Proton to Launch a Toyota Yaris Rival in Malaysia Soon

Proton Holdings is planning to launch the S50 sedan in Malaysia in the near future. Offered in China as Geely Emgrand, the compact sedan will compete with Toyota Yaris, Honda City, and other B-segment sedans in the country.

Emgrand, in China, has a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 114 horsepower (hp) and 147 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque, which it sends to the front wheels via a CVT automatic gearbox.
However, for Malaysia, Proton CEO Roslan Abdullah stated that a high-end variant will have a turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine that makes 150 hp and 226 Nm of torque, which will also send its power to the front wheels via a DCT automatic transmission.

The sedan sits on Geely’s BMA platform, which also underpins Proton X50 SUV. Details of the S50’s launch date and price are unknown but reports about it replacing Proton Preve lead us to believe that it will launch in Malaysia soon.