Proton EV Brand Naming Contest Pulls Over 22,000 Entries

Proton's PRO-NET arm launched a novel naming contest last week, inviting Malaysians to guess the name of Proton's upcoming EV brand.

Last week, national carmaker Proton launched a novel new campaign inviting Malaysians to guess the name of its upcoming Electric Vehicle (EV) brand. Said effort is being coordinated by its Proton New Energy Technology (PRO-NET) arm, which also distributes the smart Automobile brand.

As a refresher, the contest first opened on May 20, and Malaysians willing to take a shot at this guess can submit their entries ahead of its deadline of June 5. Exciting prizes are up for grabs, not to mention the ultimate bragging rights of correctly guessing Proton’s EV brand name first. The grand prize of this contest sees a cash prize in the sum of RM5,000.

As reported prior, Proton is poised to debut its first all-electric offering sometime in 2025, and it will be jointly developed with partners Geely.

Since its initial announcement, PRO-NET notes that the reaction and reception garnered has been overwhelmingly positive, and this is most evident in the total number of entries garnered. At the time of writing, PRO-NET notes that it received 22,440 submissions already.

"The overwhelming response to the Proton EV Brand Name Contest is a testament to the passion and excitement shared by Malaysians as we usher in a new era of automotive excellence," remarked Zhang Qiang, CEO of PRO-NET.

Insiders have rumoured that Proton's first EV offering will underpin the newly revealed Geely Galaxy E5.

As reported prior, Proton and Geely are set to jointly develop this upcoming EV offering, which could potentially be produced in both Geely- and Proton-badged versions. The design and prototype stages have been completed and the model is currently undergoing testing. 

The launch date for the EV model will be announced closer to the time, but the body style will not be revealed. Proton's EV model is expected to be a staggered release, similar as how PRO-NET debuted the smart Automobile brand, where announcements were made for production start and booking opening. KR