Malaysia’s first national car company Proton has begun construction of a new assembly facility for electric vehicles (EVs) at its main Tanjung Malim plant in the state of Perak, according to local reports.
The automaker plans to invest an initial MYR82m (US$18m) in the facility, which is scheduled to become operational at the end of the year with an annual production capacity of 20,000 units. It will produce multiple EV models using the Geely-derived Global Modular Architecture (GMA) platform - starting with the Proton e.MAS 7 which went on sale in December.
Production capacity at the new facility will be increased to 45,000 units per year following a second phase of investment.
A Proton spokesperson confirmed: “The target is for local production of Proton EV models to begin by the end of 2025.” The company confirmed the production line will feature high levels of automation using robotics, cloud-based plant management and industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT).
Proton plans to consolidate all vehicle production operations at the Tanjung Malim complex in 2026, once its best-selling model – the Saga sedan – is transferred from the Shah Alam facility.
