PROTON is gearing up to enter the local assembly phase (CKD) of its electric vehicles (EVs) very soon.

Construction of the national automaker's EV manufacturing plant has begun and is targeted for completion by the end of the year.

The endeavour makes it the nation's first EV factory.

Located at Tanjung Malim with an investment cost of RM82 million, the first phase of the company’s EV assembly plan will have an initial planned capacity of 20,000 units per year.

Upon completion it will produce multiple models based on the Global Modular Architecture (GMA) platform starting with Proton's first EV model the e.Mas 7.

Proton estimates the new plant will lead to the creation of over 200 new jobs, specialising in EV industrialisation and technical services, for the local community. This is despite the utilisation of the latest intelligent production operations in its production line - featuring a high degree of automation in its operations by leveraging on robotics, cloud based plant management, industrial internet-of-things (IOT) and technologies synonymous with IR 4.0.  

This they added that this is before the knock-on effect to the AHTV vendor community is calculated as it ramps up operations to supply value added parts to critical to assembly operations.  

The second phase of the plant, in anticipation of growing acceptance and demand for EVs from customers, will see a ramp up of production capacity to 45,000 units per annum This will be implemented based on sales demand in Malaysia and overseas markets.  

Proton chief executive officer  Dr Li Chunrong states that the vehicles produced at the new plant will serve the brand's domestic customers and export market while becoming a catalyst to driving the growth of the EV market.  

“Proton began making its transition to become an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) offering internal combustion engine (ICE) and NEV models when we established Pro-Net to sell EVs - from smart in 2023 and the e.Mas 7 as of 2024.

"We have accumulated a lot of experience over this period in all areas regarding these vehicles and the needs of their customers, so today we take another step to realising our dream of manufacturing and developing EV models in Malaysia. 

“Once completed, this new factory will focus on producing the e.Mas 7 as well as future NEV offerings as Proton expands its model range. Ultimately, we hope our success will establish a modern and capable automotive ecosystem to encourage more OEMs to consider Malaysia and AHTV as a regional base for EVs,” added Dr Li.

Attending the commencement event was Perak chief minister Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad along with members of the state government and executive council. 

Proton was represented by its board member Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, Dr Li Chunrong and deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah. 

Also present were representatives from government ministries, federal agencies and local state authorities.