Proton X90 Most Likely To Feature A 1.5 Litre Hybrid Engine Similar To Geely Okavango

Lately we have been seeing numerous posts of this camouflaged SUV undergoing road tests which has been identified as the reworked Geely Haoyue in China soon to be introduced in Malaysia as the right hand drive (RHD) Proton X90.

Thus far this particular model is only available in left hand drive (LHD) variant for the Chinese market and is also exported to the Philippines as the Geely Okavango. With the introduction of the RHD variant, the export potential of the Haoyue/X90 opens up to more markets such as South Africa where demand is growing for the Proton brand.

For the Chinese market, the Haoyue is powered by the 1.8 litre turbocharged mill producing 181 HP with 300 Nm of torque while the export model in Philippines gets a smaller 1.5 litre turbocharged engine with a mild 48V electrification combined pushing out 187 HP with 300 Nm torque. Both these power-plants are mated to a seven-speed wet clutch DCT.

As for the upcoming Proton X90, it will highly follow the Philippines route by using the 1.5 litre turbocharged hybrid mill as Proton’s very first attempt into the world of electrification.

This was also teased in a recent corporate video by the company where at the 1:10-minute mark it explains the engine's modularity where it’s able to be primed with either a direct injection module, or a 48-Volt MHEV system. Paired with the mill too is a belt starter generator (BSG), making it not too dissimilar from Mercedes-Benz’s own 48-Volt MHEV powertrain that features an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG).

The Proton X90 would be quite a large sized SUV measuring 4835mm in length, 1900mm wide, 1780mm in height with a wheelbase of 2815mm. In comparison, the Proton Exora MPV which is still being offered just measures 4592mm in length with 1691mm of height.