Proton X70
The Proton X70 is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Malaysian car maker Proton. Marketed as a C-segment SUV, the car was launched on 12 December 2018, unveiled in a ceremony by then-prime minister and former Proton chairman Mahathir Mohamad. Being the first SUV released by Proton, it is conceived by rebadging the Geely Boyue, following the acquisition of Proton by Geely Automobile Holdings in 2017. The X70 is distinguishable from the Boyue by some design element differences and its right-hand drive configuration.
In the beginning, the X70 was fully imported from China, but since February 2020 the locally assembled version was made available with several notable mechanical changes.
Background
Pre-launch
On 24 May 2017, DRB-HICOM as the owner of Proton has reached an agreement with Geely for the Chinese carmaker to acquire a 49.9% equity stake in Proton. The acquisition and partnership was urgently needed, since at the time DRB-HICOM cites several problems which were Proton's lack of technological competitiveness, which it claimed could hamper its ability to develop quality products. Through the close partnership, Proton will have access to Geely's technologies to address the problem. In the same day, DRB-HICOM announced a plan to build a crossover SUV for Proton based on the Geely Boyue. The Boyue was picked as the first new product under the Geely ownership to compete in the booming SUV market, which Proton had no presence in.Being the first Geely-based product, the X70 does not share any components with any other Proton vehicle. Proton claimed that pricing the X70 competitively was a great challenge as it lacked parts commonality with other models, and yield smaller scale production relative to its left-hand drive Chinese counterpart.
In April 2018, Proton opened up an online poll to the public to vote on the name. Participants could choose between PX7, X7, X70 and X700 or voice in their own input. X70 was later announced as the chosen name for the SUV in September 2018. In June 2018, it was announced that the initial units were going to be fully imported from China with latter models being locally assembled at Proton's plant. The X70 was previewed at the 2018 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show.
Post-launch
The X70 was officially launched on 12 December 2018 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. In the launch ceremony, then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad presents the first X70 key to his wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali during the launch, a tribute to the original Proton Saga launch as the first Proton vehicle. She then proceeded to drive across the Penang bridge in a nod to the original Proton Saga.The X70 is available with four variants. Prior to the CKD version these were Standard 2WD, Executive 2WD, Executive AWD and Premium 2WD. All variants are powered by the same 1.8-litre turbocharged gasoline direct injection engine with the Geely Boyue, producing and paired to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
Local assembly of the X70 in Proton's Tanjung Malim plant commenced on 13 December 2019. In February 2020, the locally assembled version was launched with lowered pricing and a few major mechanical updates. The gearbox is now a 7-speed wet DCT, and the same 1.8-litre TGDI engine has its torque increased by . It is still available in four variants, however the top two variants had received a major revision. The Executive AWD trim has been discontinued due to low demand and in its place the Premium 2WD. The CKD Premium 2WD trim however excludes the panoramic sunroof previously included in the CBU version. The panoramic sunroof is instead reserved for the top-of-the-line Premium X 2WD; the only additional feature for this variant. Although identical in styling to the CBU, the CKD version is distinguishable by its use of Proton's new round logo. With the introduction of the CKD units, the CBU units were no longer being imported from China.
In August 2019, Proton introduced a special version of the car called the Proton X70 Merdeka Edition of which only 62 are available for sale to celebrate Malaysia's 62nd independence day on 31 August 2019. Only 2 colours were offered; Flame Red or Snow White.
The X70 was launched in Pakistan in December 2020. Initially, a fixed quota of the X70 has been planned to be imported from Malaysia. It is also expected that local assembly of Proton X70 will also start in Karachi in mid-2021.
In July 2021, Proton introduced a special version of the car called the Proton X70 Special Edition. Only 2 colours were offered; Ocean Blue and Ruby Red. Powertrains remained the same as the original X70.
In June 2022, the X70 received minor changes dubbed as MC giving the model some mild styling tweaks, revision of its line-up and a new engine option. Standard, Executive and Premium variants are powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine shared with the X50 while the range-topping variant also called Premium is powered by the same 1.8-litre turbocharged engine. AWD is only available on the Executive variant. The X70 is localized to almost 70% of its parts were made.
Facelift
On 2 August 2024, the Proton X70 has undergone a major facelift to refresh its aging design. The new look features a bold grille with Proton's Infinite Weave design and songket-inspired diamond pins seen on the X90 and S70, slimmer LED headlights, and a redesigned front bumper. The rear bumper has also been updated with horizontal reflectors and fake air outlets. The X70 now comes with new 19-inch or 18-inch two-tone wheels, depending on the variant.Inside, the X70 sports a new dashboard with a gloss black panel and 72-colour ambient lighting that changes with the music. It also introduces a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although these features will be available via a future update. The car’s hardware includes dual quad-core processors, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. USB ports have been updated to include both USB-A and USB-C options.
The facelifted X70 features new steering wheel design, Stone Grey Nappa leather upholstery, and updated digital meter panel graphics. The gear lever has a new design, and the car includes new semi-autonomous driving features like adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane centering assist, and traffic sign recognition.
The X70 retains its 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, producing 177 PS and 255 Nm of torque, and is paired with a revised seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Fuel economy is improved by 4% compared to the previous model. The previous 1.8-litre turbocharged Premium and Executive AWD variant were dropped from the facelift. The facelifted X70 is available in four variants—Standard, Executive, Premium, and Premium X—with a new Marine Blue colour option added, all powered by the same 1.5-litre turbocharged unit. Proton has updated 360 parts of the X70, which underwent 4.2 million km of testing.
Etymology
The "-70" suffix is correlated to it being a C-segment vehicle, similar to the Proton S70 while the "X" implies the vehicle being an SUV.Development
Compared to the Boyue, Proton said it had to reposition and realign several critical parts which include the dashboard assembly, pedals, steering console, door buttons, brakes, gearbox, headlights calibration, wiper orientation, air-conditioning ducts, glove box, and several cables and wires in order to convert it into a right-hand drive vehicle, as the Boyue was not developed to have an RHD version in mind. A total of 761 parts had to be changed to convert the Boyue into the right-hand drive X70, without counting the components that were completely re-engineered.The localisation process also involved several adjustments of the car to suit the tropical climate. Some rubber components and cooling parts had to be redesigned, while the engine management system had to be recalibrated to account for the rougher terrain and altitude. The X70 must be able to withstand Kuala Lumpur's standstill traffic at daily, drive up to the mountainous Genting Highlands at over where the air is thinner, as well as survive the treacherous landscape of East Malaysia. After all the changes, the X70 had to undergo a testing process that involved repeating around 25 percent of the 548 tests that was conducted in the development of the donor car, the Boyue.
Proton managed to reach 45 percent of local content for the X70 by the time production in Tanjung Malim began in late 2019. It was achieved by sourcing components from local suppliers, which some of them did not initially have the capability to produce several advanced components. Proton and Geely offered a solution by initiating a series of and technical assistance and joint ventures agreements with Geely suppliers in China. The company aims to increase the local component figure to around 53 percent by the end of 2020.
A total of 95 Proton engineers were said to be involved in the entire process of turning the Boyue into the X70, from research and development to the testing stages. These engineers, along with technicians from manufacturing and quality divisions, made up around a total 200 people the company sent to Geely within a span of six months to conceive the X70. Each of these individuals were claimed by the group has learned knowledge and experience from their counterparts at Geely, further enhancing Proton engineering expertise.
On 7 June 2022, a recall was made for CBU versions of the X70 to fix the cooling fan assembly made by Valeo under the chassis number L6T7742Z8KU043589.