The report stated that Proton has been overwhelmed with the firing success of the X50 SUV in the Malaysian market and has plans in place to export more units of the SUV to cater to the rising demand in the country.
By Shamraiz Khalid
The SUV market in Pakistan is expanding like a hot air balloon with various new and old players bringing their own variants. One of the automobile companies, Proton is bringing the widely popular X50 SUV in Pakistan soon and the Malaysian automotive news platform, paultan.org has confirmed the speculation.
The report stated that Proton has been overwhelmed with the firing success of the X50 SUV in the Malaysian market and has plans in place to export more units of the SUV to cater to the rising demand in the country.
The report also mentioned that the X50 will eventually reach other markets and specific mention of ‘Pakistan’ was stated where the vehicle will be received for CKD development purposes. Although there was no mention of the exact date, but it was reported that the vehicle will join Saga and X70 in due time.
The Proton X50 SUV
The Proton X50 SUV is a sub-compact crossover SUV that is to compete against other vehicles in the same segment such as Honda HR-V (Vezel), Toyota C-HR, Nissan Juke, and other B segment crossovers in Pakistan.
The vehicle was introduced in the Malaysian market six months ago and Is offered in two engine options. The base model is a 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine that makes 148 HP and 225 Nm of torque. There higher variant has the more powerful 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine that makes 177 HP and 250 Nm of torque. The SUV is 2-wheel drive and power is transmitted only via a 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox.
Specifications And Features
Although it is an entry level cross-over SUV in the Malaysian market, the X50 is still loaded with superior features that makes it an ideal car with modern features. The top tier variant of the model has some fantastic features that have been listed in terms of Safety and Convenience:
Safety
- Six airbags
- Electronic stability control (ESC) and traction control
- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
- Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
- Brake Assist
- Hill hold assist
- Hill descent control
- 360-degree camera
- 8 parking sensors (4 upfront, 4 outback)
- Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)
- Auto high-beam control
- Auto Park Assist
- Tire pressure monitoring system
Convenience
- Keyless entry and go
- Remote engine start
- Rear AC vents
- 25-inch touch-sensitive smart infotainment screen.
- Voice command, navigation, online weather forecast/ Joox music streaming
- 4G and WiFi, smartphone and Bluetooth connectivity
- 6-speaker premium sound system.
- Three USB ports (one data, two charging)
- N95 cabin filter
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel with function control switches
- Six-way powered driver’s seat
- 0-inch digital instrument display
- Side mirror-mounted puddle lamps
- Panoramic sunroof
Predicted Price When Introduced In Pakistan
The X50 has been launched in Malaysia in four variants. The Standard variants costs 79,200 Malaysian Ringgit (3.1 million PKR). The Executive variant costs RM 84,800 (3.3 million PKR) and the Premium variant costs RM 93,200 (3.6 million PKR). The highest variant which is the flagship variant costs around RM 103,300 (4.1 million PKR).
Obviously, Pakistanis would not get the same price but a bit higher keeping in mind the taxes and freight charges. But a high tech latest generation SUV is expected to be introduced in a market competitive price for it to be successful in Pakistan.
The current automobile market of Pakistan has faced a plethora of new crossover SUV introductions and it won’t be wrong to say that a crossover SUV buying customer has a huge variety to choose from. In such a competitive market, it is imperative that the Proton X50 SUV is not only introduced soon but also competes with others in terms of price and quality in order to hold its own.
Originally published at Bol news