In 2017, the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which also owns Volvo and Lotus, bought a 49.9% stake in the Proton company. Subsequently, the Malaysian company has developed two new models, namely the X70 and X50, both of which have become available in South Africa towards the end of 2022.
The Proton X50 is the more compact of the two and, at the time of writing this article, is available in no less than four trim levels, namely, Standard, Luxury, Executive and Premium in ascending order. Now if you are planning to get an Instant Offer on your current vehicle and search for a new or used Proton X50 model on AutoTrader, here are the top three things you should know about the Malaysian model.
Related: Proton X50 1.5T Premium (2022) Review
1. Safety
As the expression goes, safety first, and this seems to be the case too when one looks at the safety credentials of the Proton X50. In fact, the model has scored an impressive 5 stars in the ASEAN NCAP safety testing. Safety equipment that can be expected as standard across all the derivatives includes; ABS brakes with Emergency Brake Assist, traction control and stability control, as well as hill-start assist and hill descent control. The Standard and Luxury trims come with four airbags whereas the Executive and Premium guises are fitted with six airbags.
2. Performance
| Proton X50 1.5T Standard | Proton X50 1.5T Luxury | Proton X50 1.5T Executive | Proton X50 1.5T Premium | |
| Engine | 1.5-litre, turbocharged, 3-cylinder, petrol | 1.5-litre, turbocharged, 3-cylinder, petrol | 1.5-litre, turbocharged, 3-cylinder, petrol | 1.5-litre, turbocharged, 3-cylinder, petrol |
| Transmission | 7-speed, automated dual-clutch | 7-speed, automated dual-clutch | 7-speed, automated dual-clutch | 7-speed, automated dual-clutch |
| Power | 110 kW | 110 kW | 110 kW | 130 kW |
| Torque | 226 Nm | 226 Nm | 226 Nm | 255 Nm |
| Claimed average fuel consumption | 6.5 L / 100 km | 6.5 L / 100 km | 6.5 L / 100 km | 6.4 L / 100 km |
*The information listed above was correct at the time of writing this article, however, can change at any moment and without notice.
3. Price
All variants of the Proton X50 are sold with a 5-year / unlimited-kilometre warranty as well as a 5-year / 80 000km service plan.
| Proton X50 1.5T Standard | from R 449 900 |
| Proton X50 1.5T Luxury | from R 499 900 |
| Proton X50 1.5T Executive | from R 535 900 |
| Proton X50 1.5T Premium | from R 579 900 |
*The pricing indicated in this table was correct at the time of writing but can change at any moment and without notice.
