Proton Holdings Bhd in a statement today said of this number, nearly 2,000 bookings were made online, thus confirming the company made the correct decision to develop and launch the platform.

Chief executive officer Li Chunrong said the company was working hard to ensure the Proton X70 met the expectations of buyers while investing heavily in outlets and dealerships to ensure they have the necessary sales and after sales resources to support such an important product.

The car is the first Proton SUV as well as the first to be jointly developed by Proton and Geely.

Powered by a 1.8-litre turbo gasoline direct injection engine, the Proton X70 will also offer advanced safety features, including autonomous emergency braking, front collision warning, a blind spot information system, lane departure warning, as well as an intelligent high-beam control.

Meanwhile, Proton in the statement also said it had exceeded the 3S/4S outlet submission approval target of 109, and that more applications to open such outlets were still being received.