KUALA LUMPUR:The Proton X50 model, highly anticipated among Malaysians, was finally launched on Tuesday through the official Facebook page of Proton Holdings Bhd (Proton).<br /> <br /> The country's car manufacturer announced that the compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) will be offered at a starting price of RM79,200 for the most basic variant.<br /> <br /> There are four variants in the SUV segment with the Standard variant being offered at an uninsured road price of RM79,200, while the Executive RM84,800, Premium RM93,200 while the highest Flagship variant starts at RM103,300.<br /> <br /> According to Proton, the model comes with six colour options, namely snow white, silver, jet gray, ocean blue, passion red and citric orange. However, not all the colours are available for all the variants.<br /> <br /> The engine developed by Zhejiang Geely Holdings Group Co Ltd (Geely) and Volvo Cars is powered by a 1.5-liter turbo engine while the Flagship variant is powered by a 1.5-liter TGDI engine and paired with a 7-speed DCT transmission.<br /> <br /> For safety features, it is equipped with up to six airbags, countdown cameras, 360-degree cameras for Premium and Flagship variants as well as advanced driver assistance system offered for Flagship variants only.<br /> <br /> The Proton X50 also received a five-star rating by ASEAN NCAP.<br /> <br /> The model also comes with a touch screen size ranging from eight to 10.25 inches according to the variant and can be connected to the internet using eSim.<br /> <br /> Among the other exciting new features offered is that users can turn on the engine and air conditioning on their smartphones using the PROTON Link application.<br /> <br /> As is the case with recent Proton model launches, the PROTON X50 comes with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty and a 5-year data package providing 1GB of free data each month.<br /> <br /> “The amount of public interest for the PROTON X50 has been unprecedented, especially during a year that has been affected by external factors. We received inquiries from as far back as a year ago and thanks to frequent updates in the media the level of expectation amongst Malaysian car buyers is high. The onus is therefore on PROTON to keep waiting times manageable and to deliver a product that meets the technology, performance and quality expectations of our customers,” says Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Proton Edar.<br /> <br /> Order books officially opened on 16 September 2020, and to date more than 20,000 bookings have been placed, Roslan adds.<br /> <br /> Here are the on-the-road (OTR) prices for the PROTON X50 inclusive of the PENJANA sales tax subsidy:<br /> <br /> PROTON X50 Standard RM 79,200 (Peninsular Malaysia), RM 81,200 (East Malaysia)<br /> PROTON X50 Executive RM 84,800 (Peninsular Malaysia), RM 86,800 (East Malaysia)<br /> PROTON X50 Premium RM 93,200 (Peninsular Malaysia), RM 95,200 (East Malaysia)<br /> PROTON X50 Flagship RM 103,300 (Peninsular Malaysia), RM 105,300 (East Malaysia)