WITH electric vehicles (EVs) increasingly gaining popularity, automotive companies face the challenge of meeting demand while ensuring the sustainable growth of conventional cars with internal combustion engines (ICEs).
Posing this real-life challenge as a case study question, national automotive company Proton invited tertiary students to consider how it can lead Malaysia’s transition from ICE to EV while remaining competitive across both segments.
The Proton Business Case Study Challenge 2025 culminated with Team WOLC from Universiti Utara Malaysia being crowned champions on Dec 13, beating 41 other teams from 25 public and private universities representing six regions in Malaysia.
Team ANOVA from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Team SAA UMK from Universiti Malaysia Kelantan secured the first and second runners-up positions.
The winners took home cash prizes of RM8,000, RM5,000 and RM3,000, respectively.
Phibert Goh Jie Hao from Unimas won the Best Individual Presenter Award with a cash prize of RM1,000.
Other finalist teams included participants from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara Shah Alam and Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Proton chief human resources officer Dr Kasuma Satria said the challenge allowed the company’s human capital and administration division to access high-potential undergraduates who show an interest in the automotive industry and to assess their suitability under specific conditions.
“Thirty conditional offers to join Proton as part of the Proton Young Talent (PYT) programme were handed out to rising talents in 2025, demonstrating the value of such an event towards the company reaching its long-term goals,” he said in a press release.
With structured job rotations, mentoring, peer and performance reviews, as well as hands-on projects, the PYT programme – which has welcomed 400 young graduates – provides participants with a foundation in the automotive industry while building a pipeline of future leaders.
The first edition of the national competition was held in 2024.
