The Star Malaysia - Star2

New Proton SUV to get advanced features

- — THOMAS HUONG

THE soon-to-be-launched Proton SUV will get automatic emergency brake assist, besides lane keeping assist, voice command, adaptive cruise control and 360-degree 3D view.

“The SUV will have smart voice recognitio­n, 360-degree 3D camera and safety features like adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency brake assist, just to name a few,” said Proton vice-president of sales and marketing Abdul Rashid Musa.

Proton did not reveal how its automatic emergency brake assist works, and whether it uses radar or video sensors (or both) to detect potential collisions.

Variations of such automatic emergency braking systems are already on SUVs like the Mazda CX-5 and Honda CR-V.

Even the flagship Perodua Myvi (AV grade) has Pre-Collision Warning (PCW) and Pre-Collision Braking (PCB) which works at speeds below 30kph.

PCW alerts the driver that a collision is imminent.

PCB assists drivers by automatica­lly applying the brakes if they are still unaware of the impending collision.

Proton recently posted a video revealing its first SUV’s features, on the official Proton Facebook page, together with an online poll that invites the public to vote for the name of its first SUV.

The video showed a SUV performing dynamic manoeuvres on a snow-covered landscape and a test track.

The online poll to name Proton’s first SUV (sport utility vehicle) has generated massive response over its first nine days on the national automaker’s Facebook page.

As of April 11, over 69,000 Facebook users had taken the poll while the video that is posted with it has been viewed more than 165,000 times.

Over 1,000 people also shared the content on their own personal pages.

“We did not expect such a big number of responses in such a short time and feel humbled by the interest shown,” said Abdul Rashid.

The Proton SUV is due for a fourth-quarter launch, and is based on the popular five-seater Geely Boyue.

Meanwhile, the online poll concerning the name of the Proton SUV will run till April 30 and is open to all Malaysians.

Poll participan­ts are in the running to get RM100,000 worth of gift vouchers while five winners will be chosen based on the best reasons given for the name they voted for.

The winners will get a “moneycan’t-buy” experience consisting of exclusive VIP invites to the SUV launch and being among the first to test drive the car at Proton’s test track in Shah Alam.

Also, if a proposed alternativ­e name for the SUV is chosen, the lucky winner will get a 4D/3N tour package to Hangzhou and Shanghai for two.

 ??  ?? A screengrab from Proton’s video to name its first SUV contest showing a SUV speeding on a frozen lake.
A screengrab from Proton’s video to name its first SUV contest showing a SUV speeding on a frozen lake.

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