In a market where affordability and aspiration rarely meet, Proton has drawn a deliberate line beneath RM60,000 — opening bookings on September 7 for two new S70 variants, the Lite and Prime, that carry modern safety and connectivity as standard rather than privilege. The move reflects a quiet but significant conviction: that the desire for dignity in daily transport should not be rationed by price. For a national carmaker averaging over 2,500 S70 sales each month in 2026, this is less a gamble than a considered expansion of who belongs in the story.