MAS 2025: New Proton e.MAS 5 EV Teased In Camo, Q4 Launch Hinted

Unveiled at MAS 2025 was the camouflaged teaser of the upcoming new Proton e.MAS 5 EV hatch.

Whilst its Rawang-based rivals elected to tease half a car (literally), it was Tanjung Malim – and Shah Alam – based national automaker Proton that upped the ante instead by showcasing two complete cars at the Malaysia Autoshow 2025 (MAS 2025) today.

One of which is the upcoming new Proton e.MAS 5 compact EV hatchback. Today’s teaser and unveiling firstly confirms its ‘e.MAS 5’ name designation and, secondly, the fact that it will be based on the Geely Star Wish (Xingyusan), as we’ve speculated prior.

Based on the Geely Star Wish (Xingyuan), the e.MAS 5 is poised to thwart the threats of new arrivals like the Dongfeng Box and TQ Wuling Bingo, and perhaps the segment-leading BYD Dolphin.

Evidently, the e.MAS 5 is set to rival against things like the BYD Dolphin and, on the local front at least, thwart off the threats of new arrivals liker the Dongfeng Box and TQ Wuling Bingo EV – both also on display here at MAS 2025.

Notably, Proton chose to debut the MAS 2025 in camouflage. This suggests we’ll see further design changes ahead of its proper launch. On that note, we’ll reserve judgement on the model’s styling, though we’ll admit this softer, curvier approach this EV hatch sports.

The camouflage likely suggests Proton may still tweak this EV hatch's design further, especially in the finer details.

Proton skirted away from dishing out technical details, but we’ve got the Chinese market Xingyuan specs as a reference instead. Positioned as a compact electric city car, it packs a front mounted e-motor outputting 79 PS and 130 NM to drive the front wheels.

Juicing said e-motor is a CATL-supplied 30.12 kWh LFP battery pack that yields up to 310 KM, though we must note said figure is based on the ‘lenient’ CLTC test cycles. In other words, expect real world figures to be far lower than that.

In terms of footprint, the Geely Xingyuan (Star Wish) original sits some 4,135 MM long with sa 2,650 MM wheelbase, 1,805 MM wide, and 1,570 MM tall.

In its native China, the Star Wish (Xingyuan) also has a ‘Long Range’ guise available. This one benefits with boosted 116 PS and 150 NM e-motor outputs, as well as a larger 40.16 kWh battery pack that promises up to 410 KM (CLTC) instead.

Whilst said Chinese market model specs seems mediocre, we reckon perhaps Proton (or PRO-NET, more likely) could instead get partners Geely to shod the Malaysia-bound e.MAS 5 with the former’s latest 60.22 kWh Aegis battery pack, but this remains as pure speculation for now.

Sadly, besides locking and guarding the doors, a heavy and dark window tint also kept prying eyes away from viewing the e.MAS 5's interior.

Proton kept the cabin locked and guarded, whilst a heavy and dark window tint keep prying eyes away from seeing the cabin too. Nonetheless, we reckon the Geely original’s base cabin design and a slew of its tech will remain in the Proton redux.

Highlights of the latter should include an 8.8-inch digital instrument display, 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, 256-colour ambient cabin lighting, as well as a novel ‘skyline graphic’ in its roof.

Proton kept mum about tech specs, but the firm did hint that a launch could take place sometime in Q4.

Other bits expected include automatic climate control with rear air-con vents, power-adjustable front seats, wireless charging pad, 3.3 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) function, as well as a slew of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features.

For the moment, your guess is as good as ours regarding the model's launch date, though the automaker has hinted it will happen sometime in the final quarter (Q4) of this year. 

You can see the Proton e.MAS 5 camo teaser at Proton's booth in Hall A during MAS 2025.

The same applies to price, though Proton Deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah had famously hinted prior that the e.MAS 5’s purchase price will firstly be affordable, and secondly, “inclusive of battery.”

We’ll know more once we get closer to an official launch. For now though, you can take your first peek at the Proton e.MAS 5 at Proton’s booth in Hall A at MAS 2025.