After years of spyshots and speculations on the name, Proton has officially announced that its newest sedan model is called the Proton S70 at a line-off ceremony at P1’s plant in Tanjung Malim.

Aside from the official name announcement, Proton Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Li Chunrong, also confirmed that all Proton outlets nationwide would begin accepting customer bookings for the Proton S70 beginning 1 November 2023 with a fee of RM 500.

"The Proton S70 marks a new chapter for Proton as we return to the family sedan market with a model that is the next step in the evolution of our offerings,” said the CEO.

“Endowed with intelligent safety technology, connectivity and a 1.5L turbocharged engine with dual-clutch transmission, we have high hopes it will prove to be popular with current and new Proton fans and help return us to the top of a market segment that was previously led by models such as the Proton Wira, Waja and Prevé,” Dr Li Chunrong continued.

Also read: 23 years later, is the Proton Waja a dream or a nightmare?

While the powertrains are revealed with the turbocharged unit likely to be a 3-cylinder one given Proton’s commitment towards it, it is still uncertain what version of the 3-pot unit will be offered in the S70. There are two versions of the turbocharged 1.5-litre offered by Proton – a multi-point injection (MPI) unit (150 PS/226 Nm) or direct injection (TGDI) unit (177 PS/255 Nm).

Also read: Proton opens new Tg Malim engine assembly line, first outside of China to make Geely's 3-cyl 1.5T engine

The Proton S70 is the fourth model to be jointly developed with Geely after the Proton X70, Proton X50, and Proton X90. It is also the second all-new Proton to be unveiled in 2023 following the mild hybrid (MHEV) X90.

While the official launch date hasn’t been announced yet, Proton announced that it will hold customer previews in several major Malaysian state capitals from 11 November to allow the public an up close and personal viewing of the model.

Also read: No longer No.1 in B-Sedan sales, Proton Persona coming under severe pressure from Honda City and Toyota Vios