Proton has commenced construction on its first ever electric vehicle (EV) production factory. The new plant, located in the Automotive High-Tech Valley (AHTV), Tanjung Malim, is expected to be up and running by the end of 2025.
The national carmaker says that the RM82 million facility will be able to produce 20,000 EVs per year in its “first phase” of operations. Proton already has plans for a second phase that increases capacity to 45,000 units annually, but said will only hit the “go” button on that if there’s enough demand in Malaysia and overseas.
The Proton eMAS 7 (stylised as e.MAS 7) will be the first EV to roll off the production line at the new plant. The company also stated they’ll build two other models there in the near future, both based on the Global Modular Architecture (GMA) platform.
Proton claims that the new plant will be Malaysia’s first dedicated EV factory, with the keyword here being “dedicated”. Neta, through its local distributor Intro Synergy, also broke ground on its new local assembly (CKD) plant last year, although that is labelled as a “New Energy Vehicle (NEV)” plant, which could also include the production of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) under the same roof.
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The new Proton EV plant is part of the national carmaker’s bigger plan to move all their manufacturing to Tanjung Malim. It also aligns with the Malaysian government’s broader strategy to encourage both EV adoption and local EV production, as outlined in their EV industrialisation plan.
Said to utilise a range of “smart manufacturing technologies,” the new EV production plant will feature a high degree of automation in operations, using robotics and cloud-based plant management, according to Proton.
It will also lead to the creation of 200 new jobs, specialising in EV industrialisation and technical services for the surrounding local community.
Proton is set for a busy 2025 ahead of them. The national brand is planning to launch at least three models. One based on the AMA platform, and “at least one new model” from both the GMA and X/S series, according to Proton CEO, Li Chunrong.
The model based on the AMA platform is presumably the next-generation Proton Saga, while the GMA model could be the eMAS 3 or eMAS 5. The X/S series model is most likely to be the Proton X50 facelift, which is rumoured to feature a new 1.5-litre turbocharged inline-four engine, replacing the current locally assembled 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder.
But those details are still secret – we’ll have to wait and see what Proton has up its sleeve. One thing’s for sure: it’s going to be an interesting year for the national brand!
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