Since its launch in October 2020, the Proton X50 has stood almost unchallenged, but this changed last month. While the Proton S70 is breaking into a territory dominated by the B-segment Honda City and Toyota Vios, the 'Malayan Tiger' marque risks losing ground in the higher-priced, more profitable SUV market.

Defenses around the Proton X50 appear to be weakening, allowing the Honda HR-V to punch through and attract some customers to its side.

Proton's own numbers (including exports) for the Proton X50 from September through November 2023 were 2,210 units, 2,021 units, and 2,115 units, respectively – marking the model's weakest three months in the last 19 months.

The numbers for the same three-month period last year were 4,517 units, 3,602 units, and 3,724 units. These figures include exports, but since Proton’s total exports for the first 10 months of this year totaled just around 2,500 units, their inclusion won’t significantly affect our analysis.

Proton's monthly sales announcements usually include a summary remark for each model, highlighting the model’s lead in its segment. However, the announcement for November 2023 had the following remark for the Proton X50: “2nd highest volume B-segment SUV.” This represents a small but significant change in the state of play for the former segment leader.

It's not hard to guess which model is the new segment leader. Honda Malaysia doesn't share its monthly sales data, but historically, the Honda HR-V typically sells around 1,000 to 1,500 units monthly, depending on the supply chain situation.

Without the advantage of 'national car' pricing (higher rebates for excise tax due to higher local parts sourcing and local development work), the Melaka-assembled Honda HR-V is about RM 30,000 more expensive than the Proton X50. Despite the price penalty, Honda Malaysia pulled an impressive feat of coming out ahead of the lower priced Proton.

Checks with Honda dealers show that there is still a 4- to 6-month waiting period for the Honda HR-V.

Meanwhile, Proton dealers are currently offering a RM 3,000 discount for the X50, plus a free power tailgate upgrade worth RM 3,000, and window tinting worth RM 1,800, bringing the total value of the promotion to RM 7,800.

Honda dealers are also offering the usual year-end discounts for the Honda HR-V, but at a lower value of just RM 2,000, limited only to the S, E, and RS variants. There are no discounts for the V variant.

Still, November's spike for the Honda HR-V is just a small victory for Honda. Overall, the Proton X50 still holds a very large lead over the Honda HR-V. As mentioned earlier, Honda Malaysia doesn't share updates on its sales by model, but estimates by industry sources say the X50’s total sales for 2023 are nearly double that of the Honda HR-V.

The Proton X50 is priced from RM 86,300 to RM 113,300, with two engine options, both 1.5-litre turbocharged units – a 150 PS / 226 Nm port fuel injection unit, and a 177 PS / 255 Nm direct fuel injection unit. The former is shared with the Proton S70, the latter with the Proton X70.

Meanwhile, the Honda HR-V is priced from RM 115,900 to RM 141,900, with three engine options. The entry S variant is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated 121 PS / 145 Nm unit that's shared with the Honda City. The E and V variants get a 1.5-litre turbocharged 181 PS / 240 Nm, while the e:HEV RS gets a two-motor full-hybrid 1.5-litre engine that makes 131 PS and 253 Nm (peak motor output, with the engine alone making 107 PS / 131 Nm).