Proton held a media briefing regarding its quality control performance at its Tanjung Malim plant today. As part of the presentation, the national carmaker publicly confirmed the presence of the facelifted X70 for the first time, the refreshed SUV set to be launched sometime this year.

Little has been made known about the new X70, but the company has stated that the car will be offered with Level 2 semi-autonomous driving for the first time, joining the X50, X90 and S70. But wait, doesn’t the X70 already have adaptive cruise control? Yes, but it only functions above 30 km/h (no stop and go), and the car also doesn’t come with lane centring assist, only lane departure warning.

The X50, X90 and S70, on the other hand, come with Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), which combines ACC with stop and go and lane centring. This is almost certainly the system that will come with the facelift, along with lane keep assist.

We know that the new X70 will receive updates from the facelifted first-generation Boyue, thanks to previous spyshots. The changes include slimmer reflector LED headlights, a five-point grille (likely with the new “songket” studded mesh from the X90), a re-profiled front bumper and a new five-spoke design for the range-topping 19-inch alloy wheels. One new bit that the Boyue doesn’t get is a revised rear bumper design with horizontal reflectors.

Inside, the new X70 retains the same gently-undulating, Hangzhou Bay Bridge-inspired dashboard design as the original, losing out on the new dash from the Boyue Pro/Azkarra. The tech should get a much-welcome upgrade, however, with the facelift tipped to add a new steering wheel, seven-inch digital instrument display and 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen – all lifted from the newer X50.

Expect the X70 to come with the same engines as before, including a 177 PS/255 Nm 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder and a 184 PS/300 Nm 1.8 litre turbo four-pot. Both are paired to a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, but only the 1.5 litre gets the option of all-wheel drive.

GALLERY: 2024 Proton X70 spyshots

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