THIS morning, Proton flagged off nine Proton X70 and their owners who came together to organise an overland trip spanning four countries, 13 cities and 13,000 kilometres – in their new SUVs, of course.
Their destination is Hangzhou, China, the most populous city of Zhejiang Province and home to Proton’s joint venture partner, Geely.
Led by the Borneo Automobile Leisure Touring Team and the Kunming Scenery-Customer International Travel Co China, the trip is supported by Proton.
The company has set up checkpoints along the route at dealer locations and service centres to welcome the participants as an initiative of how Proton cares for its customers.
Beginning with a flag-off ceremony at the Proton Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Shah Alam, the entire trip will take the 33 participants approximately 33 days to complete.
The halfway point is at Hangzhou, where the participants will get the chance to visit the Geely Experience Centre and learn more about how Geely transformed into one of the fastest growing automotive companies as well as getting a chance to view their newest models.
“For Proton, the trip presents an opportunity to showcase the Proton X70 to buyers in overseas markets, especially those in Asean countries, which are key to future sales growth,” said the company today.
“It will also prove the SUV is capable of performing in a number of different environments and road conditions as it travels from Malaysia to China.
An epic trip that lasts over a month presents opportunities to its participants; for this trip it’s an opportunity to fully experience the capabilities of the X70 on a variety of roads and climate conditions.
Throughout the journey, they will be able to enjoy seeing some wondrous sights along the way while meeting a lot of people and hopefully making some new friends.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony this morning, Proton deputy CEO Datuk Radzaif Mohamed said: “While this is a private initiative, Proton is happy to offer its support as a sign of appreciation to its customers.
“The Proton X70 has been very well received by Malaysians and we hope that by showing regional car buyers its capabilities, we will be laying the groundwork for future export sales success.”
After completing their visit to Hangzhou, the trip participants will make their way home to Malaysia via a different route, with the final destination being the CoE.
