Spy Shot: Proton S50 Spotted With ADAS Camera – Level 2 Autonomous Driving?

Now that the Proton X90 has been launched, focus now shifts to the Proton S50 sedan, which has been spotted on Malaysian roads yet again. Based on the Geely Emgrand – and rumoured to be launched by the end of this year – the test mule looks to be sporting a camera for ADAS, so there’s a chance the new sedan will be capable of level 2 autonomous driving.

These images were shared by The Ajerul on its Facebook page. Aside from the camera that’s visible at the top of the S50’s windscreen, we can see a glimpse of the Infinite Weave grille as well. This is also notably a right-hand drive model, so local development of the sedan looks to have progressed quite a bit.

The S50 is widely speculated to be a replacement of the Proton Preve. If it follows the same dimensions as the model it’s based on (the Emgrand), it will measure 4,638mm long, 1,820mm wide, and 1,460mm tall. That makes it 95mm longer and 34mm wider than the Preve, assuming Proton retains the same dimensions for the localised model.

Under the hood, the Emgrand is powered by a 1.5L NA engine (114PS/147 Nm) in China, though it’s possible the S50, once localised for the Malaysian market, will feature a 1.5L TGDi engine instead. After all, Proton foreshadowed that two of its new models will feature the 1.5L turbocharged engine that offers up to 177PS and 255Nm of torque.

Given that the 1.5L TGDi engine is used for the X90 – though it’s also paired to a mild hybrid system for higher output – the S50 is a good candidate for the turbo mill. It’s worth noting that the sedan shares the same B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA) as the Proton X50 too, so it could use the engine without issue.

Nonetheless, we reckon the Proton S50 won’t be introduced so soon, given that the X90 was launched just a couple of weeks ago. But once the S50 makes its debut here, it will be the first Geely-based model from the national carmaker that is not an SUV. This is certainly an exciting proposition, in our opinion, as we haven’t seen a properly premium sedan from Proton for quite some time now.