The Exora is still selling strong but a replacement is much needed
Having been introduced back in 2009, the Proton Exora is getting seriously long in the tooth now. However, despite its age, the MPV continues to be in demand with a total of 536 units sold last month, making it the best-selling C-segment MPV in the country. But with the emergence of new, more exciting contenders such as the Perodua Aruz, Mitsubsihi Xpander and Toyota Avanza, a replacement is perhaps in order to ensure the national automaker can keep up with the pack.
There’s only one model that has been touted to form the basis of the next-generation Exora (dubbed the V70) and that’s none other than the Geely Jiaji. First launched in March 2019, the Jiaji is a rather sleek-looking people carrier that seats up to seven passengers. It is offered with four powertrain options in China, namely a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, a 1.5-litre turbo three-cylinder, a mild-hybrid and a PHEV.
Three years after its launch, the Jiaji is getting a facelift. The updated MPV was recently spotted without any camouflage somewhere in its home country, parked next to the outgoing version. As you can see, the new design is quite a huge departure from the current model, adopting a more aggressive grille and bumper design that are penned around Geely’s latest design language called Vision Starburst. The Jiaji will be the third model to feature the new design direction after the Boyue X and Emgrand L.
At the rear, the facelifted Jiaji gets a full-width taillight, which seems to be the trend in the automotive scene today, as well as a more sculpted bumper garnish and chrome exhaust finisher. The omission of the chrome garnish on the tailgate means the Geely script has to be repositioned on top of the light bar. Another change worth noting is the addition of the ‘L’ next to the Chinese character for ‘Jiaji’, which could mean that the facelifted model is longer than the outgoing version.
Whether that is the case or not, the Jiaji is pretty big, measuring 4,706 mm long, 1,909 mm wide and 1,690 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,805 mm. To compare, the Exora is 4,610 mm long, 1,809 mm wide and 1,691 mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,730 mm.
Inside, most of the changes are found on the centre console, which gets a much simpler design, bigger cupholders and a new gear knob that looks similar to that of the Binrui Cool. The rotary dial next to the cupholders has been omitted but other niceties such as the fully digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch central screen are retained.
Up to this point, Proton has not said anything about making the Jiaji the replacement of the Exora, even though the MPV was one of the three models (besides the Boyue and the Binyue) that Proton is licensed to manufacture and sell under an agreement signed back in 2018.
