New Proton Saga Spotted — MC3 Facelift or New AMA-based Model?

A vehicle transporter trailer was recently spotted carrying several camo-wrapped Proton Sagas. New model launching soon? (Photo credit: Azahar Jalil via Facebook)

A carrier trailer was recently spotted carrying several new, camo-wrapped cars that seem to look like the Proton Saga. Spotted by Facebook user Azahar Jalil, the trailer was found roaming around the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) area, which adds another layer of mystery to this unknown model.

Photo credit: Azahar Jalil via Facebook

From the images, we can see the partial bits of the car’s taillights, which look very similar to the ones found on the current-gen Proton Saga. Also giving away the Saga name were the wheels on these camo-wrapped models, as not only do they don the Proton logo, but they’re also the same ones found on the current Saga model.

Apart from that, there’s nothing left for us to decipher from these images, as not only are the cars meticulously wrapped in this camouflage drape, they were also partially covered by dark cloths, which closed up the entire front half of the car.

News of the new, next-gen Proton Saga has been circulating around our automotive market for years, given the fact that the current, third-gen model is entering its ninth production year in 2025, with the most recent facelift (MC2) being given back in 2022. Prior to this spy shot, Proton CEO Dr. Li Chunrong did mention that the new Proton R&D centre in Hangzhou Bay, China, will play a pivotal role in developing the next generation of Proton’s homegrown models—Saga included.

This revelation was then followed by several interesting developments, including the construction of the new vehicle stamping facility at Proton City Tanjung Malim, as well as the brief introduction of Proton’s new AMA platform. The new stamping ground is said to be part of Proton’s plan to move the Saga production efforts from the Hicom plant in Subang Jaya to Tanjung Malim. Meanwhile, the new AMA platform will be a separate thing from both Geely’s BMA and GMA platforms, where it will be developed based on the platform used on the current Saga model.

With that being said, Proton has previously confirmed that it is working closely with Geely to introduce more upgrades and improvements for the current-gen Saga, with most of the development work taking place at the aforementioned R&D centre in China. Should this be true, then we could be seeing yet another facelift treatment being given to the ageing Saga, possibly known as the MC3 (Model Change 3).

Further fuelling this speculation is the recent CKD works for the left-hand drive (LHD) version of the Saga in Egypt, where it is based on the third-gen MC2 model. This could also mean that Proton might have to hold on to the current-gen Saga a bit longer than they planned to.

What could be another possibility is that Proton might as well just sell the next-gen Saga alongside the current model as a bid to keep the Saga as an affordable model, provided the new one won’t be as cheap as the current model. Perodua is a big proponent of this move, with the automaker currently selling both the first-gen Axia (now cordially known as the Axia ‘Rahmah’) and the new, DNGA-based model together.