Proton has revealed the pricing details for the R3 20th Anniversary Edition accessories package for the Proton X50. This exclusive package was unveiled at the MARii Autoshow 2023 earlier this year and is designed to commemorate two decades of the R3 brand, renowned for its contribution to Proton’s success in motorsports and the development of high-performance models.
The R3 20th Anniversary Edition accessories package includes a range of specially crafted enhancements for the Proton X50. Limited to just 200 packages, it adds a touch of sportiness and style to this popular SUV. The package components consist of:
Satin Black Vinyl Wrap: A unique wrap that adds a touch of sophistication to the Proton X50’s exterior.
R3 Aerokit: Comprising front, rear, and side skirts, this aerodynamic kit enhances the car’s dynamic appeal.
R3 Bonnet Stripe: A striking stripe that adds a sporty touch to the vehicle’s front end.
Sporty Rear Roof Spoiler: A distinctive spoiler to boost the X50’s sporty appearance.
R3 18” Lightweight Alloy Wheels: Specially designed alloy wheels that are both stylish and performance-oriented.
R3 Front Grille Logo: A badge on the front grille showcasing the R3 brand.
R3 Limited Edition Rear Tailgate Nameplate and Interior Dash Nameplate: Exclusive insignias that denote the package’s uniqueness.
R3 Headrest Embroidery: Customized embroidery on the driver and front passenger seats’ headrests.
R3 Carpet Mats: High-quality mats that provide both protection and style.
Proton Window Tint: Tinting for the vehicle’s windows.
This comprehensive package is available to buyers of the Proton X50 1.5 TGDi in Jet Grey and is priced at RM12,000, including fitting. Customers can order the R3 20th Anniversary Edition accessories package from any Proton outlet. Deliveries will commence from mid-November 2023 onwards.
Incorporating these enhancements into the Proton X50 allows enthusiasts to elevate their driving experience with style and flair. As Proton celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, it’s an ideal moment to recognise milestones such as the R3 brand’s enduring legacy. The R3 accessories package is a token of appreciation to the dedicated Proton fans who have supported the brand over the years. Proton expresses gratitude for its unwavering enthusiasm by offering this unique package developed exclusively for its popular SUV model.
Proton has set its sights on international market growth as a fundamental part of its long-term strategy. In 2022, the company witnessed a significant surge in volume, reaching 5,406 units and marking an impressive 79% increase compared to the previous year. Encouraged by this growth, Proton aimed to maintain a similar upward trajectory in 2023.
However, the year presented challenges due to external factors impacting global economies, affecting the company’s sales potential in several major export markets. Despite these obstacles, Proton has remained resolute in its ambition to expand its market reach beyond Malaysia. The company has been actively evaluating and exploring different countries for their market potential, while also steadily introducing products to existing markets.
Proton and smart Automobile inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) during the 2023 China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), an annual trade show fostering economic collaboration between China and ASEAN nations. This agreement follows the signing of a comparable document in 2022, marking 20 months since the initial agreement that designated Proton as the official distributor of smart vehicles in Malaysia and Thailand.
The initial Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) focused on assessing the possibility of Proton selling smart’s electric vehicle (EV) range in ASEAN. The latest agreement delves deeper, aiming to investigate the viability of locally assembling smart vehicles at Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant. This indicates a step towards potential local production and integration of smart cars within the ASEAN region.
smart Malaysia has made the official announcement of opening bookings for the smart #1. This announcement coincides with the signing of an enhanced Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between smart and Proton, which occurred in Nanning, China.
Prospective buyers can now reserve the smart #1 by placing a refundable RM1,000 booking fee through the Hello smartApp, marking the beginning of their smart car ownership journey. The first 501 pre-order customers will unlock exclusive #1 Early-Bird perks, including RM1,001 in charging credits via the Hello smart App upon delivery of their smart #1. These credits empower owners to enjoy a seamless charging experience, integrating with over 70% of available public charging locations.
We all remember the incident that got people questioning the quality of the X90. People thought the mild hybrid 48-volt battery was the cause of the fire. However, Proton has just released a statement.
Following a comprehensive investigation led by a team of product experts from Proton and Geely, an issue concerning the grounding connection to the X90’s body has been identified. This issue has the potential to cause overheating in the connecting area when a continuous large current flows through it, which, due to its proximity to soundproofing materials, could lead to a thermal incident.
