Proton enters the South African market with the launch of the Proton X50 and Proton X70 through the partnership of Geely, and CMH (Combined Motor Holdings).
CMH was founded in 1976 and has spearheaded the motor industry successfully ever since its conception, launching some of the country’s biggest names such as VOLVO in 1995. The decision to bring PROTON back to South Africa was based on their many discussions, trips to Malaysia, viewings, and test drives of the vehicles coming into the country.
“The purchase of a 49.9% stake in PROTON in 2017 by the Zhejiang GEELY Holding Group; a Fortune 500 company that owns VOLVO and Lotus, has transformed PROTON through its additional finance, technical expertise, and products. When the PROTON brand became available, we jumped at the opportunity for several reasons, but mostly, we saw a gap in the market for a quality SUV within an affordable price bracket. There are many luxury brands launching SUV’s which are simply unaffordable to the average South African.” explains Mr. Jebb McIntosh CEO of CMH.
The new PROTON models are right-hand drive versions of GEELY vehicles sold in left-hand markets around the world.“With GEELY providing resources and support for PROTON, we can ensure that the runway for vehicles being released in the near future is exciting explained Trevor Morey, Head of Sales and Marketing of PROTON South Africa.
Considering the need for fuel efficiency, Proton has created this product that fulfills the desire for an SUV that is not only outstanding in performance, features, and aesthetic appeal but is also affordable to own and run. “The fuel consumption of the PROTON X50 is 6.5L/100km and the fuel consumption of the PROTON X70 is 7.8L/100km,” says Marius Smal, Managing Director of Proton SA.
Launching countrywide today, we know this vehicle will positively surprise many and we are so excited to host customers on a test drive to see what the new PROTONs have to offer,” ends Smal.
