Malaysia may have only launched the Proton X50 in 2020, but its base car, the Geely Binyue has been around for three years. Par for the course of a passenger car of this age, it's getting a facelift over in China.

So what's new? Thanks to Chinese media, we'll get to show you a closer look at the updated SUV.

Exterior - Bold 'X' motif, bright colours

There's changes all around the car, with notable retouches to the front and rear bumpers, new wheel designs, and decals to go with spunky, fresh colours.

The main talking point has been the new grey mask the Binyue wears on its face, giving it a more aggressive front fascia than before.

But that's not the only change up front, as the brand's 'Expanding Cosmos' grille makes way for a new honeycomb pattern, sitting between the now-familiar LED headlights.

Also read: Pros and Cons: Love the 2020 Proton X50's comfortable suspension, hate the seats

Online comments point towards it being quite a divisive look, with some saying they prefer the cleaner, body-coloured bumper of the pre-facelift, while some really can't wait for the new look in Malaysia.

Round the back, the facelifted Binyue gets a tweaked rear diffuser which now sports coloured inserts, which are available in body-matching or contrasting colours.

Combined with the double-layer roof-mounted spoiler, it's really quite a shouty thing.

Also read: Ratings: 2020 Proton X50 1.5 TGDI - High fuel consumption, but a good all-rounder

Completing the look are a set of new 18-inch wheels for both the Pro and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ePro variants, with the latter getting a dual-tone set. They're wrapped in 215/55R18-profile Giti tyres.

Peppered elsewhere around the exterior are loads of faux carbon-fibre patterns, adorning the side-mirror covers, front lip and rear diffuser, and rear spoiler.

Interior - New goodies, ambient lights

The cabin design stays largely the same, albeit with more colour than before. Way more colour.

Aside from the dual-tone touches on the steering wheel, seats, and contrast stitching on the upholstery, the new Binyue Pro also gets a 72-colour ambient lighting system.

While the pre-facelift Binyue also had ambient lighting, that only had three colours. It's also a feature that didn't make it to our X50. We got rear air-cond vents instead, which still remains a Malaysia-exclusive feature.

Besides the fancy lights, the Binyue also earns a new gear lever which admittedly looks a lot less futuristic than the one in the pre-facelift.

Aside from those, the SUV also gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It's a bigger screen too (up from 10.25 inches) and it runs the latest Geely Key User Interface (GKUI) 2.0 software, just like the massive Geely Xingyue L.

Also read: Price equal to RM 90k in China, the Geely Xingyue L is their most luxurious SUV yet

Performance - Powertrain should remain the same

Built on the Geely BMA platform (B-segment Modular Architecture), the facelifted China-spec Binyue Pro is very likely to retain the same powertrain combo as the pre-facelift models, as below:

Interestingly, it's been reported that it'll also come with launch control, Track mode, as well as an variable exhaust sound that allows one to choose their desired notes coming out of the quad-tip tailpipes.

Also read: Ah Beng's dream X50? New 2021 Geely Binyue Pro facelift adds loud exhaust and launch contro

Pricing and availability - Launching in China this month

The carmaker hasn't said anything about prices yet, but the model will be making its official launch sometime this month in its home market.

Also read: Review: 2020 Proton X50 - all the pros and flaws about Malaysia's most-hyped SUV

So when is it coming to Malaysia?

It's probably not something that Malaysians will receive anytime soon. The X50 is still a very new model in Malaysia, plus Tanjung Malim has got their hands full with the facelifted Proton Iriz and Proton Persona.

Also read: 2021 Proton Persona and Proton Iriz facelift MC2 launching 5-August

Where new models are concerned, we will most likely see the Geely Haoyue (Proton X90?) adopted here. That said, certain parties have claimed that it's the Geely Jiaji (some say it'll be called the Proton V70) that'll be making its way here first.

Also read: Proton to launch Geely Jiaji (Proton V70?) in Malaysia in Q4 2022 – supplier claims