Proton has stated before that the new Proton Saga will be rebadged as a Geely for left-hand drive markets and it appears that the Philippines will be the first to receive the rebadged compact sedan. Geely itself has stated that its portfolio lacks compact, entry-level models and not only would it be costly to develop
Proton has stated before that the new Proton Saga will be rebadged as a Geely for left-hand drive markets and it appears that the Philippines will be the first to receive the rebadged compact sedan.
Geely itself has stated that its portfolio lacks compact, entry-level models and not only would it be costly to develop from scratch but they also lack the experience in producing models in that segment.
On the other hand, Proton has decades of intricate understanding in the compact, entry-level segment and has collaborated well with Geely on the latest Saga.
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Autocar Philippines published a piece recently recounting the Geely models that would be sold there. While the rest was standard Geely fare, one that stood out was the AMA 01, which is the Saga’s codename.
The rebadged Saga is expected to be launched there in Q4 2026 and will be going up against some tough competition in the form of the Mitsubishi Mirage and the Toyota Vios. Previously, the Saga VVT was sold in Egypt as a left-hand drive model and was even locally- assembled (CKD), earning the title of Proton’s first-ever market to produce LHD vehicles overseas. It remains to be seen where the new Saga will be assembled for the Philippines.
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Proton will be using the Advanced Modular Architecture (AMA) platform to spawn replacements for its Persona, Iriz, Exora and Saga (PIES) range. With the Saga done and dusted, attention shifts to the next models that have been codenamed AMA02, AMA05 and AMA06, and will likely be a compact SUV, MPV and perhaps a hatchback or crossover model. The AMA platform was designed from the beginning to accommodate left-hand drive conversions.
Geely’s expansive an experienced network allowed Proton to truly elevate the new Saga in terms of powertrain, equipment and features. This has seen the kereta rakyat fitted with LED lighting, wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, dual screens and ADAS (Premium).
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Furthermore, Geely supplied the new heart of the Saga, the BHE15-CFN, a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated inline-four mill making a healthy 120 PS and 150 Nm of torque.