In all the hubbub surrounding the new Proton eMas 5 and Saga in recent months, you may have missed a small but significant piece of news concerning the national carmaker. We know we did.
Last month, Punch Powertrain announced it had opened a new transmission factory in Tanjong Malim, Perak as part of a “long-term collaboration” with Proton. It was evidently quite a big deal for all involved, given that the launch was attended not just by Perak state exco chairman Mohamad Nizar bin Jamaluddin but also Proton CEO Li Chunrong.
The return of Punch to the national carmaker’s fold will be quite a surprise for those who have followed the industry for a while. Having supplied CVTs starting with the Saga FLX in 2011, the Belgian drivetrain specialist was unceremoniously forced out from 2019 onwards when Proton added a four-speed Hyundai-sourced automatic gearbox to its bread-and-butter model.
Punch CVTs continued to be used in the Iriz and Persona, but with the former already discontinued and the latter likely following it soon, we assumed that the chapter had been closed. So why is Punch – now owned by Chinese firm Sensteed – back in the picture?
Well, it’s certainly not for supplying CVTs to any of Proton’s Geely-derived cars. The X50, X70, X90 and S70 are all powered exclusively by turbocharged engines and hence will continue utilising a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. That is unless the company changes course and offers the S70 with a naturally-aspirated engine (à la its Chinese-market twin, the Emgrand), but that seems unlikely.
That leaves the sole remaining logical option – the Saga. The entry-level homegrown sedan only recently completed its move from Shah Alam to Tanjong Malim, so the timing is suspiciously convenient. Also, the plant transfer will almost certainly coincide with the start of production for the new MC3 version, the launch of which is imminent based on the rate Proton is stripping the camouflage.
According to leaked documents, the Saga MC3 will be offered with an automatic and a CVT (yes, no manuals, but that’s a story for another time), the latter on the top-spec Premium. One would imagine that the aforementioned long-term partnership involves Punch supplying the very same car it did 14 years ago.
Proton going the CVT route is not such a surprise, given that the Emgrand similarly pairs the same new 1.5 litre BFE15 naturally-aspirated four-cylinder (more details here) with a stepless transmission. However, the CVT in the Geely is reportedly derived from China’s WLY, although Proton’s past experience with Punch transmissions means its returning supplier is probably a better fit. We should point out that none of this has been confirmed by the company as yet, so we’ll take all this with a pinch of salt.
So, it looks more and more likely that Punch CVTs are making their way back into Protons. What do you make of the news? Let us know in the comments.
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oh no this is terrible news for b40 potential buyers of new saga
Should give 20-years gearbox warranty for this nonsense.
– Lemon Law
Just go buy standard or executive. 4AT FTW
can already predict paultan readers will be giving neverending negative comments of Punch until year 2035+
Oh…nooo…Was that famous P01765 secondary pulley pressure too low…halfway free gear with logo durian, car slip and handbrake light came out problem still there?
Seriously i will opt for the 4AT for the peace of mind if i still doesn’t insaf and buy again a proton saga.
For all the future saga owners, hope you’re not getting “Punch”
Just as we feared….
Haha..that was protons plague all the while..saga become best seller because geely swap in Hyundai’s AT. Why digging hole again?
The replacement of the problematic Punch CVT with traditional Hyundai-Mobis 4-speed Automatic Transmission (AT) in the 2019 Proton Saga was a decision made by Proton’s engineering and management teams.
Better fit? Punch CVT was one of the major reasons P1’s homegrown models (Preve, Saga FLX, iriz persona) to lose out against Perodua & .
Oh Nooo….seems like proton going to stuck with punch for a while…. bye bye proton…punch CVT really sucks
Those baxxards.. The pain they caused those who owned Preve/Suprima S/FLX/Exora…should be sued
All the cars that I had/have…crap CVT.
* Saga; CVT KO under warranty. Mileage less than 20k km.
* Exora; CVT also KO under warranty. Mileage less than 10k km.
* Another Exora; CVT also KO under warranty. After warranty, KO again. Really got “punch-ed”.
Punch powertrain also have other products. Including drivetrains for hybrids and also bev drivetrain solution…
Now it started to make sense, no wonder the 4AT is soldering on,… as backup plan! LOL
Punch do have other gearboxes including torque converter CVTs, and DCTs. So it’s best that we reserve criticism until we know what Proton is planning.
As an owner of 2015 proton iriz with punch cvt, i reserve the right to critique punch whenever possible.
Everyday i start my engine i will be reminded of what a crappy company punch is. It doesnt matter what they are planning in the future, damage was done.
If this happened overseas, they will be class-action lawsuit by consumer protection attorneys.
But this happened in malaysia, so we’re supposed to just accept it without even an acknowledgement of the problem.
Oh noooo, the bane of Proton homegrown existence is back.
For future Saga buyer, please avoid the CVT variants. For your peace of mind.
Oh no. As an ex-preve user that have changed its gearbox 2 times, this new Saga will be out of my list.
I read that the CVT transmission for the 2026 Saga will be exclusive to its top-end variant, and if that CVT is indeed from Punch, I fear the lower-spec 4AT models will sell much better.
My experience with the Punch CVT in the Persona was borderline horrible — although I eventually managed to “live” with it after some time. Still, I could never get used to the initial lifeless but suddenly abrupt throttle response.
Most of people bought either premium or standard. So with this decision, executive variant will be first time sell like a hotcake
POWER Train is Hardware
SOFTWARE is Proton Responsibilty
Protun Ride N Handling == Macam HardBrake not Released
For budget economy cars, no buyer cares about the transmission performance aside from reliability and low tco. Cvt , torque converters have been ard for 50 years, just make a cheap box that lasts 1 million km with 100k km oil change intervals. That’s all that’s needed
It’s not the same CVT as the current ones. The new ones will use a torque converter instead of the clutch pack. Geely vehicles in China have been using the VT5 CVT for some time. The MC3 Saga will be using one such torque converter equipped CVT.. rumoured to be based on the VT2 which has a smaller ratio spread compared to VT5 but retaining the simpler mechanical layout, and the clutch assembly replaced with a torque converter with internal torsion damper (which would help with the geartrain longevity as well).
S70 will be getting the NA + CVT low-spec variant as well to fill the gap that is left behind with the retirement of the Persona.
what the heck…. my punch cvt in saga flx suck such a big time
Crap company and crap product. Doesn’t deserve to exist in Malaysia.
Having experience with the Punch CVT, I’m not a fan. Especially if all of the great features in all-new Saga is only for the Premium, this is a deal breaker. I have a big interest in this new model. And having previously owned the MC2, it will have a big shoes to fit, especially with that CVT. Only time will tell if the CVT is perfect or disastrous like previous one.
Punch is the reason why Preve and Suprima failed.