Proton is working on a new sedan model, at least according to these photos of a camouflaged sedan recently spotted by paultan.org reader Darren Lee. The vehicle in question is wearing a rather familiar trade plate, as “B 4155 A” was also used by the national carmaker for the Ertiga as well as the X70 in the past. The idea of a Proton coming up with a new sedan isn’t new. Popularly referred to as the S50, the model is widely tipped to be based on the fourth-generation Geely Emgrand that has already been launched in China and made its way to the Philippines in February this year.
Frequently reported as a successor to the
now departed Preve, the S50 would occupy the C-segment sedan section of
Proton’s line-up, giving customers an option for something larger than the
B-segment Persona that isn’t an SUV. The camouflaged vehicle does appear to
resemble the Emgrand, with notable cues being the high C-pillars and gently
raked rear window. The Binrui was previously claimed to be the base for the
S50, although that sedan has a more swoopy roofline that isn’t evident in the
photos. It remains to be seen if Proton will make significant design changes
for its take on the Emgrand.
In terms of dimensions, the Emgrand
measures 4,638 mm long, 1,820 mm wide and 1,460 mm tall. Compared to the Preve,
the Geely sedan is longer (+95 mm) and wider (+34 mm), but it shares the same
wheelbase of 2,650 mm. As an additional comparison, the current Persona is
4,366 mm long, 1,722 mm wide, 1,564 mm tall and has a wheelbase spanning 2,555
mm. In China, the Emgrand is equipped with a 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated
four-cylinder petrol engine that serves up 114 PS and 147 Nm of
torque, with a five-speed manual or CVT sending drive to the front wheels. The
Philippines model uses the same powertrain, but its engine is detuned to make
102 PS and 142 Nm.
As the Emgrand is built on the same BMA
(B-segment Modular Architecture) platform as the X50, the resulting S50, if
Proton does make it, could also receive a 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder
engine. The carmaker already makes the 1.5L TGDi here and said it can make
other variants of the mill, including the port-injected (PFI) variant for
future models. For now, we’ll have to wait for Proton to reveal more
information. The company has quite a lot on its plate currently, as it not only
has a massive order bank to fulfill but also work on a seven-seat SUV that the
public is referring to as the X90.
