SPYSHOT: Is This The Upcoming Proton X50 Facelift?

We caught sight of what appears to be a heavily camouflaged Proton X50 being tested out in the open earlier today.

Thanks to a sharp-eyed and fast-acting colleague of ours, we’ve been given a glimpse of what we believe will be the upcoming Proton X50 facelift. Our colleague snapped these spyshots earlier today on the Sungai Besi Highway whilst on his usual end-of-day commute home.

Despite the heavy camouflage this prototype is wearing, the distinct shape and profile of the windows were clear giveaways that this was indeed the Proton X50, or at least an offshoot of its Geely-badged Binyue/Coolray original/twin.

A closer look at the rear end indicates plenty of sheet metal changes to come for the face-lifted X50 model.

A closer look at the prototype's rear end indicates we can expect quite a slew of sheet metal changes, especially in the tailgate. In turn, we could also expect major design tweaks in the rear bumper diffuser, and taillights to match – they will be different versus what’s seen in the current X50 RC version.

Obvious here too is the sharper and angrier-looking tailgate spoiler. This perhaps suggest Proton might give the face-lifted X50 sharper and sportier styling cues as the Mexico-spec Geely Coolray model, though we’d be more excited to have that car’s Apple CarPlay-ready head unit instead.

The window lines and profiles were the dead giveaway of this being an X50. Also, note the sharper, angrier rear spoiler and camo-wrapped alloy wheels.

Whilst we couldn’t get a clear snap at the prototype’s front end, we are certain it will sport design changes of a similar extent. Expect a new grille, perhaps new headlights, bumper, bonnet, and forward quarter panels, not forgetting its rolling stock too – they’re also covered in camo here.

Thing being a major facelift instead of a full-model-change, we can expect the X50 to keep its innards without any drastic changes. Like what we saw in the X70 facelift effort, lets hope Proton ups the ante in terms of trim and material quality, as well as tech.

Recently launched Proton X50 SE 1,000-unit limited-run special pictured.

Mechanically, we predict that things won’t change drastically here either. Expect the current X50 RC’s range of 1.5-litre port- (MPI) and direct-injected (TGDi) 3-cyl turbocharged petrol mills to remain, along with the 7-speed DCT automatic transmission paired with it currently.

We also reckon much of the current X50 RC model’s Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) features suite to remain in the face-lift. Presently, Level 2 semi-autonomous driving capabilities are offered in the range-topping X50 1.5 TGDi Flagship variant only.

Current Proton X50 RC model pictured. Expect the port- (MPI) and direct-injected (TGDI) 1.5-litre 3-cyl mills, as well as the 7-speed DCT automatic box, primed in this version to be carried over in the X50 facelift.

As to when will we see this heavily revised and possibly extensively upgraded X50 model arrive in the market, your guess is as good as ours. However, given how recently the X50 RC model debuted, our best guess is that a follow-up will arrive towards the end of the year.

Speculations aside, what other changes and tweaks do you expect – or perhaps demand – to see in the upcoming Proton X50 facelift? Share your take in the comments below, as well as our social media pages, now…