At the 2025 Global Automotive and Technology Expo (GATE 2025), Proton exchanged strategic collaboration documents with the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) on a five-year partnership to develop a new National Automotive Test Centre (NATC) in the country.
The establishment of the NATC will see Proton repurpose its semi-high-speed test track in Shah Alam and its R&D testing lab in Tanjung Malim to be part of the NATC in a “shared facility collaboration”. Both parties will also contribute towards the construction of a new NATC facility.
The NATC will be an industry-wide facility, available for use by other OEMs, industry players, research institutes, and academia. The operational tasks for the facility will be led by MARii and supported by various stakeholders, including Proton.
As part of the collaboration, 200 Proton R&D engineers and personnel will also be given “hands on R&D exposure via a structured programme”, in view of future developments of products and components, especially those related to new energy vehicles (NEVs).
In the long term, this talent development program will help achieve the goal of transforming the Automotive High Tech Valley (AHTV) into a regional centre for the development and production of NEV models and components.
Proton Chief Executive Officer, Li Chunrong, said, “Proton’s agreement with MARii enhances the company’s commitment to the automotive industry in Malaysia while fulfilling our responsibility in realising the goals of the National Industrial Master Plan.”
“There is a lot of potential for the NATC to contribute towards developing new technology and new models, and we hope it leads to the realisation of the country’s ambitions to be a regional automotive force,” he added.
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