Despite our two nations’ proximity and history, Proton has never found extended success in Singapore. The Malaysian carmaker’s last official presence in the island nation was in the early 2010s, and that was already a second attempt after sales struggled in the early 2000s with Cycle & Carriage as its official distributor. But now it’s hoping that third time’s the charm with the introduction of the eMAS 7 (stylised as e.MAS 7) in Singapore, marking the return of the Proton brand to the nation after 11 years of absence.
As previewed at The Car Expo 2025 earlier this year, the Proton eMAS 7 will be offered in two variants similar to those in Malaysia, with launch prices starting at an eye-watering (for us Malaysians) SGD175,988 (approx. RM577k) for the Prime and SGD179,988 (approx. RM590k) for the Premium, inclusive of Certificate of Entitlement (COE).
While we Malaysians may balk at the prices, context matters here. As many local commentators have pointed out, the Proton eMAS 7 is currently offering Category B COE performance outputs at prices more comparable to other Category A models.
Singapore’s COE system divides cars into two categories according to their engine capacity or output powers. For electric vehicles (EV), those falling under an output of 110 kW (150 hp) are entitled to a slightly cheaper Category A COE, which has prompted several brands – including Tesla – to introduce lower-powered variants specifically for the country.
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For the Proton eMAS 7, its 218 hp (160 kW) outputs across both variants means that it’ll have to settle for the Category B COE, which at the time of writing, comes in at SGD136,890 (approx. RM449k).
Save for the Ora Good Cat, which is a much smaller car than the eMAS 7, all other EVs on sale in the SGD170k price range do indeed fall within the Cat A’s 110 kW limit, including special 100 kW versions of the BYD Atto 3, MG S5, and Jaecoo J6 (sold in Malaysia as the iCaur 03).
Like in Malaysia, the Proton eMAS 7 biggest USP in Singapore is also arguably its value. Aside from the higher outputs, the C-segment electric SUV is also equipped with many goodies found in vehicles usually in higher segments, such as the massive panoramic glass roof and the 16-speaker Flyme sound system, both exclusive to the range-topping Premium variant.
Its range performance is respectable too, as even the entry-level Prime variant with its smaller 49.52 kWh battery pack is still rated for a driving range of 345 km (WLTP). The Premium’s 60.02 kWh battery brings the figure up to 410 km.
But is the lower sticker price enough to bring glory to our national marque in Singapore – on its third attempt now? Only time will tell.
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