Official: Proton signs on to distribute smart EVs in Malaysia and Thailand

It’s official: national carmaker Proton has taken up the mantle of distributor for the revitalised smart brand (smart Automobile Company) for both Malaysia and Thailand. Today’s signing follows up from a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) that both companies signed and announced back in January this year.

Proton’s top management signed a General Distributorship Agreement (GDA) with the Sino-German electric vehicles (EV) manufacturer earlier today, stating that the first phase of this collaboration is set to commence in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023.

This officially marks Proton’s first steps and entry into the emerging new energy vehicles market segment, as well as the local EVs market space. It also intends to invest in a charging network plus collaborating with local charging providers to provide and install home chargers for customers too.

In regards to how it will market the smart brand, which is jointly-owned by partners Geely and Mercedes-Benz, Proton says it intends to model smart’s retail operations based on what said company presently does in other markets, namely China and the UK.

“The first phase of business with smart is focused on retailing, but it provides us with valuable knowledge and experience on not only how to service and charge EVs, but also how to transform the way we interact with customers,” said Proton CEO Dr Li Chunrong in his speech during the signing ceremony.

“The move into this market segment will also help drive Proton’s move towards being more environmentally friendly in all facets of our operations as we work to help Malaysia achieve its carbon neutrality target by 2050,” Dr Li added.

When asked by CariCarz.com,  Proton’s Deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah said that the firm will likely give Malaysians a first look of their first smart-branded offering, the smart #1, as early as May next year. He also noted that Proton will begin accepting bookings by then as well.

As to the smart brand’s entry into the Thailand market, Roslan also clarified that this will only happen in 2024, meaning all efforts will be focused on smart’s re-entry in Malaysia first.

Apart from sales, Proton says this new effort as smart’s distributor will also allow it to attract more talented youths given the rapid shift in career preferences amongst. This will be part of Proton’s long-term plans for sustainability and energy efficiency, as well as increasing its ESG (environmental, social and governance) scores.