Geely’s latest
product is a massive three-row SUV called the Haoyue, and it rivals the Hyundai
Santa Fe, Mazda CX-8, and even the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. Besides being
sold in China, the Haoyue will be sold in markets such as Europe, but the
rumour mill suggests that Geely’s flagship SUV (also its largest) will be sold
in ASEAN countries as well. Such prospects invite great curiosity and
anticipation, so Theophilus Chin quickly got to work and gave us an impression
of what the SUV will look like as a Proton.
The renderings are pretty convincing,
featuring Proton’s infinite weave grille, as well as the latest roundel on the
grille and wheel caps. At the back, the tailgate gets the Proton script positioned
below the chrome trim – on the Haoyue, the Geely script is pressed into the
chrome piece itself. Aside from the new red paint, everything else remains as
per the actual SUV. For features, it gets LED headlights with L-shaped LED DRLs
(matrix LEDs with swivelling function are optional), LED fog lamps, 18-inch
alloys, LED tail lights, roof rails, and a huge panoramic glass roof.
Moving inside, the spacious SUV follows
Honda’s “man maximum, machine minimum” philosophy, offering up to 2,370 litres
of cargo space (seats folded down) for customers who opt for the five-seater
version. The seven-seater model is pretty cavernous as well, with 2,050 litres
of space when the second and third row seats are stowed. There’s also a
tablet-sized touchscreen head unit, four-zone climate control, and second row
air vents.
The Haoyue has turbocharged engines. Base models are powered by a 1.5 litre three-cylinder
petrol, delivering 174 hp and 255 Nm of torque, while the larger 1.8 litre
four-potter churns 181 hp and 300 Nm of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch
automatic will be offered for most variant.
