Proton says it will continue to concentrate on producing the X50 for the Malaysian market before considering exports. Consumer demand has pushed wait times for the car up to about six months, according to the automaker, and the focus now is to fill local orders.
In a written response to our questions about the SUV’s production plans, it told paultan.org, “Our key focus is to supply cars for domestic market orders first and to fix the existing waiting times faced by our customers.”
The X50 would be exported eventually, according to the automaker, and Pakistan would be one of the markets it would enter. However, the automaker did not specify when that market would be introduced. When it does, it will join the Proton X70 and Saga, both of which are currently available.
Both models will be assembled in Pakistan starting in the third quarter of this year, when Al-Haj Automotive, the company’s local partner, starts local production at its new assembly plant in Karachi. CKD production in Pakistan will eventually grow to include the X50 once it is launched there, according to the automaker. Currently, the X70 and Saga are only available as CBU models in the country.
