Ever since Proton confirmed that the mid-size SUV will be launched this year, anticipation has been high, and Proton's radio silence has not helped matters.

Well, until today.

Here's your first look

The local carmaker released its Merdeka greeting video on Monday (31 August), and like you would expect, Proton showcases its fleet of cars, led by their best-selling Proton X70.

But this video is different - because they also provided an official look at the upcoming Proton X50!

The video provided a little teaser (technically, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kinda thing) on what one can expect from the X50, which is based on the Geely Binyue.

Here's a look at the styling of the SUV, which features a lean and sportier look compared to its older brother, the X70:

We also got a glimpse of the X50's quad exhaust system, which further strenghtens the point that the X50 is made as a sporty SUV:

And here's what the X50's LED headlights, with active daytime running lights, look like:

Proton also gave us a brief look at the front grille with a distinctive red accent and the 'Thundercats' logo:

The little teasers didn't end there, however, as throughout the video, you'll get a glimpse of the highly-anticipated model making subtle appearances.

And if you want to see how it looks like without the shadow (ugh, annoying marketing videos, amirite?), here's a brief look at the front end of the Proton X50 - which, if you look really closely, sports Proton's Infinite Weave front grille:

This is what the Proton X50 will look like to other road users if the rumours of its 1.5-litre turbo mill with a seven-speed dual-clutch box that is capable of spitting out 177 hp and 255 Nm of torque are true.

According to Geely, you can go from 0-100km/h in just 7.9 seconds, so, yes; other road users will see a blur when you're speeding past:

Here's a brief view of the Proton X50 from the side, which shows red brake callipers:

Take a look at the video for yourself and see how many times you can spot the Proton X50: