Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition legislators as well as their aides converged at Geely’s exhibition site set up near the Parliament complex’s car park during a break in the Dewan Rakyat sitting to see for themselves the product by Chinese automotive giant Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd which bought a 49.9% stake in Proton on May 24.
They were clearly impressed and excited with the vehicle meant for five passengers, designed in Sweden and fine-tuned in the UK.
With a size matching that of a Honda CR-V, Boyue is fitted with a 1.8 litre four-cylinder engine, and topped up with a six-speed automatic transmission.
“The design looks competitive with popular models of today,” Annuar Musa (Umno-Ketereh) said. “In fact it even has elements of the Range Rover.”
He said he believed that the price, which has yet to be announced, would determine if it became popular among buyers.
“This is a very attractive model and I believe if its price is competitive it could see strong demand. In general I am led to believe that cars from China are very competitively priced,” he said.
Teo Kok Seong (DAP-Rasah) said he hoped to test-drive the car first.
“We need to test-drive it first. Without that, we would not know its performance,” he said.
“Overall, this model is quiet up-to-date and sure to draw interest,” he said.
Khalid Samad (Amanah-Shah Alam) was captivated by the Boyue’s neat interior layout and asked if it’s fuel consumption was considered economical.
“It is attractive in terms of its design. The interior deco is in the latest style. However I can’t comment much more as I haven’t driven it yet and don’t know its price,” he said.
“We hope the price will be low and cheaper than cars from Japan and Europe,” he said, adding that a clarification should also be given on the availability of its spare parts.
Proton Holdings announced the choice of the Boyue model in June after its joint-venture with Geely was confirmed.
The company has targeted 280,000 units of the model, to be assembled at the Proton plant in Tanjung Malim, for the Southeast Asian market.