Malaysia’s first national car company, Proton Holdings Bhd, announced this week that it plans to launch a second battery electric vehicle (BEV) model this year. The company gave a preview of the new model at the Malaysia Auto Show 2025, which runs until 15th May in Serdang – just outside Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur.
Salawati Mohd Yusoff, chief branding officer at Proton’s wholly-owned subsidiary Proton New Energy Technology (Pro-Net), told reporters at the show that the automaker is scheduled to launch the e.MAS 5 sub-compact battery-powered hatchback in the fourth quarter of 2025. Pro-Net was established in 2022 to manage Proton’s e.MAS electric vehicle programme.
The new B-segment BEV, understood to be based on Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s Xingyuan (Star Wish) model, will slot below the existing e.MAS 7, a battery-powered C-segment SUV launched at the end of last year based on the Geely Galaxy E5. Proton has sold 2,716 units of the e.MAS 7 in Malaysia so far this year.
Ms Salawati confirmed that the new BEV model will be priced at above MYR100,000 (US$23,000), without providing specific details, adding, “We aim to position the price of our newest BEV slightly lower than equivalent models on the market.” The e.MAS 5 will initially be available in two basic variants, the Prime model with a range of 345 km and the Premium with a range of 410 km.
