PUTRAJAYA: Proton Holdings Bhd is expediting plans for the introduction of its first electric vehicle (EV) to 2025, two years earlier than its original plan.
Proton deputy chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said the decision was to align with the government's commitment to support the development and growth of the local EV sector.
He said Proton was in the midst of identifying a suitable model for the market that fulfilled customers' requirements without compromising the price and quality of the car.
"Proton is focusing on EV, therefore at the moment we are working to hasten the launch of the first Proton EV as early as 2025.
"We are identifying the right model so it can be offered to the market at an affordable price and it must be practical. Both of these elements are important for a Proton EV," Roslan told reporters after the launch of 2023 Proton Rahmah Campaign.
Proton first indicated in 2021 that it had a planned roadmap for electrification involving hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and full electric vehicles, and would enter the market when the time was right.
An automotive blog reported that since then, with the exception of the planned entry of the smart #1 slated for this year and the mention that it would be introducing its own EV by 2027,
there has been very little to indicate how and when Proton would go about entering the arena.
In February, Proton provided an outline of how it was aiming to proceed, presenting a rough sketch of its roadmap at a Chinese New Year media dinner.
The company said that its move into the new energy vehicle segment would be phased, with mild hybrid (MHEV) technology leading the way in, alongside the smart #1. This would be followed by more BEVs and PHEVs before transitioning into BEVs as core products.