Proton markets its vehicles as ‘affordable luxury’, offering class-leading technology, safety and warrantiesSupplied
Malaysian carmaker Proton is returning to our shores after a decade-long hiatus. Its first shipment of vehicles, set to go on sale in September 2022, has been offloaded at Durban harbour. Combined Motor Holdings , the company that reintroduced Volvo brands to SA in the 90s.Proton previously sold a range of vehicles in SA — including the Satria Neo, Saga, Savvy, Gen-2, Persona and Arena bakkie — but quit the country in 2012.
The brand returns under new ownership after being purchased in 2017 by Chinese automaker Geely, which also owns Volvo and Lotus, and is a significant shareholder of Mercedes-Benz. The Malaysian company will offer local customers two SUVS: the X50 and X70. Both are powered by a 1.5three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine tuned to deliver 110kW and 226Nm in the former and 130kW and 255Nm in the latter. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is standard in both. While the X50 is available only with front-wheel drive, the larger X70 can be had with the option of all-wheel drive.