Photo: AP
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday (Oct 28) took time off their busy schedules at the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits to view the latest models of the Proton Saga and Proton e.MAS 5.
In a Facebook post, Anwar said Proton is a strong symbol of the close friendship between Malaysia and China, and shared commitment to deepening strategic cooperation in automotive development and technological innovation.
"This partnership continues to flourish, reflecting our mutual determination to advance not only in the automotive sector but also in emerging areas such as the digital economy, green energy, and smart mobility, further strengthening Malaysia’s position as a key hub in Asean’s regional automotive value chain,” he said.
Proton, in a statement, said the presence of both leaders highlighted the growing importance of the automotive sector as a key area of collaboration to support Malaysia’s national transformation agenda and China’s continued engagement in regional industrial growth.
Today’s public showcase of two of Proton’s upcoming models reflects the success of the partnership between DRB-Hicom Berhad and Geely Holding Group in driving Proton’s transformation into a modern, competitive automotive company.
"Through this partnership, Proton continues to combine Malaysian engineering capabilities with Geely’s technological expertise to advance the country’s automotive ecosystem, supporting the development of new skills, local innovation and sustainable growth,” the statement read.
The all-new Proton Saga, which debuts Proton’s Advanced Modular Architecture platform, is the first model to be fully designed, engineered and validated by Malaysian talent with technical collaboration from Geely.
"The model carries Proton’s full intellectual property rights (IPR), representing a major milestone in national capability and proving that home-grown Malaysian talent can design and develop a complete vehicle that meets international standards,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Proton e.MAS 5 is Malaysia’s first affordable electric vehicle, following the successful introduction of the e.MAS 7 last year.
"This model reflects the nation’s readiness to embrace sustainable mobility in support of the government’s National Energy Transition Roadmap,” it said.
The display of the new vehicles developed by Proton and Geely in conjunction with the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits also reinforces the strong bilateral relationship between Malaysia and China.
Also present at the showcase were the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Geely Holding Group chairman Eric Li Shufu and Proton chairman Tan Sri Syed Faisal Albar. - Bernama
