Proton is apparently “on the verge of a major global export expansion” that will see the national carmaker make a return to the UK market after more than a 10-year absence, Autocar reported.
Quoting a source close to Proton CEO Li Chunrong, the report says that Proton could also be widening its footprint to “new right-hand-drive markets throughout Asia and South Africa”, alongside Australia and New Zealand.
According to the source, the aggressive expansion plans are afforded by the national carmaker’s new and upcoming production facilities at the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV), which will significantly boost Proton’s production capacity, contributing to the company’s “long-held plans” to expand its global sales.
“With the investments in place, Proton will have the means to return to markets it departed, while also entering new markets,” the source told Autocar.
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AHTV is a result of a multi-billion Ringgit investment plan between DRB-Hicom and Proton’s joint owner, Geely. The 16-square-kilometer “smart city” aims to become a production hub for Next Generation Vehicles (NxGV) within the region, and will house not just Proton’s factories, but also production facilities for international automotive suppliers, as well as Geely’s other brands.
For Geely, the Chinese automotive giant plans to invest RM32 billion into AHTV over the next 10 years, with a target of a 500,000-unit annual production capacity by 2035 – of which half will be exported internationally.
The report does not state an official timeframe for the RHD market expansion, but the source says that major export markets will be reached “later this decade”.
