KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd's all-new S70, a C segment sedan and Malaysia's answer to Honda Civic, can be a threat to the B segment models, according to motoring specialists.
The national carmaker took the drape off the S70 during a line-off ceremony at its Tanjung Malim plant in Perak today.
The S70 is the first all-new addition to Proton's sedan line-up in seven years since the launch of the Persona in August 2016.
"Even if this S70 is a C segment car, its selling price will likely affect the B segment sedans like Toyota Vios, Nissan Almera and Honda City," said seasoned motoring writer Daniel Sherman Fernandez, who runs www.dsf.my.
"This will push the Japanese brands' selling prices down and they might be forced to cut production corners to stay competitively priced against the S70," he added.
Proton chief executive officer Dr Li Chunrong said all its outlets would immediately begin accepting bookings for the S70 with a fee of RM500.
Aside from the model's official name, the tagline for the S70 was announced as "Intelligence that Evolves".
"The S70 marks a new chapter for Proton as we return to the family sedan market with a model that is the next step in the evolution of our offerings.
"Endowed with intelligent safety technology, connectivity and a 1.5L turbocharged engine with dual clutch transmission, we have high hopes it will prove to be popular with current and new Proton fans and help return us to the top of a market segment that was previously led by models such as the Proton Wira, Waja and Prevé," said Li.
Following in the footsteps of the X70, X50 and mild hybrid X90, the S70 will be the fourth all-new Proton model to be jointly developed together with Geely.
It is also the second all-new model to beoffered in 2023.
Prior to its launch, customer previews will be held in several major state capitals from Nov 11 to allow the public an up close and personal viewing of the model.
"Today's line-off ceremony is another important step for Proton in our efforts with DRB-HICOM Bhd and Geely toestablish Tanjung Malim and the Automotive High Tech Valley as a national automotive hub," Li said.
He added that since 2019, the company had invested more than RM1.8 billion in upgrading the facilities here by building a new engine assembly line, a new stamping shop, as well as new assembly lines.
"This bodes well for the company's future as we look to grow our range of offerings to include more new energy vehicles and eventually, electricvehicles as well," he said.