full business life cycle areas such as quality, procurement, and manufacturing.
The new centre ..

Also shown at the Geely stand at Auto China 2024 is the Galaxy L7 plug-in hybrid. Launched in China last June, it’s based on the latest Boyue L SUV and thus offers a glimpse of what a next-generation Proton X70 might look like.
Galaxy is Geely’s new energy sub-brand, and the L7 utilises the NordThor BHE15 Plus plug-in hybrid system, centred around a 163 PS/255 Nm 1.5 litre turbocharged Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine. This is paired with a 145 PS/338 Nm electric motor and a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) to provide a total system output of 390 PS and 535 Nm of torque.
Juicing the motor is an Aegis battery with a capacity of either 9.1 and 18.7 kWh, resulting in an all-electric range of 43 and 90 km respectively on the WLTP cycle. Fuel consumption is rated at 2.35 litres per 100 km – or 1.3 l/100 km with the larger battery – and even with the battery exhausted, this figure only rises to a still-impressive 5.23 l/100 km. With DC fast charging support, it takes half an hour to charge the battery from 30 to 80%.

The L7 shares the Boyue L’s general proportions, silhouette, doors and angular wheel arches, but receives unique front and rear treatments. These incorporate split headlights with a full-width upper light bar, the Galaxy line’s trademark grille-less front end with the rectangular six-section badge, horizontal full-width taillights and a sportier rear bumper design with a large diffuser.
Inside, you get the Boyue’s ..

Ada sesiapa yang tertunggu-tunggu bila sebenarnya model edisi terhad HotWheels Proton Saga akan mula dijual? HotWheels Malaysia baru sahaja memberitahu kami sebentar tadi bahawa anda boleh mula untuk membeli model ini di gedung-gedung beli-belah utama, […]
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Proton dan juga Hot Wheels Malaysia sudahpun membuat hantaran di laman Facebook rasmi masing-masing bagi mengumumkan bahawa model edisi terhad untuk Hot Wheels Proton Saga bakal dijual dalam pasaran tidak lama lagi. Model berkenaan masih […]
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