The upcoming new sedan model from Proton, widely dubbed the ‘S50‘ has been sighted in public once again, this time with a unit having stopped to refuel at a station as shown in a video clip on TikTok.
Proton CEO Dr Li Chunrong said in early September that the S50 will be launched “in two months time”, which could mean early November at its soonest.
The S50 has been referred to internally as the SS11, referencing the Geely Emgrand, and this will be a B-segment sedan that will compete with the likes of the Toyota Vios and the Honda City. That said, the Emgrand-based S50 will be larger car externally, given that it measures 4,638 mm long, 1,820 mm wide and 1,460 mm tall, making it larger than the latest-generation Vios.
With Emgrand as a reference, the sedan sold overseas can be specified with a 114 PS/147 Nm 1.5 litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, paired to either a five-speed manual or a CVT in China. Given its BMA platform shared with the Proton X50, the S50 could also use the 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine in the B-segment SUV.
There will be no Android Auto nor Apple CarPlay, however, and the X50 will instead use an improved version of the infotainment head unit (IHU). Proton is still looking into Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, said deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah in July, “but the team is looking into the opportunity,” he said.
In terms of pricing of its Japanese rivals, the Toyota Vios starts from RM90k and goes to RM95k, while the Honda City that includes a hybrid variant at the top is priced from RM85k to RM110k.
With the Proton X50 priced between RM86k an RM113k, we think the upcoming S50 could be priced between RM70k – where the Preve was priced – and RM85k to get below the base X50 variant. How much do you think the Proton S50 will be priced?
@thisisfarelll jalan2 terserempak #protons50 ♬ original sound – thisisFARELL
The post Proton S50 seen again on test; debut in November? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
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