PROTON today officially revealed its new, EV specific sub-brand, e.MAS. The Proton e.MAS moniker is to be deployed on future EV (electric vehicle) models and is pronounced as the alphabet "e" combined with the word “mas” and not like the word 'emas' which stands for gold in tge Malay language.
The acronym stands for Electrifying Malaysia, marrying the ‘e’ symbol to denote EVs together with the MAS
abbreviation that is universally used to mean Malaysia. The name also represents PROTON’s aim of electrifying mobility for Malaysians with its new upcoming EV models. And do note, that over a decade ago, the Emas moniker was used on a Proton concept city car developed in conjunction with Lotus. So while e.MAS is new, the Proton Emas is a tie in with part of the history of the brand.
While the sub brand is new, the decision to keep using Proton as the main brand is due to familiarity with Malaysians. So, to tie the new EV brand to PROTON, the logo used to represent e.MAS features a newly, slightly redesigned 2D rendition of the current ‘uncaged’ logo design depicting the tiger’s head held high to symbolize the company moving forwards towards success. The flattened rather than 3D format used is in line with current design trends that lean towards cleaner and less complicated graphics. Even more do than the already simple current Proton logo.
“The unveiling of the e.MAS brand and logo today marks a significant step forward in PROTON’s journey towards launching our own EV model. We are aware that as a company tied to the industrialisation of Malaysia, we have a responsibility to provide mobility solutions relevant and within reach of all Malaysians. This is why PROTON has been deliberate in its approach towards EVs, developing our knowledge base step by step to ensure we have a thorough understanding of the products, technology and user concerns before sales even begin,” said Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer, PROTON.
The event also saw the appointment of the first 17 Proton EV dealers, who formalised their agreements in a ceremony earlier in the day.
PROTON also announced that EV dealership applications are now open for interested dealers and the initial
target is to have 30 outlets by 2025 with plans in place to grow the network according to need. The network is important for customer touch points, important as you need charging stations in strategic locations throughout the country if you are serious in succeeding in the battery EV segment.
“As Malaysia’s first automotive brand it is important for PROTON to invest in infrastructure to offer a full range of services to EV buyers, instead of just selling product. Therefore, when Proton e.MAS models go on sale,
customers can be reassured their every need will be taken care of just like it would be for buyers of the current Proton range,” added Dr Li Chunrong.
Taking a structured approach towards EVs following the beginning of the partnership with GEELY in 2017, plans were made to introduce Proton EV models following the success of the company’s new SUV models and PROTON’s subsequent return to profitability. There was a delay during the global COVID pandemic, but activities resumed in earnest with the signing of a Memorandum of Association (MOA) between PROTON and smart Automobile Company on 19 January 2022.
This was followed by the signing of a General Distributorship Agreement (GDA) between both parties on 18
August, leading to the formation of PRO-NET on 9 September to spearhead sales and distributorship for smart vehicles and future EV offerings from PROTON. The next step was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Gentari in October to collaborate on charging infrastructure followed by sending 16
engineers to China in December 2022 for On the Job Training (OJT) in EVs and related areas such as charging 2023 saw the appointment of dealers for smart, the hiring of a full team from various industries to manage the brand, which then culminated with the launch of the smart #1 on 21 November, adding more knowledge and expertise in EV products to PROTON’s ecosystem.
At the same time, the company has also launched PROTON R&D Centre China in April 2024, which is based at
the Geely Research Institute in Hangzhou Bay. The new facility will strengthen PROTON’s ability to conceptualise, design, develop and manufacture new vehicles from the ground up by enhancing the synergies of PROTON’s existing in-house competencies with the resources and expertise of Geely. It will also help to enhance crossborder collaboration, facilitate knowledge transfer between the two companies as well as drive innovation for products tailored to meet the needs of PROTON’s customers.
Dr Li Chunrong also added, “The e.MAS brand and its products is an extension of PROTON’s three core values of Innovative Technology, Reliability and International. This is the next step in the evolution of the company and in the coming months, there will be additional announcements to build brand
recognition and product advocacy in the run up to the launch of the first Proton e.MAS EV in December this year.”
While EVs are still in the early adoption stage here in Malaysia, even PROTON needs to stick its head into this new segment. It may be still in the stage where EV adoption is an uphill task at the segment where Proton is the strongest, (the RM40k Saga to RM130k for the X70 SUV), there is a need to learn new technologies and keep abreast of the competition. With Malaysia having aspirations to be carbon neutral by 2050, as one of the main car manufacturers here, Proton must wade into this EV segment. So the Proton e.MAS sub brand is a needed venture to ensure progress. Of course such new ventures are a risk, but if every car manufacturer is doing this EV thing, it should be tried by Proton so that they won't get left behind. You can see from the visuals below that Proton has planned out everything necessary including the smart apps required to keep data and other information, like charging stations in easy reach.
Oh, the folks of Proton say that they plan to launch their first battery EV by the end of this year. So we shall wait till then.
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