Proton Breaks Ground For New EV Production Plant

Proton has officially commenced construction of its first dedicated EV production plant located in the vicinity of its high-tech Tanjung Malim facility.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held today and saw the attendance of Perak Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, Proton board member Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, CEO Dr Li Chunrong, and Deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah. The event also saw participation from representatives of government ministries, federal agencies, and local state authorities.

The facility, developed with an investment of RM82 million, is set to see its first phase of construction completed by the end of 2025. Once operational this facility will have an initial production capacity of 20,000 units per year.

Notably, the plant will manufacture multiple EV models based on the Global Modular Architecture (GMA) platform from Geely, beginning with the Proton e.MAS 7 - Proton's first EV model.

During the Proton e.MAS brand launch, Dr Li Chunrong had detailed that the GMA platform was being developed as the foundation for next-generation Proton models. He also added that there were five models for which in the pipeline.

The establishment of Proton’s EV production facility aligns with Malaysia’s broader EV industrialisation strategy and supports key national policies, including the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP), National Automotive Policy (NAP 2020), Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint (LCMB), and New Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).

According to Proton, this milestone marks a crucial step toward consolidating all its manufacturing operations at Tanjung Malim, reinforcing the significance of the Automotive High-Tech Valley (AHTV) initiative.

Designed for New Energy Vehicle (NEV) production, the facility will integrate advanced smart manufacturing technologies to ensure efficiency, high-quality output, and minimal environmental impact. The plant will feature high automation, robotics integration, cloud-based plant management, Industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT), and Industry 4.0 technologies.

Despite incorporating advanced automation, the plant is expected to generate over 200 specialised jobs, benefiting the local community. Additionally, the expansion of AHTV’s vendor ecosystem will further contribute to supply chain development and economic growth.

To accommodate anticipated demand for EVs in Malaysia and international markets, Proton has outlined a second phase for the production plant. This expansion will increase the plant’s capacity to 45,000 units per annum, with implementation based on market demand.

Dr Li also expressed hope that more OEMs will take Proton success into consideration and consider Malaysia and AHTV as a regional base for EVs.