To prioritise safety, Proton will be reaching out to all Proton X90 owners through its network of 3S/4S dealerships. Owners will be contacted individually to arrange for their vehicles to undergo inspection. If necessary, the service centres will take remedial action to address any potential thermal risks.
Owners have the option to contact the nearest 3S/4S service center to schedule an inspection or get more information by reaching out to Proton’s helpline at 1-800-88-8398.
Furthermore, Proton and its suppliers are implementing additional measures to enhance process control and incoming inspections on the Proton X90 production line.
It’s essential to note that the incident is not related to the mild hybrid (48v) battery used in the Proton X90. Proton emphasises its unwavering commitment to product quality and customer safety as its top priorities.
Proton has achieved another milestone by surpassing the 100,000-unit mark in sales for the fifth consecutive year. This milestone was reached in August, a month earlier than in the previous year. With 13,955 units delivered in the same month, the year-to-date (YTD) sales for 2023 now stand at 104,602 units, which is a significant increase of 19.6% or 17,121 units compared to the first eight months of the previous year.
In August, the total industry volume (TIV) is estimated to be at 74,200 units, giving Proton a market share projection of 18.8% for the month and a YTD market share figure of 20.8%. The company’s volume growth outpaces the TIV, which is estimated to be at 12.2% for 2023.
Proton continued its impressive sales trend in July with 13,326 (domestic + export) units sold, building on a solid first half of 2023. The amount represents a 16.1% rise over July 2022 and contributes to year-to-date (YTD) sales of 90,647 units, the company’s first breach of the 90,000-unit threshold since 2012 and a 26.6% increase over the prior year. Market share for July is anticipated to be 20.5%, bringing the year-to-date market share to 21%.
The success of Proton is set against a background of rising vehicle sales, with total industry volume (TIV) for July predicted to reach 64,864 units. This raises the monthly total by 29.9% over the corresponding month in 2022 and raises the year total by 12.9%. As a result, Proton’s sales performance through July of this year had been 14% better than the industry average.
Pro-Net, a subsidiary of Proton, has just introduced the smart #1 into the electric vehicle (EV) market in Malaysia. The all-electric compact SUV, which is a touch bigger than the smart ForFour, is the result of a partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Geely.
The smart #1 actually made its global debut in April 2022 where during the second half of 2022, China, Europe, and the UK were some of the first places to receive it.
Prior to its launch here in Malaysia, we had the opportunity to actually test it out. The right-hand drive Premium, left-hand drive Premium (China spec) and the Brabus variant.
The design of the smart #1, which is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely. It was designed by the Germans and is built on Geely’s modular Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA), which also serves as the foundation for vehicles like the Lotus Eletre, Volvo EX30, and Zeekr 001.
The smart #1 will only be available as a rear-wheel-drive model, with a single motor generating 272PS and 343Nm of torque. It does 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds and has a driving range of 440km WLTP cycle. There are three available drive modes: eco, comfort and sport. However, these are the Premium variant specs.
The Brabus variant, on the other hand, puts out 428PS and 584Nm of torque. It does 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds! It has dual motors providing a four-wheel drive configuration. However, due to it having this much power, the driving range is reduced to 400km. There are four available drive modes: eco, comfort, sport and Brabus. Both variants are limited to a top speed of 180km/h.
Another feature included in the Brabus trim is the engine imitation sound that plays through the speakers. A Brabus engine sound and a V8 engine sound.
In addition, the Brabus variant has three additional trims to choose from: Pure+, Pro+ and Premium+.
It features a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 66kWh. The 10%-80% charge time is three hours with 22kW AC charging and less than 30 minutes with 150kW DC charging.
The exterior of the smart #1 Premium variant features an active grille shutter, flat-faced 19-inch wheels, and frameless doors and has a drag coefficient of just 0.29.
The Brabus trim, however, gets twin nostrils as a styling element, a sportier front bumper, an aggressive grille, a rear spoiler, 19-inch dynamo-styled alloy wheels and a two-tone paint scheme with red accents.
The central infotainment screen, which is 12.8 inches in size regardless of which variant you choose, controls almost everything. It features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8155 chipset, a CPU and chipset designed for the gaming industry, and its home screen is filled with graphics and information.
