Say goodbye to the Proton Perdana – potentially replaced as Geely Preface?

Based on the eighth generation Honda Accord, the ‘Accordana’ as it was famously known was launched in two phases: first for sale exclusively to the Malaysian government with minor exterior and interior change in 2013, and the second phase for the general public in 2016 which saw total redesign for the front and rear fascia.

Under the hood, the Perdana’s mechanical bits remain similar to the Accord, with two engine options offered: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder R20A3 Honda engine and 2.4-litre four-cylinder K24Z2, all mated to 5-speed torque-converter transmission.

At the end of 2018, Proton sold 870 units of the 2.0 variant and only 90 units of the 2.4 unit. As of end-2019, Proton sold a total of 540 unit, all of it being the 2.0-litre variant.

The question now is, what’s next for the Proton Perdana? During the launch of the 2019 Proton Saga facelift, Proton CEO Dr Li Chunrong recapitulated Proton’s plan to introduce a new model every year, and the graphics from the slide show gave up clues in form of car silhouette.

We all know the SUV in the 2020 silhouette is the Proton X50, which is slated to launch this year, although it has been delayed due to Covid-19. The next car after is a sedan, which could either be replacement for Proton Perdana or the aging Proton Prevé, although we do think it’s the later as Perdana is not a volume seller.

Last year, Geely showcased the concept Geely Preface to the world, which could be rebadged as a Proton Perdana in the future, seeing as it is slated to replace the D-segment Geely Borui sedan in China. Full specifications and details will only be announced when the production car is released later this this year.

Whether it will come in 2021 or 2022 remains to be seen, but rest assured the Proton Perdana will be back.