Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had the opportunity to sample Proton’s first ever SUV in right-hand drive guise earlier as shared on his official Facebook page. After the test drive, the premier said he was pleasantly surprised by the new SUV as reported by The Malaysian Insight.
Tun Mahathir said in a press conference: “I was testing the car. It was very good. The quality is very high and I think it is a good car for the market.”. The yet-to-be-named Proton SUV will be based on the Geely Boyue that have received positive response in its home market, China.
The seventh Prime Minister also met with several Geely representatives including its Chairman, Li Shufu to discuss the future of the national carmaker.
Tun Mahathir said: “Proton may be managed by Geely, but we want Malaysians to participate in the supply. Malaysian manufacturers should participate in the process.”. Initial batches of the Proton SUV will be fully imported from China while local assembly operations will only commence in 2019 at Proton’s Tanjung Malim manufacturing plant.
Proton is expected to launch the SUV in September or October while the public will be able to get a first taste of the SUV as soon as July. Key features on the new SUV include five-twin-spoke alloy wheels, 360-degree camera, camera/radar for the autonomous emergency braking and a panoramic sunroof.
IMAGE GALLERY
Tun Dr Mahathir Test Drives the RHD Proton SUV
Geely Boyue Preview in Malaysia