Unlike the variants available in China, we get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Many important features of the system are hidden in submenus; for example, turning off the system’s excessively loud fake engine noise will lead you deep into the system, while adjusting your mirrors requires tapping the screen and then repeatedly pressing the buttons on the steering wheel.
It also has a 9.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a ten-inch heads-up display, a panoramic glass roof and 13-speaker Beats sound system.
The majority of the materials are soft to the touch, especially the Alcantara swaths in the Brabus model. Also, note that Smart chose a combination of real and synthetic leather and not vegan alternatives here.
The Brabus gets a little extra on the interior as well with a black-themed interior, Alcantara/leather-wrapped steering wheel, microfiber suede seats, headrests with the Brabus logo in red stitching and alloy pedals. The booth space measures in at 323L but can be expanded to 986L while the frunk has a 15L available space.
Another neat little feature is that the front grille lights up and will follow the beat of the music that is playing in the car at the time.
The smart #1 has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. The safety features include:
Seven airbags
Full complement of driver assistance features
Autonomous emergency braking
Adaptive Cruise Control with stop and go
Lane centring assist
Lane change assist
Lane keep assist
Blind spot monitoring
Keshy’s Driving Notes: On top of the preview session that Timothy just touched on, we also got to drive the smart #1 around the Proton test track at the Centre of Excellence in Shah Alam.
Simply put, the #1 drives like any other EV, it is silent, power delivery is instantaneous and there’s pretty much nothing that truly makes it stand out from the rest.
Except for the fact that the #1 has a steering feel that I really like.
EV’s tend to feel dull and disconnect the driver from what happens at ground level with the tyres. But in the #1, there’s a good feel for what the tyres were doing, and the steering wheel feels chatty. And this gave me the confidence I needed to barge into the oval track (which goes up to a 20 degree banking, NASCAR like) at about 110-120km/h.
I have to say that this is one of the my favourite EV’s at the moment, but not only from a driving perspective.
But before I tell you about what else I like about the #1, I have to say that the Brabus model feels like a proper rocket. But that artificial sound it makes is a little too fake, and too loud. So loud, that it reaches a point where it started to hurt my ear drums. And I wasn’t the only one complaining about it. Good thing that it can be turned off.
So onto what I like about it. I like it’s size.
I believe EV’s should be small because EV’s are meant to be practical urban commuters. And the #1 is exactly that. It is perfectly sized. Slightly bigger than a MINI, perhaps about the size of a Countryman. Inside, there’s a lot of hints of Mercedes-Benz, such as the buttons, but we are not allowed to tell you much about the interior due to an ongoing embargo.
So if you are considering an EV, I would tell you to wait until smart Malaysia introduces the pricing because the #1 could just be the EV for you. It is for me at least.
Proton has established formal strategic alliances with three reputable E-Bidding Companies (EBC) to improve the way that trade-in vehicles are disposed of for customers. The company is certain it has made great progress towards providing a quicker and more effective means for clients to own new cars by working with EBCs myTukar, MUV, and Carsome.
It has become clear that customers need a better option to trade in and get rid of their old cars as sales volume keeps increasing. Customers may expect a variety of advantages from these collaborations, including improved convenience, reliability, competitive trade-in values, pricing transparency, safe payment and ownership transfer, daily auctions, quicker disposal, and thorough inspections.
Customers will be able to send their vehicles for auction through an easy-to-use online portal thanks to Proton’s relationship with EBCs. Customers might save time and effort by not having to visit numerous dealerships or haggle with potential buyers as a result.
Customers will be able to earn competitive trade-in values for their cars through an honest and open auction system. Consumers receive a flawless experience thanks to the clear pricing approach, which guarantees that consumers can make knowledgeable decisions during the trade-in process. The payment and ownership transfer processes are also accelerated to reduce any potential delays or issues.
Proton achieved a productive first half of 2023 by attaining its highest overall sales figures since 2012. With 14,351 units sold in June (domestic + export), total sales have reached 77,321 units, an increase of 28.6% over the same month last year and more than three times faster than the industry’s overall sales growth.
Total industry volume (TIV) is predicted to be 61,900 units in June, translating to a market share for Proton of 23.2%. Year-to-date market share has climbed once more to 21.3%, an increase of 3.2% over the same period in 2022.
