As us Malaysians ride the Proton X50 wave, our friends in the Philippines are gearing up to welcome the Geely Okavango, based on the massive Geely Haoyue.

Sojitz G Auto Philippines - official distributors of Geely cars there - confirmed the funkily-named SUV's 2021 introduction to media sources. Bookings for the seven-seater SUV will open on 17-October in the Philippines.

The same source also reports that the Okavango will be equipped with a 1.5-litre turbo engine mated to a 7-speed wet-type dual clutch transmission (DCT), which on paper is similar to what's in the X50.

Aided with a 48V mild hybrid system, the Okavango reportedly churns out 190 PS and 300 Nm. Interestingly, this powertrain option isn't available for the Chinese market.

Other than that, the SUV is said to have 6 airbags, 360-degree camera, three-zone air conditioning and of course, lots of space - enough to fit a 190-cm tall person in the third row.

Some quick info on the Haoyue/Okavango

It doesn't hide its XXL-ness, being larger than the Hyundai Santa Fe but slightly shorter than the Mazda CX-8. Still, the Geely is wider and taller than the Mazda.

In China, there is only the sole powertrain of a 1.8-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder paired to a 7-speed wet DCT which you'll recall is the same combo seen in our CKD Proton X70.

Depending on variant, buyers can get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a floating touchscreen with GKUI infotainment system, a PM 2.5 cabin air filtration system...

...42 cabin storage spaces (and 19 seat configurations) and of course a stonking 60-inch panoramic sunfroof.

Wow, plans for Malaysia?

2020 Geely Jiaji rear view

The Jiaji - a model we think Proton needs urgently.

As of now, plans for the Haoyue to become a Proton isn't apparent yet. Remember Proton has only secured intellectual rights for 3 Geely models which are the Boyue (Proton X70), Binyue (Proton X50) and the Jiaji (Proton MPV).

Still - let us know in our forums and WhatsApp groups if you think the Haoyue should make its way here.