Good news for Proton sales-people and not so good news for the Volvo salespeople.
This may come as a surprise for many of you reading this and for some others this might just be the decision to save yourself RM152,000.
Yes, the selling price difference between the fast selling Proton X50 Flagship crossover and the just launched Volvo XC40 Recharge (Please note that the Volvo XC40 T5 R-Design was launched in October 2018) might be far different and we should not even be comparing a premium brand like Volvo with a middle class brand like Proton, but there is a reason why.
In the past 2 years many Proton sales-people have been ‘using’ Volvo as a benchmark for selling the 2019 Proton X70 SUV and more recently the Proton X50 crossover.
This is not completely right and it is also NOT completely wrong.
Let us explain. In 2010 Geely bought over Volvo Car from Ford Motor Co for USD1.8 billion which is about quarter of what Ford paid for Volvo Cars years earlier. Then in May 2017 Geely bought 49.9 percent of Proton from DRB-HICOM Bhd as it struggled to stay in business. By December 2019, Proton was already above water and was about to see some profitability. Surprising as Proton reported a loss of RM481 million the year before. This turnaround was thanks to the Proton X70 which was a rebadged Geely Bo Yue SUV.
The Geely Bo Yue SUV (Proton X70) was developed by Geely some years before its rebadging by Proton with design and engineering input from the Volvo Cars team.
So, there are elements of a Volvo in it. Then came the Geely Bin Yue (Proton X50) which was rebadged to be the Proton X50. Now this new Geely has much more input from Volvo Cars.
Running with a brand new 1.5TD engine, this is a 1.5L three-cylinder turbocharged direct injection engine jointly developed by Geely Auto and Volvo Cars to become the leading engine in the industry. It is also compatible with hybrid powertrains (just like with the new Volvo XC40 Recharge) and made to fit in the world-class compact modular architecture CMA also co-developed by Geely and Volvo as well as Geely Auto’s other modular architectures.
This highly efficient engine meets the CN/Euro 6 emission standards while putting out a 132KW of power (177bhp) with 265Nm of torque. It is used throughout Geely Auto’s product line as well as in LYNK & CO and Volvo’s CMA-based models.
Working with the above engine is a 7DCT which is Geely’s world-class 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Developed to set a new standard for transmissions in the industry, the 7DCT offers fast and accurate shift response along with high efficiency. With an input torque of 330Nm, it combines the advantages of manual and automatic transmissions, low fuel consumption, and uninterrupted lightning-quick 0.3 seconds response time.
Coming in at 75kg, it is even setting a new standard in weight when ordinary 6-speed automatic transmissions weighs an average of 98kg. Hybrid versions of the transmission are also available which is used in the Volvo XC40 Recharge PHEV that is now on sale in Malaysia.
The specifications for both the Volvo XC40 Recharge and the Proton X50 Flagship are below for your consideration.
Volvo XC40 PHEV RECHARGE Specifications
Engine: 12V 3-cylinder, turbocharged, petrol +electric motor
Capacity: 1477cc
Power: 178hp @ 5800rpm
Torque: 265Nm @ 1500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed Dual-Clutch
0-100 km/h: 7.3 seconds
Top Speed: 180km/h (Controlled)
Price: RM255,888.
Proton X50 Flagship Specifications
Engine: 12V 3-Cylinder Turbo VVT
Capacity: 1477cc
Power: 177bhp @ 5500rpm
Torque: 255Nm @ 1500-4000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed wet dual-clutch
0-100km/h: 7.9secs
Top speed: 200km/h as tested
Price: RM103,300
