During the historical announcement of Proton’s foreign strategic partner, the Chinese automaker has agreed to develop a new SUV model for Proton that’s based on the Boyue SUV. It’s currently Geely’s best-selling SUV to date.
For starters, the Geely Boyue was penned by Peter Horbury, Geely’s current head of design who was also a former design honcho for Volvo and Ford. It measures 4,519 mm long, 1,831 mm wide, and 1,694 mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,670 mm. 
The Boyue sold in China can be had with two engines, both of which are four-cylinder petrol engines. It begins with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine that makes 141 hp and 178 Nm of torque. A 1.8-litre turbocharged direct injection engine can also be had in two states of tunes: 163 hp and 250 Nm or 184hp and 285 Nm. Transmission options include a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. The all-wheel drive is reserved only for the most powerful Boyue variant, while the rest are front-wheel drive.
The Boyue scores high on the equipment list, where it gets adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera system and lane departure warning as part of its safety repertoire. It’s also the first Chinese carmaker to offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via the G-Netlink system. 
The Geely Boyue retails in China from 98,800 yuan to 157,800 yuan, which is roughly below RM100,000. So as it stands, it’s unclear if Proton’s first SUV model will be another rebadge exercise (Proton recently collaborated with Honda and Suzuki) or if it’s going to be an entirely new model with Geely’s platform. Time will tell.
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