Proton sales and marketing vice-president Abdul Rashid Musa said the vehicle would be the first premium C-segment SUV produced by a Malaysian automotive brand.

“The SUV will be equipped with some of the most technologically advanced features like smart voice recognition, 360-degrees 3D camera and a host of advanced safety features, like adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency brake assist, just to name a few,” Rashid said in a statement today.

He added that the SUV would be the starting point of a new model range for the company.

While the unveiling date of the SUV is unknown, Proton is conducting an online poll to determine its name.

“The online poll launched by Proton on its Facebook page inviting the public to vote for the name of its first SUV has attracted a huge number of responses over the first nine days,” Rashid said.

As of April 11, over 69,000 Facebook users had taken the poll while the accompanying video had been viewed more than 165,000 times.

“The new SUV is a significant milestone for Proton, therefore we want to share it with our fellow Malaysians as it also represents a symbol of national achievement,” Rashid said.

Proton is 50.1%-owned by DRB-Hicom Bhd and 49.9% held by Zhejiang Geely.