With an initial proposed target of 4,000 units, the Proton product planning department will now be scrambling to get their parts suppliers and their partner in China to work overtime to produce enough parts to assemble much more than 4,000 units of the just launched Proton X50 crossover to deliver to waiting customers.
With social media buzzing about this X50 crossover for over a year, it is clear that some 10,000 Malaysians have been waiting patiently for this vehicle to be launched. Meanwhile we are wondering why immediate rival Perodua has delayed its compact crossover launch, the DL55 which was planned for 2020. The Perodua DL55 is a direct rival to the X50 and comes with all the right elements to give the X50 a tough fight in this fast growing segment.
The Perodua DL55 is based on the Toyota Raize which has been having runaway sales success in Japan since its launch in November 2019. It comes with a 1.0L Turbocharged DOHC 3-cylinder engine that delivers 97 horsepower and 140 Nm of torque driven by a CVT. With a 3,995mm length, 1,695mm width and 1,620 height it is just a smidgen smaller than the X50’s 4,330 length, 1,800 width and 1,609 height.
UMW Toyota has no plans to launch this compact Toyota here in Malaysia and this is why Perodua will be able to launch it here with added Malaysian only features.
The estimated selling price of the Perodua DL55 (also badged as the Daihatsu Rocky in Japan and pictured above) sits at between an estimated RM70,000 and RM77,000 and this is a smidgen lower than the estimated selling price of the Proton X50. Yes, the selling price of the Proton X50 has not yet been revealed by Proton management and already here are more than 10,000 bookings. There is also no official test drive review as the many Malaysian motoring media has only been allowed to touch, photograph and video the Proton X50.
The revival of the Proton brand and its renewed image is right on track to becoming a profitable car manufacturer and the Ministry Of International Trade and Industry (MITI) loan will soon be easily fully paid up by Proton and its partner Geely.
The only pending issue at Proton right now is after sales and parts availability which seems to be a growing issue with new Proton models. Being a locally made car, why are there issues with spare parts? The reasons shared with us starts with the Covid-19 lockdown globally and the closure of many factories that produce these parts. Then there is the supply of raw materials for the parts and the restrictions by some governments of the movement of cargo ships between countries even till today.
Meanwhile, Proton management and dealers are celebrating their success and rival car manufacturers with factories and multiple showrooms in Malaysia are seeing a drop in demand for their competing vehicles as the estimated selling prices for this Proton X50 models range from RM80,000 to RM92,000.
