Proton and sedans are synonymous. After all, the national car marker started off by offering the Proton Saga, a boxy three-box sedan.
At the ongoing 2026 Beijing Auto Show, Geely showcased the new Geely Starshine 6 (Xing Yao 6), which Proton officials did hint to us that this could be the “correct car” we should check out at the motor show.
The Geely Starshine 6 / Xing Yao 6 could potentially serve as not just a brand-new Proton eMas sedan, but its ICE sibling, the brand-new Geely Emgrand, could serve as the next-gen Proton S70.
Similar to the current Proton S70, the Geely Starshine 6 and its Emgrand sibling are developed on the BMA Evo platform – that that Geely says has been updated when compared to the current Proton X50, offering support for improved hardware and enhance electrical architecture.
Powering possible Proton eMas sedan is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system, encompassing a pair of P1 and P3 electric motors fitted into an 11-in-1 dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT). The P3 motor, which serves as the traction motor, is capable of delivering 163 PS and 210 Nm.
Said DHT transmission is mated to a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre BHE15PFI four-cylinder petrol engine that does 111 PS and 163 Nm. That said, the true highlight is the engine’s thermal efficiency of 47.26% – among the highest for modern-day production engine.
Juicing the electric motors are a choice of two LFP batteries: 8.5 kWh or 17 kWh. Under the WLTP test cycle, the former offers a pure EV range of up to 50 km, whilst sipping just 3.75 L/100 km. The latter, sips slightly more at 3.85 L/100 km.
Variants with the larger battery pack also accepts DC fast charging up to 35 kW, allowing it to recharge from 30% to 80% state-of-charge (SoC) in about 20 minutes. AC charging is capped at 3.3 kW.
This handsome saloon is every bit a Geely sedan – there’s a substantial front grille that’s flanked by a pair of sharp and curvy headlights, while the rear gets a full-width LED light strip. Think of it as a more refined design of the previous generation Geely Emgrand.
The cabin’s also modern – physical buttons are limited to the climate control and the multifunction control knob on the centre console. For the driver, the Xing Yao 6 / Starshine 6 offers a 10.2-inch digital driver display, while the passenger can access the 14.6-inch infotainment display – the latter runs on the Flyme Auto operating system.
