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The Proton Jumbuck was an icon of its era, a two-door, low-slung ute that essentially filled the gap left in the market by the venerable Subaru Brumby.
But no-one buys single-cab 2WD utes anymore – the market is now dominated by dual-cab 4WD pick-up trucks like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, which were the two best-selling vehicles in the country in 2019.
That fact has led creative car designer, Theophilus Chin, to imagine what a new-generation Proton Jumbuck ute could look like, with a pair of renderings submitted to Malaysian site Paultan.org.
The two images are actually based on a model from Proton’s step-parent company Geely, the Haoyue VX11 SUV, and in Malaysian market style, the second image shows the tub full of durian fruit. Geely owns 49.9 per cent of Proton, while Malaysian company DRB-Hicom owns the remainder.
It has all the trademark cues of a current-generation ute: bold front-end styling, underbody protection, big wheels, boxy fenders, side steps and a tidy looking tub. It even has broad brand lettering across the tailgate, as is the current style.
Sadly, the images are simply a pipe dream, with Geely group PR rep Ash Sutcliffe tweeting a response to the images: “I want this to happen but sorry fellas, it’s a dream. There is something else happening, however.”
We’ll have to wait and see what Mr Sutcliffe was referring to, but it seems highly possible yet another Chinese ute could be released soon to compete with the likes of the upcoming Great Wall Cannon. We’ll let you know when we find out more.
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