SPYSHOT: Proton e.MAS 7 PHEV Sighted! – Launching Next Year?

An avid follower and reader has sent in these snaps of what we believe is the Proton e.MAS 7 PHEV in camouflage undergoing road tests locally.

Earlier today, an avid fan and follower of Carz.com.my has graciously sent in snaps of what we reckon in the upcoming plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Proton e.MAS 7. The camouflaged unit was sighted on the ELITE highway just outside Putrajaya this afternoon.

Despite the camouflage, the silhouette of the e.MAS 7 is unmistakable to say the least. We’ll even add that national automaker Proton has registered the ‘e.MAS 7 PHEV’ trademark back in Sept 2024, so this was indication enough of its planned entry.

The camouflaged prototye was sighted by our reader on the ELITE highway just outside Putrajaya.

Proton has kept mum to date as to when it intends to launch this petrol-electric PHEV variant locally. Considering how well the fully electric version is selling at present, our best guess is that the folks at Tanjong Malim will launch it sometime next year (2026).

While the all-electric e.MAS 7 EV C-SUV underpins the Geely EX5 (Galaxy E5), this PHEV variant is instead based on what’s marketed as the Galaxy Starship 7 PHEV in its native home market of China since Nov 2024.

Proton had registered and trademarked the 'e.MAS 7 PHEV' name since Sept 2024. No indications yet when this petrol-electric variant will launch, but we reckon it will debut sometime next year (2026).

As reported prior, the Galaxy Starship 7 PHEV is built atop of the same Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture (GEA) platform as both the E5 and e.MAS 7. The Starship 7 is also powered by Geely’s latest NordThor EM-i PHEV powertrain setup.

The latter consists of a 1.5-litre 4-cyl naturally-aspirated petrol mill rated at 110 HP and 136 NM. It is then augmented by a unique 11-to-1 electrified dedicated hybrid transmission (e-DHT), which combines an integrated starter-generator (ISG) motor and a dedicated drive e-motor.

Underneath, the Geely-badged original underpins the same GEA platform base as the e.MAS 7. It even uses the same Geely Aegis 'Short Blade' LFP-type battery packs, albeit with smaller capacities.

Next comes the choice between a 19.09 kWh or larger 28.94 kWh iteration of the Geely Aegis ‘Short Blade’ LFP-type battery pack primed in the Chinese market model. In turn, this setup in the Starship 7 delivers a claimed 0-100 KM/H sprint time of 7.5 secs, plus an electronically-limited V-Max of 180 KM/H.

As for range and fuel economy, the Geely-badged original noted touts CLTC-rated electric-only ranges of up to 101 KM from the smaller battery and up to 150 KM for the larger-sized battery noted. CLTC-rated combined petrol-electric range reads at 1,420 KM, followed by a claimed fuel economy average of 3.75 litres/100 KM.

Chinese market Geely Galaxy Starship 7 PHEV pictured. Expect the Proton redux to not differ to much in terms of design and aesthetics.

Like many of its PHEV pees, the Starship 7 supports DC fast charging at 36 kW, which grants 30-80% re-charges in about 20 minutes. Concurrently, said battery can also be used to power up small electrical appliances via Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality.

Apart from the powertrain, expect the e.MAS 7 PHEV we spied earlier today to mirror its battery electric twin in terms of kit, amenities, as well as safety – full-blown ADAS suite included - should it launch anytime soon.

Given what we’ve detailed, what do you folks think? Can a PHEV redux of the e.MAS 7 prove equally popular? Hit the comments below with your take on things…