Proton Ramps Up Next-Gen Car Development, Boosts Vendor Confidence

In a press statement issued earlier today, national carmaker Proton revealed that it is ramping up efforts to develop its next-generation models. Part of the effort include previewing upcoming models and design concepts to representatives from the Proton Vendors Association (PVA) and Proton Edar Dealers Association (PEDA) in a trip to China held last month.

Through this closed-door viewing event, Proton had aimed to gain more insights on the development work done by the design team in meeting local and global market needs. Present during which too were both the automaker’s CEO Dr Li Chunrong and Deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah, as well as a slew of other top management personnel.

“This experience has provided vendors and dealers valuable insights into the global automotive market dynamics and reinforces Proton’s leadership in delivering cutting-edge vehicles tailored to diverse consumer preferences,” said Thomas Lim, PVA’s president.

Lim continued by noting that some of the safety technologies and luxurious interior in the model were “way beyond its market segment.” Lim also believed that with strong demand for technological advanced vehicles at competitive prices, all models shown are poised to make a significant impact to the market.

Separately, Proton also revealed it recently collaborated with China’s Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MECD), alongside with two government agencies, to bring suppliers of government-linked companies (GLC) and Proton to attend the “Market Access, Technology Transfer & Vendor Enhancement Program” in China.

Organised by MECD and led by the Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) and Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF), this program was held in July to accelerate the development of next-generation vehicles and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) through strategic partnerships and technological exchanges.

Proton added that this initiative was aimed towards fostering innovation, enhance commercialisation activities and support Malaysia’s transition towards sustainable mobility.

Present for this were representatives from MBSB Bank, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, PLUS Expressways Bhd, UEM Edgenta Bhd, Telekom Malaysia as well as 22 Malaysian vendors. All were brought to visit electric vehicle (EV) components plants, such as charger plants and stations, batteries and charger producers in seven places in China, including Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou.

These stops included Geely’s subsidiaries – EV manufacturer Zeekr and EV battery and charger producer VREMT at Hangzhou Bay. As a global leader in EVs, China’s comprehensive ecosystem for EV development made this program highly significant by offering insights into manufacturing, facilities and services within the EV industry.

To facilitate interactions between Proton suppliers and Geely EV suppliers, business matchmaking sessions were also held at the Geely Research Centre (GRI) at Hangzhou Bay during the programme. 95% of the participants were satisfied with the session that aided in identifying potential partnerships and collaborations for EV component supply chains.

Additionally, 87% of local suppliers present here also expressed the intention to collaborate with China suppliers via avenues such as distributorship, collaboration in technology transfer, joint venture partner, collaboration in skill development and investment for joint business.

“The partnership and tech exchanges during these visits are vital for strengthening our local supply chain, especially in EV components. This effort supports the National Automotive Policy (NAP2020), positioning Malaysia as a leader in the region’s EV industry,” said Azrul Reza Aziz, CEO of MARii.

Altogether, this underscores the need for increased collaboration and technology exchanges to ensure the long-term resilience of the automotive sector in Malaysia and to accelerate progress towards these ambitious goals,” said Dr Li regarding Proton’s latest efforts detailed.