Proton FutureMotion HEV at KLIMS – i-HEV hybrid coming soon, to debut in AMA02 this year?

Aside from the new eMas 7 Premium Plus and CKD locally-assembled eMas 5, Proton has also showcased its FutureMotion HEV hybrid technology at the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS). This is a version of Geely’s i-HEV powertrain, which debuted in China earlier this year.

The setup is essentially that of the eMas 7 PHEV, except shorn of its large 18.4/29.8 kWh Aegis short blade LFP battery. This is led by a 1.5 litre BHE15 four-cylinder engine, with the one shown here being the naturally-aspirated version.

Proton calls this a dedicated hybrid engine (DHE), closer in design to the eMas 7 PHEV’s mill instead of the i-GT engine used in the turbo X50 and NA Saga. It uses a slightly modified block and runs on an Atkinson cycle full-time, rather than only in certain conditions as per the other cars, and is fitted with single instead of dual VVT.

The powertrain is already fitted to Geely hybrids like the Emgrand i-HEV

The engine also adopts an electrically-powered alternator and air-con compressor, joining the electric water pump the Saga already comes with and eliminating the auxiliary belt. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system is different from one in the i-GT mills as well.

The only model currently on sale with this powertrain is the Geely Preface i-HEV, which uses a 111 PS/136 Nm version of the engine – with a record thermal efficiency of 48.41% – and a 190 PS/240 Nm motor housed within the 11-in-1, single-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT).

As the eMas 7 PHEV proved, however, this DHT could easily be mated to the less powerful 99 PS/125 Nm BHE15-DFN mill, which has a thermal efficiency of just 46.5%. The electric motor is also available in a less powerful 163 PS/210 Nm tune, as used in the Geely Galaxy Starshine 6/Emgrand EM-i.

Saga Cross render by Theophilus Chin

This is important because Proton has already confirmed that it will use a “DHT120” for a yet-to-be-launched SUV, with the number standing for the motor’s output in kW – this conveniently converts to 163 PS. The company’s deputy CEO Abdul Rashid Musa said during his KLIMS presentation that the powertrain is slated to debut in a new model very soon, with the engine and DHT set to be assembled in house in Tanjung Malim.

We can think of two separate possible models. The first is a rebadged version of the fifth-generation Geely Emgrand, which will soon receive the i-HEV powertrain in China. We don’t expect this to arrive here within the next couple of years, however, as such a vehicle would at least partially replace the S70 – and given that the sedan has only recently been refreshed, it will likely soldier on for a while yet.

The much more likely option would be the second model built on the Advanced Modular Architecture (AMA02), expected to be a Perodua Ativa-rivalling A-segment SUV. The car, widely tipped to be called the Saga Cross, will enter production at the end of the year. Excited? Let us know in the comments.

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