Not Proton S50, but S70. This has now been definitively proven after the upcoming new sedan, carrying the S70 badge, was spotted completely bare. Check out the Porsche Cayenne camera car! Reader Ilyas Othman brought us a dashcam recording of the Proton S70, which you should get used to calling, during a video shoot.

Strangely enough, the model plate is lacking the crucial digit in both the front and the back, despite the fact that the insignia on the boot lid plainly states S70. Maybe Proton intends to add the number back in post-production, or maybe it's just a teaser to keep us wondering if it's the S50 or S70.




The S70's name, however, shouldn't come as much of a surprise given that Proton aims to advertise the new vehicle as a C-segment sedan, which is a class above the Persona in the B-segment. Therefore, it makes logical for it to have the -70 suffix to match the C-segment X70 SUV rather than the B-segment X50.

However, these "segment" comparisons are just employed by Proton as market (or, more specifically, pricing) benchmarks and are not genuinely inflexible. Keep in mind that although the Saga is marketed as an A-segment sedan today, it is primarily based on the Saga BLM, which was referred to as a B-segmenter at the time. Technically speaking, the first Saga was a C-segment sedan.




The Proton S70 is based on the Geely Emgrand, a vehicle that has a C-segment size but is constructed on a B-segment platform. BMA is the segment's initial letter, and it shares the same fundamental architecture as the X50. It is nonetheless larger than the Persona and other B-segment sedans on the market, such as the Toyota Vios and Honda City, based on size.


In May, we published a detailed post outlining why we believed the new sedan would be known as the Proton S70 rather than the S50. It turns out that story was accurate. In the end, though, we'd say Proton may use whatever name it wants as long as it's well-equipped and reasonably priced. Doesn't it sound fantastic that a "C-segment" car could compete on pricing with its Japanese B-segment rivals?


What do you guys think of the new Proton S70, then? Proton can call it whatever it likes, in our opinion, as long as it is well-equipped and reasonably priced. What are the features and/or things you think it should have, and how much are you willing to pay for them? Please leave a comment.

TAKEN FROM PAULTAN .ORG