We’re only just a few days into 2025, but Proton CEO Dr Li Chunrong has already confirmed that the national automobile company will launch its second all-electric model this yr. The announcement was made on the opening ceremony of the Proton eMas Petaling Jaya showroom in Seksyen 13, operated by Regal Motors EV.
That’s big news indeed, coming lower than a month after the long-awaited introduction of the Proton eMas 7, Malaysia’s first local-branded EV. While the identity of the second model remains to be under wraps, it’s heavily rumoured to be the eMas 5, based on the Geely Xingyuan.
If proved correct, the electrical hatchback can be a smaller, more cost-effective EV option for the mass market, and one that can likely rival Perodua’s own upcoming electric model that was recently previewed by the eMO-II concept.
In China, the Geely Xingyuan was launched in October 2024, with a CLTC-rated range of up 410 km (closer to 350 km on the WLTP cycle). We can have to attend and see if the Proton eMas 5 can have similarly small 30.12 and 40.16 kWh battery options here. The larger eMas 7 gets a alternative of 49.52 and 60.22 kWh battery packs, with a claimed range of 345 km and 410 km respectively on the WLTP cycle.
Last September, we reported that local Proton dealers were shown the Geely Xingyuan during a bunch visit in China, fuelling rumours that the smaller EV model is being regarded as an eMas model. It’s now looking an increasing number of likely that that’s indeed the case.
The query is when and naturally, how much? The Proton eMas 7 starts from RM105,800, so it’s natural to expect the far smaller sibling to perhaps fall below the RM100k mark. Nonetheless, it is going to need to be locally assembled in Malaysia to hold a five-figure price tag. The eMas 7 is currently fully imported from China.
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
