SPIED: Camouflaged Proton X70 Spotted Undergoing Road Tests – Upcoming Facelift Model?

Spotted on the Shah Alam-bound Kesas Highway stretch late yester was this camouflaged Proton X70 with blue trade plates on.

These images of what appears to be a camouflaged Proton X70 have surfaced on social media, specifically on the X70OCM (Proton X70 Owner Club Malaysia) Facebook page. Uploaded by Facebook user Eric Yong Gx, these appear to have been snapped late yesterday on the Shah Alam-bound Kesas Highway stretch.

As you can see, the X70 in question sports blue trade plates and wore heavy camouflage to cover its entire front end (headlights, grille, bumper, bonnet, and quarter panels), a large part of its rear end (rear bumper, centre tailgate, and quarter panels), as well as all four wheels.

Note the camouflage covering much of the front end, large parts of the rear end, as well as the all four wheels.

Our best guess here is that this could be an upcoming new facelift version of the Geely-based crossover SUV model that being trialled on local roads. Prior to this, local press have also spotted a similarly camouflaged unit back in July this year in the Subang district.

All signs likely suggest that the X70 is poised to receive a nip-tuck to mirror closely with either the Geely Boyue Pro (Azkara) or Boyue X models released in 2019 and 2021 respectively, or perhaps the much newer face-lifted 2022 model year Boyue (not Pro) model.

2019MY Geely Boyue Pro (Azkara) / 2021MY Geely Boyue X model pictured. (Source: Wikipedia)

2022MY Geely Boyue model pictured. (Source: Wikipedia)

Naturally, the national carmaker is keeping mum with details surrounding product planning details as such. However, this recent sighting of presumably upgraded X70 model undergoing road tests suggest that we may not have long to wait for its official debut.

In fact, we reckon this revised X70 could officially debut soon after the upcoming Geely-based sedan model that Proton intends to launch sometime in the fourth quarter (Q4) of this year. Realistically, we predict this will take place sometime in the first half (1H) of next year (2024).

Proton X90 cabin featured. Could we see this revised X70's innards mirror closely with this larger D-segment offering cabin in terms of tech and amenities?

Besides aesthetic revisions, we can perhaps expect a host of changes on board in terms of features and amenities – the recently launched X90 is perhaps a good indication of how things might pan out. What’s uncertain though is if this updated X70 will receive powertrain changes.

Regarding the latter, we won’t discount the possibility of the X70 making a switch and adopt the new 1.5-litre 3-cyl turbo mild-hybrid (MHEV) lump that powers the X90. Proton has made sizeable investments towards integrating said engine's mass production at its Tanjung Malim facility this year, so this makes sense.

Either way, the sighting of this upcoming revised X70 model, presumably for next year, is an exciting indicator of what to expect from the nation brand in the coming months and years. What other changes would you expect the revised X70 to pack? Hit the comments below with your thoughts…