The Proton X70 is the first model to be introduced to the local market since the inception of the Proton-Geely era. At present, the Proton X70 is fully imported from China while Proton upgrades its existing Tanjung Malim manufacturing facility.

Some of you may not know but currently, the X70’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged TGDi engine is fed with Shell-branded engine oil. This raised some eyebrows among consumers as to why Proton did not engage its long-time lubricants partner, Petronas for its ground-breaking model.

According to a Proton official who is familiar with the matter, Petronas was working on research and development for its lubricants to ensure that it offers the optimum performance and protection for the TGDi powerplant. The lead time on the R&D efforts was too short notice to make it on time for the local debut of the Proton X70 in December 2018.

As a result, Proton had to make do with the Shell engine oils for the time being until Petronas is ready with a compatible product.

Now, Petronas has completed the R&D work and are confident that their Petronas Syntium is ready for the locally assembled X70 and all future products that may come from Proton-Geely. Petronas even have a new formula designed specifically for hybrid vehicles – foreshadowing the future of Proton?

Petronas been Proton’s preferred lubricants provider for over 30 years and is an experienced partner of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team, which has 5 consecutive championship win under their belt.