Being the first model produced after the merger with China-based Zhejiang Geely Holding Group through the acquisition of a 49.9% stake in Proton by Geely, the X70 sparked huge interest among car buyers across the country when it first came out and has continued to do so.
At a much more affordable price compared to other sports-utility vehicle (SUV) brands in the country, Proton deputy chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said the X70 has brought confidence back to the Proton brand.
“The X70 was one of the models available in Geely and it matched the D-segment car at a reasonable price; for me, it is a bit unfortunate that people expect cheaper prices from Proton, but that has been the public perception since Proton started in 1985,” he told Bernama.
With the Proton X70 at its fourth launch anniversary today, Roslan said the national carmaker has been able to put up a price tag that is acceptable for customers in Malaysia.
“This model was among the bestselling in China at that time. The total number (of X70 units sold) was about 600,000 units from 2016-2018.
“When we brought our dealers to China for the X70 model, their confidence towards Proton returned as this was a rising model.”
The return of customers due to the X70 boosted Proton’s sales figures, which exceeded the 100,000 mark in 2019 compared to 64,744 units sold in the previous year.
Sales have continued on an upward trajectory since then, with Proton recording 109,716 vehicles in 2020, and 114,708 in 2021.
