KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 7): Proton Holdings Bhd has started construction of a new electric vehicle (EV) production plant at its Tanjung Malim facility,  

In a statement on Friday, Proton said this is targeted for completion by the end of 2025, at 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, it said. 

Once operational, the facility will produce multiple models based on the Global Modular Architecture (GMA) platform, beginning with the Proton e.MAS 7 — the first EV to be launched by a Malaysian automotive brand.   

Proton has also outlined plans for a second phase of the plant, which would increase annual capacity to 45,000 units, in response to projected demand both domestically and internationally. 

“Once completed, this new factory will focus on producing the Proton e.MAS 7, as well as future NEV (new energy vehicle) offerings, as Proton expands its model range.   

“Ultimately, we hope our success will establish a modern and capable automotive ecosystem to encourage more OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to consider Malaysia and AHTV (Automotive High Tech Valley) as a regional base for EVs,” said Dr Li Chunrong, chief executive officer of Proton.  

As well as that, Proton has projected that its new EV production plant will create over 200 new jobs, focused on EV industrialisation and technical services, for the local community. 

This figure does not account for the potential employment growth within the AHTV vendor community, which is expected to expand as operations ramp up to supply key parts critical to the assembly process.  

Proton was established as Malaysia's first national car project, with the aim of supporting the country's economic development and contributing to the growth of the local automotive industry. 

The proposed new EV plant came nearly eight years after Zhejiang Geely Holding Group acquired a 49.9% stake in Proton. DRB-HICOM owns the other 50.1% in the national carmaker.

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